Wes Chandler Wesley Sandy Chandler ( born August 22 , 1956 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League ( NFL ) for eleven seasons during the 1970s and 1980s . Chandler played college football for the University of Florida , and was recognized as an All - American . He was third overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the New Orleans Saints , the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL . He was a four - time Pro Bowl selection and holds the NFL record for most receiving yards per game in a season . Chandler ranked twelfth in NFL history in receiving yards and thirteenth in receptions when he retired . He became a football coach , and is currently the wide receivers coach for the University of California Golden Bears . Early life . Chandler was born in New Smyrna Beach , Florida . He attended New Smyrna Beach High School , where he was a standout high school football player for the New Smyrna Beach Barracudas . Chandler scored twenty - two touchdown s as a senior in 1973 ( scoring five in a single game ) , and rushing for 1 , 052 yards and catching twenty - two reception s as a wishbone running back . In 2007 , thirty - three years after he graduated from high school , the Florida High School Athletic Association ( FHSAA ) recognized Chandler as one of the " 100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years " of Florida high school football . College career . Chandler received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he was a wide receiver for coach Doug Dickey ' s Florida Gators football team from 1974 to 1977 . While he was a Florida undergraduate , Chandler became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity ( Theta Sigma Chapter ) . As a Gator , he caught ninety - two passes for 1 , 963 yards and a school record twenty - two touchdowns in a run - oriented offense , adding six more scores on rushes and kick returns . and leading the team in receiving yards in 1975 , 1976 and 1977 . Chandler was a first - team All - Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) selection and a first - team All - American in 1976 and 1977 , a first - team Academic All - America n in 1977 , and the recipient of the Gators ' Fergie Ferguson Award as a senior team captain in 1977 . He also finished tenth in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy in 1977 . He is widely considered to be one of the best all - around football players to ever play for the University of Florida , and has been named to several all - time Gators and all - SEC teams , and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great " in 1989 . In 2006 , " The Gainesville Sun " recognized Chandler as No . 6 among the top 100 Florida Gators players of the first 100 years of the team . Professional career . The New Orleans Saints selected Chandler in the first round ( third pick overall ) in the 1978 NFL Draft , and he played for the Saints for four seasons from to . Chandler was selected to the Pro Bowl after his second season in the league after finishing with 1 , 069 yards and six touchdown reception s . He was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1981 to replace star receiver John Jefferson , who was traded to the Green Bay Packers after a bitter contract hold - out . In the opening round of the playoffs that year in a game known as The Epic In Miami , he caught six passes for 106 yards and returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown in the Chargers 41 – 38 victory . The following season was Chandler ' s best , when he led the NFL with 1 , 032 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns in the strike - shortened season ; his average of 129 yards receiving per game that year is still an NFL record . He also caught nine passes for 124 yards in a playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers . Chandler represented Chargers players in the players ' union , and many NFL players in that role were cut or traded after the 1987 NFL strike . After he was elected to the union ' s executive committee , Chandler was traded to the San Francisco 49ers , with whom he finished his career in 1988 . He played in four games before retiring in October after tendinitis in a knee and frustration over his performance . The 49ers went on to win the Super Bowl that season . " My heart wasn ' t in it . It had nothing to do with being a quitter . It was more about real - life decisions , " he said . During his 11 - year NFL career , Chandler caught 559 passes for 8 , 966 yards and 56 touchdowns , rushed for 84 yards , returned 48 kickoffs for 1 , 048 yards , and gained 428 yards on 77 punt returns . Overall , he amassed 10 , 526 all - purpose yards . At the time of his retirement , Chandler ranked twelfth in NFL history in receiving yards and thirteenth in receptions . He also earned four Pro Bowl selections , including three with the San Diego Chargers . In 2001 , Chandler was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame . Post - playing career . Chandler eventually went to Dallas after seven years coaching in NFL Europe , including a stint as head coach of the Berlin Thunder in 1999 . Before that , he also coached at the University of Central Florida in Orlando , Florida and Father Lopez Catholic High School in Daytona Beach , Florida . In January 2012 , he joined the California Golden Bears as their receivers coach . Chandler has established a scholarship fund for minority students through the Wes Chandler Celebrity Golf Classic . Chandler ' s nephew , Dallas Baker , was a standout wide receiver for the Florida Gators and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2007 NFL Draft .