|
– |
Dawkins (above) ended up at Clemson thanks to Patrick Sapp.
Brian Dawkins is one of the most decorated players in the history of Clemson football, and no one would question if you say that he is the best player in the history of the program simply because he is the only candidate for the Tigers’ Professional Football Hall of Fame. But Dawkins didn’t always want to be a Tiger – he wanted to be a South Carolina Gamecock. Thanks to Patrick Sapp and the Gamecocks’ lack of interest, Dawkins ended up in orange instead of garnet.
A three-year free security holder for the Tigers, he ended his career at Clemson with 247 tackles and 11 interceptions. He received the All-ACC Honors from the first team in 1995 and was selected by the Associated Press and Sporting News as an All-American of the second team as a senior when his team of six interceptions tied him to the leader of the conference. He was named the first strong security team on Clemson’s centenary team in 1996 and was selected for the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
On January 11, 2013, Clemson University established the Brian Dawkins Award for its work as a whole to honor a former Clemson player annually for his field performance, leadership contributions and community service.
After being selected in the second round of the 1996 draft, the nine-time Pro Bowler spent 13 of his 16 years in the Philadelphia NFL with the Eagles. Dawkins is still the only defensive player in league history to register 25 or more interceptions, sacks and forced fumbles.
However, Dawkins was not always destined to be a Tiger. Sapp, who played for the Tigers and for four years in the NFL, had been friends with Dawkins since high school. The two lived in different neighborhoods, but attended the same school and took the same bus every morning. The pair quickly became friends and played AAU basketball together and football on the same varsity team and then on the Raines High School varsity in Jacksonville.
Sapp was the highly recruited athlete that everyone wanted, however.
“Patrick Sapp is still a good friend of mine to this day. He was highly recruited and would be a 4 or probably 5 star in today’s ratings, ”said Dawkins at the“ Glen and Ray Show ”in Philadelphia earlier this week. “He was so big in Jacksonville and in the nation, really. If you went to Jacksonville, everyone knew who Patrick Sapp was. He was not only good at football, he was good at basketball too. He was all over the state and all that stuff in those two sports. “
Sapp learned at the end of the process that he wanted to go to Clemson.
“Clemson had a history of playing as a black quarterback. At the time, Florida had not played a brother as a defender. Miami really didn’t know, ”Sapp told TigerNet. “And the University of Florida, no. I was leaning towards the state of Florida because of Brad Scott. He was recruiting me since 10th grade and I really had a connection with him. I just felt more comfortable with Clemson and trainer (Rick) Stockstill. “
Meanwhile, there weren’t many schools interested in Dawkins, the future Hall of Fame.
“It was time for me to make a decision, and before I decided to go to Florida, but because of my grades they took the bag back. Being from Florida, this is one of the schools I wanted to go to and I had the opportunity to go, but because of my grades and I was not a big enough recruit, they accepted the scholarship back and I had nowhere to go ” , Said Dawkins. “And then South Carolina put me on the radar, and I tried to call them to say I wanted to go there and I was unable to contact anyone.
Sapp, above, is still a good friend of Dawkins
“I know now that if they don’t talk to you and don’t call you back, you won’t be on the radar anymore. So, boom, it went out the window. And then Pat called me that night and asked where I was thinking about going, and I told him I was thinking about going to South Carolina. But he said, ‘Don’t go there. They don’t send anyone to the defense professionals there. Then he told me he wanted to make a phone call and asked me if I thought it was cool to go to Clemson. And I told him that I would love to go to Clemson. “
Sapp insisted that his friend not choose Gamecocks, whether they called him back or not.
“Literally, we look at the South Carolina brand as a type of East Carolina school. They didn’t have the brand that we kids in Florida were used to. But Clemson was on TV and playing big bowl games every year and he was playing in the Gator Bowl and it was a great show, ”said Sapp. “We talked about the whole recruitment process and everything that was going on with him. I think Louisville offered, but his brother went there and he didn’t want to go, and Florida offered and then gave up. And I think South Carolina was the only other school in Division I that got interested in him.
“And he called me, probably a week before National Signature Day, and said he was calling South Carolina and said they would not be returning their calls. And he was scared of it and wondering where he was going. I was leaning towards Clemson and hadn’t said anything, so I asked if he wanted to go to Clemson and he said yes. So I called Stock (Rick Stockstill) and said, ‘Look man, I really want Brian to come.’ And Stock said it was a closed deal and that’s how we got to Clemson. “
Dawkins did not know at the time that he was part of a package.
“So he called Clemson and told them that if he went to Clemson, Brian had to go, too. I didn’t know that, ”said Dawkins. “I thought they wanted me. How I got there was someone looking after me and betting on me. Not much was expected of me when I got there. When I got there, I was 5-10 and 75 pounds drenched. They had two other safety devices in that class, Leomont Evans and Andre Carter, and those guys weighed six to eight feet and weight, and that was their vision of safety.
“I was not that vision. So now I understand why I was treated the way I was treated. Everything I did was not good enough. Whatever I did, I had to earn my way, and that on special teams. And I was a demon from special teams. I won the special teams award every week and that’s how I started to earn the respect of my elders and my teammates. The opportunity I was given was given to me by someone else and I made the most of it. ”
The rest is history. Dawkins had a stellar university career and then shaped his career in the NFL Hall of Fame, but none of this would have happened had it not been for a friend he met on a school bus. None of this would have happened without Patrick Sapp.
“Sometimes I go out on the lecture circuit and tell this story,” said Sapp with a laugh. “And I think Clemson may owe me a little for doing this.”
Clemson owes you, and Dawkins owes you.
Clemson CB enters the transfer portal
Former Clemson QB signs with CFL team
Clemson No. 2 on the ESPN standings in the most recent preseason