Brian Patrick Dawkins Sr. (born October 13, 1973), nicknamed "Weapon X", is an American former professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft. In his last three seasons, he played for the Denver Broncos.
Regarded as one of the greatest safeties of all time, Dawkins was viewed as the leader of the Eagles defense, named to nine Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams. He also made an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX. In addition to his playing career, Dawkins served the Eagles as an executive of football operations for player development from 2016 to 2018 and was with the organization when they won Super Bowl LII. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Early life and college
Dawkins graduated from William M. Raines High School in Jacksonville, Florida in 1992. He played both football and basketball in high school, and helped lead the basketball team to a Class 3A championship. Dawkins was not highly recruited out of high school, but received a scholarship offer from Clemson University at the request of his high school teammate, Patrick Sapp.
Dawkins was a three-year starter at defensive back for the Clemson Tigers football team, finishing his career with 247 tackles and 11 interceptions. He received first-team All-ACC Honors in 1995 and was selected by the Associated Press and Sporting News as a second-team All-American as a senior when his team-high six interceptions tied him for the conference lead. He was named the first-team strong safety on Clemson's all-centennial team in 1996 and was selected to their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. On January 11, 2013, Clemson University established the Brian Dawkins Lifetime Achievement Award to annually honor a former Clemson player for their performance on the field, contributions in leadership and community service.
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Dawkins in the second round (61st overall) of the 1996 NFL draft. Dawkins was the fifth safety drafted in 1996. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Dawkins using a compensatory pick they received from the departure of Seth Joyner in free agency in 1994.
On July 16, 1996, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Dawkins to a four-year, $1.27 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $443,000.
Dawkins entered training camp slated as the backup free safety behind Eric Zomalt who earned the starting role after Greg Jackson departed in free agency. Head coach Ray Rhodes named Dawkins the backup free safety to start the regular season, behind Eric Zomalt.
He made his professional regular-season debut in the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener at the Washington Redskins and made one tackle in their 17–14 victory. The following week, Dawkins earned his first career start and collected a season-high 11 combined tackles during a 39–13 loss at the Green Bay Packers in week 2. On September 18, 1996, head coach Ray Rhodes officially named Dawkins the starting free safety, alongside strong safety Mike Zordich, after he surpassed Eric Zomalt on the depth chart. Zomalt was subsequently released the following day. On September 22, 1996, Dawkins recorded four combined tackles and made his first career interception during a 33–18 win at the Atlanta Falcons in week 4. Dawkins made his first career interception off a pass by Falcons' backup quarterback Bobby Hebert, that was originally intended for wide receiver Bert Emanuel, and returned it for a 30-yard gain to seal the Eagles' victory in the fourth quarter. In week 5, he recorded eight combined tackles, forced a fumble, and made his first career sack in the Eagles' 23–19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Dawkins made his first career sack on Cowboys' quarterback Troy Aikman during the third quarter and also stripped the ball during the play. The ball was recovered by Dawkins' teammate Rhett Hall and returned for a 32-yard touchdown. He finished his rookie season in 1996 with 75 combined tackles, three interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble in 14 games and 13 starts. The Philadelphia Eagles' defense ranked 21st in the league overall, but allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards (2,979 yards) in 1996.
The Philadelphia Eagles finished second in the NFC East with a 10–6 record and earned a wildcard berth. On December 29, 1996, Dawkins started in his first career playoff game and recorded six combined tackles as they lost 14–0 to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Game.
Denver Broncos
On February 28, 2009, the Denver Broncos signed Dawkins to a five-year, $17 million contract that included $7.2 million guaranteed. He joined another teammate, Correll Buckhalter, who also signed with the Broncos. The contract also included a termination clause that permitted Dawkins to opt out of the contract after two years and receives an extra $1.8 million, virtually making the contract for two years and $9 million. Dawkins could have also earned an additional $10 million in performance incentives. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dawkins were discussing a possible two-year contract before Dawkins received interest from the Denver Broncos.
Head coach Josh McDaniels named Dawkins the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety Renaldo Hill and cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman. In week 10, he collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (12 solo) during a 27–17 loss at the Washington Redskins. On December 13, 2009, Dawkins made ten combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by quarterback Peyton Manning during the Broncos' 28–16 loss at the Indianapolis Colts in week 14. On December 27, 2009, Dawkins recorded eight combined tackles in his return to Lincoln Financial Field during a 30–27 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles in week 16. On December 29, 2009, it was announced that Dawkins was selected to the 2008 Pro Bowl. He started all 16 games in 2009 and recorded 116 combined tackles (95 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Following the 2009 season, Dawkins was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team as a first team safety alongside Ed Reed; the second team safety group consisted of Darren Sharper and future Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu.
On January 18, 2010, the Denver Broncos mutually parted ways with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. They promoted linebackers coach Don Martindale to defensive coordinator. Head coach Josh McDaniels elected to retain the starting secondary in 2009. Dawkins was sidelined for two games (Weeks 6–7) due to a knee injury. He further aggravated his knee injury and was inactive for another three games (Weeks 13–15). On December 7, 2009, the Denver Broncos fired head coach Josh McDaniels after they fell to a 3–9 record. In week 16, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 24–23 win against the Houston Texans. He finished the season with 66 combined tackles (55 solo), five pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception in 11 games and 11 starts.
