FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Lynn Chandnois, a special teams star for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose average on kickoff returns ranks second only to Gale Sayers in NFL history, died Tuesday. He was 86.
Michigan State, where Chandnois was a two-way standout in the late 1940s, said Thursday that Chandnois died in Flint, Mich. Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney called Chandnois one of the team’s “great players from the past.”
Chandnois played seven seasons for the Steelers after they drafted him No. 8 overall in 1950. He averaged 29.6 yards on kickoff returns, behind only the 30.6 averaged by Sayers. Chandnois made the NFL’s all-star game twice and had a league-high 1,593 all-purpose yards in 1953.
Chandnois was in the Naval Air Corps for two years before he enrolled at Michigan State in 1946 at the age of 21. He had 20 career interceptions for 410 yards, both still school records. A halfback, he ranks second in Spartans history with 6.55 yards per carry and sixth with 31 touchdowns.
Survivors include his wife and two daughters. Funeral arrangements were not announced.
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