| No. 85, 89 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1963-11-27)November 27, 1963 (age 61) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 243 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Jacksonville (FL) Raines | ||||||||
| College: | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1986: 6th round, 140th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Thornton Chandler (born November 27, 1963) is a former professionalAmerican footballtight end in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Alabama.
Chandler attendedWilliam M. Raines High School, where he was switched fromwide receiver totight end, after he grew up to 6–5 feet and 240 pounds as a freshman. As a senior he receivedAll-American honors. Against Lake City High School, he had 10 receptions for 170 yards and 2touchdowns.[1]
He received All-City honors twice, even though he was mostly a blocker in his team'swishbone offense, finishing his career with 29 receptions and 4touchdowns.[2]
As a freshman atFlorida A&M University, he played theflanker andtight end positions, before deciding to transfer to theUniversity of Alabama after just two games.[3]
At Alabama he was named the starter in 1983 and became an accomplished blockingtight end in the team's run-oriented offense. In 1985, he was the team's third-leading receiver, registering 16 receptions for 244 yards. In 32 games, he posted 32 receptions for 504 yards (15.8-yard average) and 2touchdowns.
Chandler was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the sixth round (140th overall) of the1986 NFL draft.[4] As a rookie, his first 2 receptions went fortouchdowns. He wasDoug Cosbie’s backup for two years, until earning the starting job in the fifth game of the1988 season.
The next year Thornton broke his wrist playingbasketball, before the start of training camp which affected his play. This resulted in losing his starting job toSteve Folsom and eventually being waived on October 18,1989.[5] In three-plus seasons, Thornton was mostly known for his blocking ability. He recorded 29 receptions for 268 yards and 4touchdowns.
On April 12,1990, theNew York Giants signed Chandler as afree agent, but he was released before the start of the season.[6]
Chandler was the director of theBoys & Girls Club inDeerfield Beach, Florida. He also serves as afootball assistant coach atAnthony Aguirre Middle School inHouston, Texas. His son Kolby was on the 13th season of USA version ofMasterChef.