Chris Chambers

Early life

At Bedford High School in Ohio, Chambers was a three-sport athlete, earning varsity letters in football, basketball, and track. He was an All-American and two-time all-state pick in football, and as a senior, he won the state 400-meter dash title in 47.1 seconds. His high school teammate, Lee Evans, also later played for Wisconsin.

College career

Chris Chambers spent four years as a football letterman at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, appearing in 43 games and starting the final 33 of them. During his freshman year, he also served as a backup guard on the Badgers basketball team. As a sophomore, he led the squad in receiving with 28 catches for 563 yards and seven touchdowns. The following season, despite missing two games with a broken finger, he again topped the team in receiving with 41 grabs for 578 yards and four scores, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten.

His senior year was cut to nine games by a stress fracture in his right foot, but he still posted career bests of 52 receptions for 813 yards and five touchdowns, landing second-team All-Big Ten. His finest performance came against Iowa, when he hauled in 11 passes for 191 yards. Over his college career, Chambers totaled 127 receptions for 2,004 yards and 16 touchdowns, plus two rushes for 17 yards and a few returns. He currently ranks fourth on Wisconsin’s all-time lists for both receptions and receiving yardage, and fifth in receiving touchdowns. He was a member of Badger teams that won the Rose Bowl after the 1998 and 1999 seasons.

Professional career

Chambers was drafted by the Miami Dolphins 52nd overall in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. As a rookie, he started seven of sixteen games and led the team with 48 receptions for 883 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 18.4 yards per catch. He topped 100 receiving yards three times and also returned 36 kickoffs for a 22.5-yard average. He missed the team's first-round playoff game due to a sprained ankle. In 2002, Chambers started all fifteen games he played, missing one contest while recovering from a concussion. He led the team with 52 receptions for 734 yards and three touchdowns, and added 78 rushing yards on six carries, including a 45-yard run. His rushing total was the fourth-highest single-season figure by a Dolphins wide receiver at the time.