Head coach John Fox named Dawkins the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside free safety Rahim Moore. He started in the Denver Broncos' season-opener against the Oakland Raiders and collected a season-high nine combined tackles in their 23–20 loss. On October 23, 2011, Dawkins made five combined tackles and two sacks during an 18–15 win at the Miami Dolphins in week 7. He was sidelined for a game in week 15 and week 17 due to a reoccurring neck injury. He finished the season with 51 combined tackles (38 solo), six pass deflections, three sacks, and a forced fumble in 14 games and 12 starts. On January 19, 2012, it was announced that Dawkins would play in the 2012 Pro Bowl as a late injury replacement for Pittsburgh Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu.
Retirement
After calling Fox on April 23, 2012, Dawkins announced via Twitter that he was retiring from the NFL. His reasoning was he wanted to retire while he was still healthy. He planned to stay in Colorado, and wanted to begin coaching high school football that fall.
On April 28, 2012, Dawkins alongside Jeffrey Lurie announced that he would sign a one-day contract, and retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles retired Dawkins' number 20 in a ceremony at half-time of their September 30 game against the New York Giants. The Eagles have retired only nine players' jerseys in franchise history, which goes back more than 80 years.
Hall of Fame
On February 4, 2018, it was announced that Dawkins was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was one of five players selected. Dawkins joined Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, and former Eagles teammate Terrell Owens.
On August 4, 2018, Dawkins was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and attended the ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He was the first former Clemson player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Legacy
Over the span of his career, Dawkins developed a reputation as a ball-hawking safety and became the unquestioned leader of the Philadelphia Eagles' defense. He earned the nickname "Weapon X," a codename of Marvel character Wolverine, the comic book superhero known for relentless aggression. He emerged as one of the top safeties in the league and was a defensive captain for the majority of his stints with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. Dawkins is considered to be one of the top safeties in NFL history and was ranked as the fifth best safety in NFL history by NFL analyst Gil Brandt.
As a captain and unquestioned leader, Dawkins has acted as a mentor to multiple players early in their career, including Al Harris, Chris Harris Jr., Jason Avant, and Quintin Mikell. Chris Harris Jr. credits Dawkins and Champ Bailey for urging the Denver Broncos' coaching staff to play him as an undrafted rookie after he showed promise and performed well in practice squad.
Post-playing career
On September 5, 2012, it was announced that Dawkins was hired as an NFL studio analyst by ESPN.
On July 30, 2016, Dawkins returned to the Eagles to take a role on the team's scouting staff. On August 17, 2016, Dawkins was given the new role of Football Operations Executive to assist with player development.
On May 22, 2018, Dawkins resigned as Football Operations Executive to seek other opportunities.
Career highlights
NFL
As player
4× First-team All-Pro (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006)
Second-team All-Pro (2009)
9× Pro Bowl (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004–2006, 2008, 2009, 2011)
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
NFLPA Alan Page Community Award (2009)
PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team (1996)
Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame
Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team
Philadelphia Eagles No. 20 retired
Pro Football Hall of Fame (2018)
20/20 Club
The first player in NFL history to record a sack, an interception, forced fumble, and touchdown reception in a single game
The first player in NFL history to record at least 30 interceptions and 30 forced fumbles in a career.
Has forced 36 fumbles, the most ever by a safety in NFL history
Only player in NFL history with 25+ interceptions (37), forced fumbles (36), and sacks (26)
As administrator
Super Bowl champion (LII)
College
Second-team All-American (1995)
First-team All-ACC (1995)
2× Second-team All-ACC (1993, 1994)
Personal life
Dawkins was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. In an interview, Dawkins talked about getting married: "I went to college at Clemson, and she (Connie) transferred there my second year, after one year at Jacksonville University. The night before going back to school our junior year, I asked her to marry me. Her grandfather gave us $100. Fifty-nine dollars for my ring and $41 for hers—and we eloped. We went to the Justice of the Peace." He first saw his future wife, Connie Kerrin, in junior high school and began dating her while attending William M. Raines High School; she was a majorette while he played football and basketball. They graduated in 1992. In early 2007, Dawkins and his wife had twin daughters, Chonni and Cionni. Both daughters were born two months premature but are now both perfectly healthy. Dawkins, with his wife, Connie, also have two other children, Brian Jr. and Brionni. Brian Jr. played for the Clemson Tigers as a cornerback. After eloping in 1994, the couple had a wedding ceremony with family and friends at the Palm Beach Breakers Hotel in July 2009.
Dawkins is a Christian. Dawkins has said that his Christian faith has helped against depression and suicidal thoughts. During his NFL Hall of Fame speech, Dawkins said, "Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for blessing me with the sense to understand that I did not do everything by myself ... You have guided me the whole way, orchestrated my life ... You stayed faithful to me, and I cannot wait to see what You're going to do with me next."
While with the Eagles, Dawkins had been a resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, but put his house there up for sale after joining the Broncos.
After Dawkins signed with the Broncos in 2009, Dan Leone, an Eagles employee who was a gate chief at Lincoln Financial Field was fired by the Eagles after Leone posted messages on his Facebook page expressing his disappointment in the team. Dawkins announced that he would give his two allotted game tickets for the 2009 Eagles-Broncos game to Leone, saying, "I felt it would be a good thing, to reach out to that individual and just let him know how much I appreciate it."
Dawkins' nephew, Dalyn Dawkins played for Colorado State and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans.
