Gehrig Richard Dieter (born February 24, 1993) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

, and

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

(SMU). After going undrafted in the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

, he signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

as an undrafted free agent. He would spend his entire career with the Chiefs, where he won

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...

Early years

Dieter attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Washington High School in

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, after transferring from John Adams High School.

College career

Dieter attended and played college football at three different schools. He started his collegiate career at SMU in the 2012 season. He transferred to

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

, where he played from 2013–2015. He redshirted for the 2013 season. Dieter made his collegiate debut against

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

on August 29, 2014. Against the Hilltoppers, he had seven receptions for 78 receiving yards in the 59–31 loss. On December 5, against

Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by th ...

, he had two receptions for 56 receiving yards and his first collegiate receiving touchdown, a 42-yard reception from James Knapke, in the 51–17 loss in the MAC Championship. On December 20, against the

South Alabama Jaguars The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics t ...

in the

2014 Camellia Bowl The 2014 Camellia Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game that was played on December 20, 2014 at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The first edition of the Camellia Bowl, it featured the Bowling Green Falcons of the Mid-A ...

, he had seven receptions for a season-high 108 receiving yards in the 33–28 victory. Overall, in the 2014 season, he had 35 receptions for 460 yards and one touchdown. He finished fourth on the team in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns. The 2015 season was a breakout season for Dieter. With Matt Johnson at quarterback, Dieter and Roger Lewis combined to be a solid receiver combination for the Falcons. In the season opener, against the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

, he had seven receptions for 133 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 59–30 loss at

Nissan Stadium Nissan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, it is primarily used for football and is the home field of the Tennessee Titans of the Natio ...

. In the next game, against

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, he was held to one reception, a 14-yard touchdown reception in the 48–27 victory. On November 4, against the

Ohio Bobcats The Ohio Bobcats are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio University, located in Athens, Ohio, United States. Ohio University is a charter member (1946) of the Mid-Amer ...

, he had nine receptions for 136 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 62–24 victory. On November 17, against Toledo, he had 13 receptions for 103 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in the 44–28 loss. Overall, in the 2015 season, he had 94 receptions for 1,033 yards and ten touchdowns. He led the team in receptions, finished second in receiving yards, and second in receiving touchdowns. Dieter transferred to Alabama for the 2016 season under head coach

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...

. He joined a receiving unit that already had the talents of

Calvin Ridley Calvin Orin Ridley (born December 20, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first rou ...

ArDarius Stewart ArDarius Stewart (born December 8, 1993) is a professional gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Early years St ...

, and

O. J. Howard O'Terrius Jabari "O. J." Howard (born November 18, 1994) is an American football tight end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fi ...

among others. In the season opener against

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, he had a 45-yard receiving touchdown from

Blake Barnett Blake Austin Barnett (born December 24, 1995) is a former American football quarterback for the South Florida Bulls football team. He previously played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Arizona State Sun Devils. Early years ...

in the fourth quarter of the 52–6 victory at

AT&T Stadium AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...

. On November 19, against

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, he posted an odd statistical line of three receptions for one receiving yard and two receiving touchdowns in the 31–3 victory. In the

SEC Championship The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. The championship game pits the SEC East Division regular season champion against the West Division regula ...

, against the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

, he had a six-yard receiving touchdown in the 54–16 victory. In the semifinal round of the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

, the

2016 Peach Bowl The 2016 Peach Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2016 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season. The 49th Peach Bowl was a College Football ...

, he had a ten-yard reception in the 24–7 victory over

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. He had 15 receptions for 214 yards and four touchdowns in his final collegiate season.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

2017 season

Dieter was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on May 6, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad the next day. On January 8, 2018, he signed a reserve/future contract with the team.

2018 season

On September 1, 2018, Dieter was waived by the Chiefs and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 18, 2018. Dieter made his NFL debut on December 2, 2018, against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

, recording one tackle on special teams. In the regular season finale against the Oakland Raiders, he recorded his first professional reception, which went for 22 yards, in the 35–3 victory. In the 2018 season, the Chiefs finished with a 12–4 record and made the playoffs. In the Divisional Round against the Indianapolis Colts, he made his first postseason reception, which went for 11 yards, in the 31–13 victory.

2019 season

On August 31, 2019, Dieter was placed on injured reserve. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 7. He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 15. He was promoted to the active roster on November 18, 2019. He was waived on December 3, 2019, and re-signed to the practice squad. He won the Super Bowl after the Chiefs defeated the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

2020 season

Dieter signed futures contract with the Chiefs on February 11, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020, and signed to practice squad the following day. He was elevated to the active roster on November 7, November 21, and December 26 for the team's Weeks 9, 11, and 16 games against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

, and

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On January 2, 2021, Dieter was signed to the Chiefs' active roster. On January 11, 2021, Dieter was waived by the Chiefs, and was re-signed to the practice squad two days later. He was elevated again to the active roster on January 16 for the team's Divisional Round playoff game against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, and reverted to the practice squad again following the game.

2021 season

On February 12, 2021, Dieter re-signed with the Chiefs. He was released on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on February 2, 2022. He was waived on May 5, 2022.

Retirement

Dieter announced his retirement on June 8, 2022.

Personal life

Dieter married his wife, Meg, on May 11, 2019. Multiple Chiefs players were in attendance at the wedding.

References

External links

Collegiate statistics at Sports-Reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dieter, Gehrig 1993 births Living people Players of American football from South Bend, Indiana American football wide receivers Alabama Crimson Tide football players Bowling Green Falcons football players SMU Mustangs football players Kansas City Chiefs players