Corey Dillon

Corey Dillon
No. 28
Position: Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1974-10-24) October 24, 1974
Place of birth: Seattle, Washington
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Seattle (WA) Franklin
College: Washington
NFL draft: 1997 / Round: 2 / Pick: 43
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushes: 2,618
Rushing yards: 11,241
Rushing Touchdowns: 82
Player stats at NFL.com

Corey James Dillon (born October 24, 1974) is a former professional football player, a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Dillon played college football at the University of Washington for one season, after two years at junior colleges. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and later played for the New England Patriots.

High school career

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Dillon attended Franklin High School, where he teamed with his cousin, Ed Raiford, to form one of the state's all-time twosomes. Dillon and Raiford garnered Parade, USA, Best In The West and Tom Flemming All-American awards. Both were two-sport standouts, Raiford also starred as an All-State basketball player while Dillon starred in baseball. An excellent baseball catcher, Dillon garnered All-Metro honors, and was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 1993 Major League Baseball draft.

College career

Dillon played JC ball as a freshman at Garden City Community College in Kansas, and rushed for 1165 yards and 16 TDs in 1994. The following year he played for Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, and rushed for 1999 yards and 20 TDs in 279 attempts. Dillon was chosen JC Offensive Back of the Year by College Sports magazine.

At the University of Washington in Seattle, he was known for using a very aggressive and punishing style of running. Dillon set the team all-time single-season records for rushing yards (1,695 yards) and touchdowns scored (24) in 1996. In the first quarter against San Jose State in mid-November, Dillon rushed for 222 yards and caught an 83-yard touchdown pass, setting NCAA records for both rushing yards and all-purpose yards (305) in one quarter.[1] Dillon did not re-enter the game as the Huskies were comfortably ahead 25–0 by the end of the first quarter on a cold and rainy afternoon. The Dawgs led 43–3 at the half and won 53–10.[1]

In the 1996 Holiday Bowl vs. Colorado, Dillon rushed for 140 yards and added 2 more touchdowns to his regular-season total of 23. He scored 5 TDs in 41–21 conquest of UCLA, earning Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week honors as he rushed for 145 yards and added 53 yards in receptions.

Professional career

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Dillon in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft, the 43rd overall pick and the fifth running back. During his first season in 1997, Dillon set the then-NFL rookie rushing record for yards in a single game (246) in a 41-14 win over the Tennessee Oilers.[2] For six seasons, Dillon was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise horrible Bengals team. After a 2001 game, Dillon said “we will never win with the Brown family in Cincinnati." From 1997 to 2002 he rushed for over 1000 yards each year, and made the Pro Bowl 3 times (1999–2001). On October 22, 2000, Dillon set an NFL record for most yards rushed in one game (278 yards) against the Denver Broncos, breaking Walter Payton’s single-game mark of 275 yards set on November 20, 1977. The record has since been broken by Jamal Lewis (295 yards) on September 14, 2003, and Adrian Peterson (296 yards) on November 4, 2007.

In 2003, Dillon only rushed for 541 yards due to injury, which, along with the emergence of Rudi Johnson, precipitated the trade of Corey Dillon to the New England Patriots for a second-round pick. The Oakland Raiders appeared to be the first team to express interest, but the Raiders were unwilling to sacrifice an early-round draft choice for the aging running back. Dillon left the Bengals as the team's all-time leading rusher with 8,016 yards, surpassing James Brooks's 6,447 yards.

In the 2004 season, Dillon set career highs and franchise records with 1,635 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was a major factor in the Patriots win over the Indianapolis Colts in New England's first playoff game, rushing for 144 yards and catching 5 passes for 17 yards. New England won its third Super Bowl, due in no small part to the running game built around Dillon. He was the top rusher of Super Bowl XXXIX with 75 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also catching 3 passes for 31 yards, for 106 total yards. Overall, Dillon rushed for a total of 292 yards, caught 9 passes for 53 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns in New England's 3 postseason games.

In 2005, injury problems plagued Dillon and he was not able to duplicate his stats from 2004. He remained a major contributor to the team, rushing for 733 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. The Patriots used Dillon more frequently as a pass receiver, with 23 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown, which was more receiving yards than he had gained in his past 2 seasons combined.

In the 2006 season, Dillon began sharing the team's rushing duties with rookie running back Laurence Maroney. He finished the year with 812 rushing yards and a career high 13 touchdowns; the latter tied him for third in the league that season.

In 2007, the Patriots released Dillon, age 32, on March 2. In mid-August, there were rumors that Dillon might rejoin the Cincinnati Bengals, due to the loss of backup RB Kenny Irons to season-ending knee surgery. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis struck down the rumor. On August 5, Dillon told the Boston Globe that he would retire from the NFL. On October 1, the press reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expressed interest in Dillon returning to the NFL; Dillon stated he was not interested.[3] A month later, Dillon admitted to considering a comeback with the Patriots with the season-ending injury to RB Sammy Morris.[4]

Career Stats

Rushing Stats

Year Team Game Attempts Yards Average Yards per Carry Longest Rush Touchdowns First Downs Fumbles Fumbles Lost
1997 CIN 16 233 1,129 4.8 71 10 57 1 0
1998 CIN 15 262 1,130 4.3 66 4 56 2 2
1999 CIN 15 263 1,200 4.6 50 5 61 3 2
2000 CIN 16 315 1,435 4.6 80 7 66 4 3
2001 CIN 16 340 1,315 3.9 96 10 69 5 3
2002 CIN 16 314 1,311 4.2 67 7 69 5 2
2003 CIN 13 138 541 3.9 39 2 24 0 0
2004 NE 15 345 1,635 4.7 44 12 81 4 3
2005 NE 12 209 733 3.5 29 12 49 1 1
2006 NE 16 199 812 4.1 50 13 48 2 2
Total Total 150 2,618 11,241 4.3 96 82 580 27 18

[5]

Receiving Stats

Year Team Games Receptions Yards Average Yards per Receptions Longest Reception Touchdowns First Downs Fumbles Fumbles Lost
1997 CIN 16 27 256 9.6 28 0 8 0 0
1998 CIN 15 28 178 6.4 41 1 4 0 0
1999 CIN 15 31 290 9.4 23 1 12 0 0
2000 CIN 16 18 158 8.8 31 0 5 0 0
2001 CIN 16 34 228 6.7 17 3 13 0 0
2002 CIN 16 43 298 6.9 19 0 18 0 0
2003 CIN 13 11 71 6.5 14 0 4 0 0
2004 NE 15 15 103 6.9 20 1 3 1 1
2005 NE 12 22 181 8.2 25 1 8 0 0
2006 NE 16 15 147 9.8 52 0 5 0 0
Total Total 150 244 1,913 7.8 52 7 80 1 1

[5]

Personal

Dillon and his wife, Desiree, have three daughters: Cameron, Carly and Deavan. They reside in Calabasas in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In April 2010, his wife filed for divorce.[6] In early May 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife at their Calabasas home.[7]

See also

References

External links

Records
Preceded by
Walter Payton		 NFL single-game rushing record
October 22, 2000 – September 14, 2003 		Succeeded by
Jamal Lewis
Preceded by
Jim Brown		 NFL rookie single-game rushing record
December 4, 1997 – December 3, 2000 		Succeeded by
Mike Anderson
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Garrison Hearst		 Cincinnati Bengals Starting Running Back
1997–2003 		Succeeded by
Rudi Johnson
Preceded by
Antowain Smith		 New England Patriots Starting Running Back
2004–2006 		Succeeded by
Laurence Maroney
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