Title
Recognizing and congratulating Brian Dawkins on the occasion of his retirement from the National Football League, where he played sixteen extraordinary seasons as a safety, thirteen of which were for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Body
WHEREAS, Brian Dawkins was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, where he played football through high school. He then played for Clemson University in South Carolina, where he was a three-year starter who finished his college career with 247 tackles and 11 interceptions. He was designated an All-American in his senior year, was named the first-team strong safety on Clemson's all-centennial team in 1995, and was selected to the University's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009; and
WHEREAS, In the second round of the National Football League's draft in 1996, Dawkins was recruited to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie, he became the starting free safety and remained in that position for his thirteen seasons. He became the Defensive Captain and was instrumental in placing the Eagles among the best defensive teams in the league; and
WHEREAS, A talented and versatile player, in 2002 Dawkins became the first player in NFL history to record a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and a touchdown reception in a single game. In 2004, after three consecutive NFC Championship defeats, he helped the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl where they lost by a slim margin to the New England Patriots. He finished his career with the Eagles starting 182 of 183 games, recording 898 tackles, 34 interceptions, and 21 sacks; and
WHEREAS, Dawkins announced his retirement on April 23, 2012. It is widely accepted that Dawkins was one of the three best safeties of his era, and the longest serving safety at sixteen seasons. He spent thirteen seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and three years with the Denver Broncos. In 2017, he will be eligible for acceptance into the Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, His career highlights and ac...
Click here for full text