Jordon Dizon (born January 16, 1986) is a retired
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 wi ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
who currently serves as a National Scout for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
. He last played for the
Detroit Lions of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). Dizon played
college football for the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
, and was recognized as a consensus
All-American. The Detroit Lions selected him in the second round of the
2008 NFL Draft, and he played for the Lions for two seasons. He suffered a severe knee injury in 2010, which ended his career.
Early years
Dizon was born and raised on the Hawaiian island of
Kaua'i
Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the List of islands of th ...
. The son of Clifford Dizon and Darla Abbatiello-Higa, he attended
Waimea High School, graduating in 2004. Playing
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
and linebacker for the school of 860, Dizon rushed for 1,157 yards and 13 touchdowns in only five games as a junior, registering 75 stops on defense. During that year, Dizon rushed 37 times for 376 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-0 win over
Kapaa—all career highs. Injured through most of his senior season (two games played: one carry, 12 yards, one touchdown; nine catches, 250 yards, three touchdowns), the Buffaloes were the only program to extend Dizon a scholarship offer, although he was recruited by other Big 12 and
Pac-10 schools. He committed to play in Boulder on July 8, 2003, despite never having visited the state of Colorado.
Dizon also lettered in basketball, track, and soccer during his time in high school.
College career
Dizon attended the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...
, where he played for the
Colorado Buffaloes football team from 2004 to 2007. He first played
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
as a true freshman at Colorado, but was moved to linebacker before the season began. On September 4, 2004, playing against
Colorado State University, Dizon became the first true freshman in school history to start a season opener at inside linebacker. Playing in all 12 games as an 18-year-old, Dizon easily set the school freshman record for tackles in a season with 82. Over the next two years, Dizon continued to rack up the tackles, posting 61 in 2005 and 137 in 2006. The latter number was most tackles made by a CU player in nearly a decade (
Ryan Sutter
Ryan Allen Sutter (born September 14, 1974) is an American television personality, firefighter, and former football player. He is the winner on the first season of the dating-competition reality-TV show '' The Bachelorette'', chosen by inaugural ...
had 170 in 1997).
During 2007, Dizon posted a single-game career-high in tackles against CSU (22) and set the single-season school record for third-down stops, with 19 in 12 games. Rarely leaving the field for the Buffs, Dizon missed only 34 of Colorado's 830 defensive snaps during the 2007 season.
His 160 tackles were nearly double the next closest player on the team (safety Dan Dykes registered 83), and he finished his senior season with the most total tackles of any player on any
Division I team in the nation.
Colorado linebackers coach
Brian Cabral
Kealilhaaheo Brian David Cabral (born June 23, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He stood in as the interim head football coach for three games at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010. Cabral played professionally as ...
, who recruited Dizon out of high school, called the senior "the most complete, every down player that I've ever coached."
As a senior, Dizon recorded the best statistical season for a Buff linebacker since
Matt Russell
Matthew Jason Russell (born July 5, 1973) is an American football executive who currently serves as a Senior Personnel Executive for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He formerly served as the Director of Player Personne ...
's 1996 Butkus-winning campaign. He was voted runner-up for the 2007
Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...
,
given each year to college football's best linebacker. Dizon was recognized as a consensus first-team
All American, after receiving first-team honors from the
Walter Camp Football Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...
,
the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
,
Sporting News,
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
,
and
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
for the
2007 NCAA Division I-A football season, and was named the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
's Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
A four-year starter for the Buffs, Dizon finished his collegiate career as the second-leading tackler among all active players.
College statistics
Awards and recognition
*2004
**Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year
**Defensive Freshman of the Year (Big 12 Coaches)
[ ]
**Second-team Freshman
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n (
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
, Rivals.com)
**Honorable mention All-Big 12 (
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
)
**Freshman All-Big 12 team (The Sporting News)
*2005
**Honorable mention All-Big 12 (Big 12 Coaches)
*2006
**Second-team All-Big 12 (
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
)
**Honorable mention All-Big 12 (Big 12 Coaches)
**First-team All-Big 12 (San Antonio Express-News)
**Butkus Award watch list
*2007
**Consensus First-team All-American
***Walter Camp Football Foundation
***The Sporting News
***Associated Press
***ESPN
***Rivals.com
**Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
**First-team All-Big 12 (Big 12 Coaches, San Antonio Express-News)
**Butkus Award Runner-up
**
Lott Trophy
The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize th ...
semifinalist
**Second-team Academic All-Big 12
**Mid-season All-American
***Sports Illustrated
***Rivals.com
***
Phil Steele's
Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, prod ...
College Football
**Mid-season All-Big 12
Professional career
2008 NFL Draft
During CU's pro timing day, Dizon ran the
forty yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
in 4.59 seconds—which would have registered among the five fastest times recorded by a linebacker at the 2008
NFL Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
. His 34.5 inch vertical jump also impressed scouts, while Dizon's meager 12 repetitions lifting 225 pounds was considered poor for a linebacker. On April 26, 2008, Dizon was chosen 45th overall in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft by the Detroit Lions.
Detroit Lions
Dizon's first season saw the rookie struggle to find consistent playing time. He finished the season with 31 total tackles, 14 of which came on special teams. When hired in January 2009, coach
Jim Schwartz
James J. Schwartz (born June 2, 1966) is an American football coach who is a Senior Defensive Assistant for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) ...
changed defensive schemes, moving Dizon back to the outside linebacker position.
During the 2009 off-season, Dizon earned high praise from Lions defensive coordinator
Gunther Cunningham
Gunther Cunningham (June 19, 1946 – May 11, 2019) was an American football head coach. He served as the Kansas City Chiefs head coach for two seasons. He also had two stints as the Chiefs' Defensive Coordinator. He served as an assistant coach ...
and linebackers coach Matt Burke, the latter of whom noted, "Jordon’s probably been one of the hardest workers I have. He works really hard at it. He wants to do better, he wants to do it right and he really works at it. I’ve been really pleased with the work he’s done."
Dizon tore two tendons in his knee and damaged a third during the 2010 NFL preseason. He was placed on
injured reserve on August 16, 2010. He was released by the Lions on July 28, 2011.
Personal life
Dizon graduated from the University of Colorado in May 2008 with a degree in
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
. He attended Waimea High School in Kauai, Hawaii, the westernmost
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Growing up in Kauai, Dizon often hunted
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
with only a knife.
He is an avid
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
er, shooting sub-80 before his senior season began.
[ ]
See also
*
Colorado Buffaloes football
*
2005 Colorado Buffaloes football team
*
2006 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 2006 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The previous year's team won the Big 12 North Conference. That marked the fourth Big 12 North champion ...
*
2007 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 2007 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Hawkins in his second season at Colorado and played their home games at Fol ...
*
2007 College Football All-America Team
The 2007 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, ''The Sporting News'', ''Sports ...
References
External links
*
University of Colorado Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dizon, Jordon
1986 births
Living people
Players of American football from Hawaii
People from Kauai County, Hawaii
All-American college football players
American football linebackers
Colorado Buffaloes football players
Detroit Lions players