Hall of Fame
Wally Chambers, the 1973 National Football League’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, was a first-team All-American selection his senior season at EKU on The Sporting News and Time Magazine all-star squads.
During his rookie campaign, he led the Chicago Bears in tackles and assists with 101 tackles and 31 assists, becoming the first Bear other than Dick Butkus to accomplish that feat since 1965. He forced seven fumbles, recovering two, and sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times and assisted on five.
Chambers was the eighth pick of the first round of the 1973 NFL draft and was chosen by the Bears, becoming the highest draft choice in the history of the school and the Ohio Valley Conference.
He led the Colonels in tackles and assists for three straight years and was co-recipient of EKU’s Most Valuable Player Award his senior year. He was a first-team All-OVC choice in 1972 and joined the nations’ other outstanding seniors in two post-season classics, the North-South Shrine game and the Senior Bowl contest. At the conclusion of the football season, the University officially retired Chambers’ No. 78 jersey.
His outstanding rookie season culminated with his selections as the only Bear to play for the National Football Conference in the annual Pro Bowl Game.
