Sean Dawkins
Encyclopedia
Sean Russell Dawkins is a former American football
wide receiver
who played for the Indianapolis Colts
, New Orleans Saints
, Seattle Seahawks
and Jacksonville Jaguars
from 1993 to 2001.
Dawkins was born in New Jersey but by the time he was in high school, he lived in Sunnyvale, California
, where he distinguished himself as a Wide Receiver at Cupertino's
Homestead High School, earning a football scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley
.
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 7th ranking in the CNN/USA Today poll, their highest finish since 1950. It also marked the first time in school history that California won bowl games in successive 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 named a consensus All-American after the season in 1992, an honor which encouraged him to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft
.
He 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. In his third season with the Colts, Indianapolis won two playoff games before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the AFC Championship game. He would play in two more playoff games in his career, but both were losses.
He enjoyed his finest personal year in 1999 when he caught 58 passes for 992 yards.
After one season in New Orleans, Dawkins signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. 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
, however he got cut at the final cutdown and never played in the NFL again.
As of 2003, Dawkins was living in the Sacramento
area pursuing a career in real estate.
As of 2009, Dawkins was preparing to become a police officer in San Jose, California.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who played for the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1993 to 2001.
Dawkins was born in New Jersey but by the time he was in high school, he lived in Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, where he distinguished himself as a Wide Receiver at Cupertino's
Cupertino, California
Cupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
Homestead High School, earning a football scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
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
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
in the Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
, which earned them the 7th ranking in the CNN/USA Today poll, their highest finish since 1950. It also marked the first time in school history that California won bowl games in successive seasons.
The 1992 season, however, included a new coach. After transforming the California program from a laughingstock into a national power, coach Bruce Snyder
Bruce Snyder
Bruce Snyder was an American football player and coach. After playing for Oregon in the early 1960s as a fullback, Snyder embarked on a coaching career...
left Berkeley for Arizona State and was replaced by Keith Gilbertson
Keith Gilbertson
Keith Gilbertson, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. He is currently a scout with the Cleveland Browns of the NFL...
. Gilbertson's squad struggled to a 4-7 record in 1992 but Dawkins was one bright spot in an otherwise forgettable year. Dawkins was named a consensus All-American after the season in 1992, an honor which encouraged him to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
.
He was selected in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft
1993 NFL Draft
The 1993 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25-26, 1993...
by the Indianapolis Colts as the 16th overall pick and the second wide receiver chosen. In his third season with the Colts, Indianapolis won two playoff games before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the AFC Championship game. He would play in two more playoff games in his career, but both were losses.
He enjoyed his finest personal year in 1999 when he caught 58 passes for 992 yards.
After one season in New Orleans, Dawkins signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. 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
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, however he got cut at the final cutdown and never played in the NFL again.
As of 2003, Dawkins was living in the Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
area pursuing a career in real estate.
As of 2009, Dawkins was preparing to become a police officer in San Jose, California.