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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1971-02-03)February 3, 1971 Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | August 9, 2023(2023-08-09) (aged 52) | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Homestead(Cupertino, California) | ||||||||
| College | California | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1993: 1st round, 16th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Sean Russell Dawkins (February 3, 1971 – August 9, 2023) was an American professionalfootball player who was awide receiver for nine seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theCalifornia Golden Bears, earning consensusAll-American honors. A first-round draft pick in the1993 NFL draft, he played professionally for theIndianapolis Colts,New Orleans Saints,Seattle Seahawks andJacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.
Sean Russell Dawkins was born inRed Bank, New Jersey, but raised inSunnyvale, California.[1] He distinguished himself as a wide receiver atHomestead High School inCupertino, California.[2]
Dawkins earned anathletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of California, Berkeley, where he played for theCalifornia Golden Bears.[3] 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 theCopper Bowl. The following season, the Bears dominated nationally rankedClemson in theCitrus 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, coachBruce Snyder left Berkeley forArizona State and was replaced byKeith 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 theNFL draft.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.61 s | 1.63 s | 2.70 s | 4.00 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
Dawkins was selected in the first round of the1993 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts as the 16th overall pick and the second wide receiver chosen.[4] In his third season with the Colts, Indianapolis won two playoff games before falling to thePittsburgh 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 theMinnesota Vikings but was among the final cuts and never played in the NFL again.
Dawkins pursued a career in real estate inSacramento, California, and later trained to become a police officer inSan Jose, California.
Dawkins died on August 9, 2023, at the age of 52.[3][5]
| 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 |
| Career | 140 | 445 | 6,291 | 14.1 | 68 | 25 | 315 | 7 | 5 | |
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 attendedHomestead High.