Kristopher M. Dielman (born February 3, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the San Diego Chargers 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) for nine seasons. He played college football for

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. The Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and he played his entire professional career for the Chargers. He was selected to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

four times, and was a member of the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.

High school and college career

A graduate of Troy High School in

Troy, Ohio Troy is a city in and the county seat of Miami County, Ohio, United States, located north of Dayton. The population was 26,305 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Miami County and the 55th largest city in Ohio; it is part of the Da ...

, Dielman was an all-state and all-conference linebacker and tight end. He also lettered in basketball. Off the field, Dielman was both homecoming and mid-winter king at Troy High School. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at

where he played for the

Indiana Hoosiers football The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers have played their home games at Memorial Stadium since 19 ...

team. Kris played tight end for Indiana under former San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator

Cam Cameron Malcolm "Cam" Cameron (born February 6, 1961) is an American football coach. He is the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the LSU Tigers football program. Cameron attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and playe ...

and former Chargers offensive line coach Hal Hunter, and earned All-Big 10 honors his junior year. Dielman's blocking was a huge contribution to the success of then-IU quarterback

Antwaan Randle El Antwaan Randle El (; born August 17, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions of the Nati ...

, who became the first player in the history of

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football with 8,000 pass yards and 3,000 rush yards in Dielman's junior season. Cameron was Dielman's head coach and Hunter was his offensive coordinator. Once Cameron got a job as the Charger offensive coordinator, Hunter left for North Carolina. Dielman's new coaching staff started playing him more at defensive line, a position he had experience throughout his college career and where he later became a team captain during his senior season.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

Dielman went undrafted out of college, but signed on with the San Diego Chargers on April 28, 2003. Dielman reunited with his former Indiana head coach Cam Cameron, who served as the Chargers' offensive coordinator. The Chargers converted him from a defensive tackle to an offensive lineman, and before long Dielman had established himself as a starter at

left guard In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right g ...

. Right away Dielman made a name for himself in large part due to his gritty, hard-nosed style of play on the offensive line. He was released by the Chargers on Aug 26 at the roster cut down to 65 before being re-signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1. He was then called up to the active roster with six weeks left in the season. By his fourth year in the league, Dielman was a rising star and an integral part of

LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...

's record breaking 2006 season. Dielman's teammates referred to him as their "enforcer" and "battering ram". Dielman was chosen as a 1st Alternate for the

2007 Pro Bowl The 2007 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2006 season. The game took place on February 10, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was held on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday after the Super Bo ...

. In the off-season the Seattle Seahawks offered him a large contract worth $48.2 million but he returned to San Diego to sign a six-year deal with the Chargers that guarantees him $17 million over the first two years and is potentially worth $39 million, becoming one of the highest paid guards in the NFL. In an interview with

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

's Jim Corbett, Charger

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AJ Smith remarked, "He's a special kid. The loyalty he showed is very, very rare. I knew if he could just be paid like a premier guard, he would stay with us because of who he is. Seattle was legitimate, and he didn't want any part of it. He said, 'I want to go home with my team.' It's the best thing in the world to happen for us. He's a Pro Bowler waiting to happen." In 2009, he started all 16 games for just the second time in his career and earned his third Pro Bowl invite despite allowing a career-high three sacks. He was penalized just three times on the season, the lowest total since he moved into the starting lineup in 2005. In December 2010, Dielman was selected as a Pro Bowl starter for the second time, his fourth Pro Bowl overall. Dielman suffered a concussion in the sixth game of the 2011 season against the New York Jets. He had a

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with l ...

on the team plane after the game, and he missed the remainder of the season. In February 2012, Dielman announced his retirement from pro football due to the risk of further head injuries. On July 21, 2012, the San Diego Chargers released Dielman from the team's reserved-retired list by the request of his agent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dielman, Kris 1981 births Living people People from Goshen, Indiana People from Troy, Ohio Players of American football from Indiana Players of American football from Ohio American football offensive guards American football tight ends Indiana Hoosiers football players San Diego Chargers players American Conference Pro Bowl players