Cincinnati Bengals: 15 greatest wide receivers of all-time
By John Buhler
(1969-76). Chip Myers. 11. player. 56. . WR
- Pro Bowl (1972)
- 218 career receptions w/Bengals
- 3,079 career receiving yards w/Bengals
- 12 career touchdown receptions w/Bengals
Chip Myers‘ football career is an interesting one. He was drafted in the 10th round out of Northwestern Oklahoma State in the 1967 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. After hardly playing at all as a rookie with the 1967 49ers, Myers would briefly play in the Continental Football League before making his way to the Queen City.
Myers joined the Bengals as a free agent in 1969, which happened to be the final season of the AFL. With the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, Myers was back in the NFL, but on a new team. This time, he had tremendous staying power in the league with Cincinnati.
Once the Bengals joined the NFL in 1970, Myers became a vital part of the Cincinnati passing offense with Virgil Carter as the Cincinnati quarterback. He had 32 catches for 546 yards and a touchdown. After having a season marred by injuries in 1971, Myers bounced back with what was his best professional season in 1972.
That fall, he had 57 catches for 792 yards and three touchdown receptions. These all ended up being career highs for Myers. He not only led the Bengals in catches that season, but made his lone trip to the Pro Bowl in his professional career.
Myers played four more years with the Bengals after his breakout campaign in 1972. However, he only had one other notable receiving season as a member of the Bengals. That came in 1975 when he had 36 catches for 527 yards and three touchdown grabs.
Myers retired from playing in 1976 with 218 career receptions for 3,079 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns with the Bengals. He would eventually become a receivers coach and an offensive coordinator on Dennis Green’s Minnesota Vikings staff in the late 1990s. Tragically, Myers would suffer a fatal heart attack at the age of 53 in 1999. Myers was not just a great Bengals wide receiver, but an excellent coach for the Vikings in his second NFL life.