By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist
No. 64: April 22, 1980 – The Bills trade Bob Chandler to Oakland for Phil Villapiano.
Most football fans remember Bob Chandler, and the reasons are many. He played college ball at Southern California, so he was on television a lot. Chandler was a mere seventh-round pick of the Bills in 1971, but he beat the odds to make the roster and move into the starting lineup after a year’s apprenticeship. He stayed through 1979, a classic possession receiver who piled up some good numbers for some good and some bad Bills’ teams.
Then Chandler got traded closer to his California home, as the Bills sent him to Oakland for veteran linebacker Phil Villapiano. The deal received plenty of attention at the time, because the names were so well known in football circles. Villapiano had been a starter with Oakland for most of the last nine seasons.
Interestingly, both players didn’t contribute that much for their new teams. Chandler did catch four passes in the Super Bowl to help the Raiders capture the NFL championship in his first year, but suffered a serious injury in 1982 and retired after that season. Villapiano never started a game with the Bills, but was on the roster for four seasons.
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
Leave a Reply