Sean Dawkins
{{Short description|American football player (1971–2023)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Sean Dawkins
| number = 87, 86, 81, 84
| position = Wide receiver
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1971|2|3|}}
| birth_place = Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|8|9|1971|2|3}}
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 230
| high_school = Homestead {{nowrap|(Cupertino, California)}}
| college = California
| draftyear = 1993
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 16
| pastteams =
- Indianapolis Colts ({{NFL Year|1993|1997}})
- New Orleans Saints ({{NFL Year|1998}})
- Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1999|2000}})
- Jacksonville Jaguars ({{NFL Year|2001}})
- Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|2002}})*
| highlights =
- Consensus All-American (1992)
- First-team All-Pac-10 (1992)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 445
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 6,291
| statlabel3 = Touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 25
| pfr = DawkSe00
}}
Sean Russell Dawkins (February 3, 1971 – August 9, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, earning consensus All-American honors. A first-round draft pick in the 1993 NFL draft, he played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.
Early life
Sean Russell Dawkins was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, but raised in Sunnyvale, California.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19990609/2965463/dawkins-runs-a-route-from-personal-tragedy|title=Sports: Dawkins Runs A Route From Personal Tragedy|last=Allen|first=Percy|date=June 9, 1999|website=Seattle Times Newspaper|access-date=2018-06-14}} He distinguished himself as a wide receiver at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/71358259/|title=Sports|date=August 27, 1992|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|access-date=2018-06-14|page=65|quote="Dawkins' job, however, is safe. He is the main man at wide receiver this season. He is rated by The Sporting News as the No. 3 receiver in the country going into the season. "I want to be an All-American this year," said Dawkins, who attended Homestead High."}}
College career
Dawkins earned an athletic scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the California Golden Bears. While at Cal, Dawkins used his speed and size (6 feet 4 inches, 215 pounds) to establish himself as one of the country's most dangerous deep threats. His first two seasons at California were unqualified successes for him personally, as well as his Golden Bear teammates. In 1990, California won their first Bowl Game since 1938, defeating Wyoming in the Copper Bowl. The following season, the Bears dominated nationally ranked Clemson in the Citrus Bowl, which earned them the No. 7 ranking in the final CNN/USA Today Coaches Poll, their highest finish since 1950. It also marked the first time in school history that California won bowl games in consecutive seasons.
The 1992 season, however, included a new coach. After transforming the California program from a laughingstock into a national power, coach Bruce Snyder left Berkeley for Arizona State and was replaced by Keith Gilbertson. Gilbertson's squad struggled to a 4–7 record in 1992, but Dawkins was one bright spot in an otherwise forgettable year. Dawkins was recognized a consensus first-team All-American after the season in 1992, an honor which encouraged him to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 6
| height in = 3 7/8
| weight = 213
| dash = 4.61
| ten split = 1.63
| twenty split = 2.70
| shuttle = 4.00
| vertical = 32.0
| broad ft = 9
| broad in = 11
| arm span = 32 1/4
| hand span = 10
}}
Dawkins was selected in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts as the 16th overall pick and the second wide receiver chosen.{{Cite web |title=1993 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1993/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} In his third season with the Colts, Indianapolis won two playoff games before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game. He played in two more playoff games in his career, but both were losses.
After one season in New Orleans, Dawkins signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 1999. He enjoyed his finest personal year in 1999 with 58 receptions for 992 yards. After two campaigns with Seattle, Dawkins spent his final year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. His career was clearly on the decline by that point, as he made only 20 catches with the Jaguars that season. Before the 2002 season, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings but was among the final cuts and never played in the NFL again.
Life after football
Dawkins pursued a career in real estate in Sacramento, California, and later trained to become a police officer in San Jose, California.
Dawkins died on August 9, 2023, at the age of 52.{{cite web |last1=Fernandez |first1=Gabe |title=Sean Dawkins, Cal Hall of Famer, dead at 52 |date=August 10, 2023|url=https://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/sean-dawkins-dead-52-obituary-18290596.php |website=SFGATE |access-date=August 10, 2023}}{{cite magazine |last1=Faraudo |first1=Jeff |title=Former Cal Football Star Wide Receiver Sean Dawkins Dies at 52 |url=https://www.si.com/college/cal/news/former-cal-football-star-wide-receiver-sean-dawkins-dies-at-52 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=August 10, 2023}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||||||||||
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 || IND
| 16 || 26 || 430 || 16.5 || 68 || 1 || 21 || 0 || 0 | ||||||||||
| 1994 || IND
| 16 || 51 || 742 || 14.5 || 49 || 5 || 35 || 1 || 1 | ||||||||||
| 1995 || IND
| 16 || 52 || 784 || 15.1 || 52 || 3 || 37 || 1 || 0 | ||||||||||
| 1996 || IND
| 15 || 54 || 751 || 13.9 || 42 || 1 || 39 || 1 || 1 | ||||||||||
| 1997 || IND
| 14 || 68 || 804 || 11.8 || 51 || 2 || 39 || 0 || 0 | ||||||||||
| 1998 || NO
| 15 || 53 || 823 || 15.5 || 64 || 1 || 40 || 2 || 2 | ||||||||||
| 1999 || SEA
| 16 || 58 || 992 || 17.1 || 45 || 7 || 51 || 1 || 1 | ||||||||||
| 2000 || SEA
| 16 || 63 || 731 || 11.6 || 40 || 5 || 42 || 0 || 0 | ||||||||||
| 2001 || JAX
| 16 || 20 || 234 || 11.7 || 28 || 0 || 11 || 1 || 0 | ||||||||||
| colspan="2"| Career || 140 || 445 || 6,291 || 14.1 || 68 || 25 || 315 || 7 || 5 |
See also
References
External links
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/DawkSe00.htm Player profile]
{{1992 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1993 NFL Draft}}
{{Indianapolis Colts 1993 draft navbox}}
{{ColtsFirstPick}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawkins, Sean}}
Category:Sportspeople from Red Bank, New Jersey
Category:Sportspeople from Sunnyvale, California
Category:Players of American football from Santa Clara County, California
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:California Golden Bears football players
Category:All-American college football players
Category:Indianapolis Colts players
Category:Jacksonville Jaguars players
Category:New Orleans Saints players
Category:Seattle Seahawks players