Temple University Athletics
Big Daddy
8.28.19 | Football
On the football field, former Temple offensive lineman Dion Dawkins takes care of business on a regular basis. He was blessed with tremendous talent and, therefore, doesn't sweat the small stuff.
Off the field Dawkins is one of the most laid-back people on the planet. He's friendly, can always be seen smiling, and is warm-hearted. He is an oversized kid who is not rushing into adulthood.
This spring, however, he had three instances that made his two worlds collide; where he was forced to take some quick and serious action. One has to do with his career and the other two with family.
Dawkins came to Temple in 2013 and was inserted into the starting lineup as a true freshman. There was no denying his talent. At 6-6, 300, he had the size and strength of a redwood tree yet had the footwork of a ballroom dancer. Former Temple head coach Matt Rhule would often challenge his players to do things out of their comfort zone and on one particular day he had the offensive linemen field kickoffs. Post-practice sprints were on the line and Dawkins needed to catch the ball to save the team from running sprints.
That is not always an easy task for a big lineman in full pads, yet Dawkins camped under the skyrocketed ball and flawlessly caught the football with one hand.
Whether or not things come easy to the Rahway, New Jersey, native, he has a way of going with the flow.
Following a career at Temple where he was a first team all-conference lineman, Dawkins became a second-round selection of the Buffalo Bills in 2017.
"The differences from college to pro are game speed and managing time," said Dawkins about his transition. "In college everything is schedules and slots. When you come here and there is no school, it's a fulltime job."
"At first it's a wide-open world. You're hot stuff back on campus. You're that new dude trying to do everything. Living your dream out. As soon as you get here, 'Holy crap. I'm an NFL player,' I have that badge. Let's see what that entails. You come across people who say, 'I can do this for you.' Maybe you get caught up in that stuff. Learn and live."
Despite the distractions, he quickly found his way into the starting lineup and has been the Bills' starting left tackle ever since. He even showed his athleticism in 2018 when he caught a touchdown pass in the end zone.
"My early years with [Bills' head coach Sean McDermott] just trying to find out what the NFL was about. He would say, 'us Philly guys are built for this. We are built to block out the negative energy. We are built to take on all the critics. We're just molded harder. Less things affect us where it affects other people who haven't gone through it.'"
The Bills had a disappointing 2018 season, finishing 6-10. Dawkins, by most accounts, under-performed compared to his rookie season, but he recognized that and told the Buffalo News that the place he needed to improve wasn't just physical, but mental as well.
"First, I had to get my mental state right" said Dawkins who identified his shortcomings and urgently went to work to improve. "I was in a darker place last year. Now I'm out. I just have to keep it rolling and take care of myself, put my body first, put my mind on ball and my family."
He learned that discipline and mentality while he was at Temple.
"It was like bootcamp at Temple. Everything was very strict. If you break a rule there are consequences. When I came [to Buffalo] I didn't want to break any rules, maybe all coaches were like Matt Rhule. So, I always wanted to stay in the green and not the red. Being afraid of making the wrong choice."
Dawkins was part of the culture change at Temple and hopes to enjoy similar success with the Bills.
"Accepting change and accepting the culture," he said about his time at Temple. "Trying to be that group of guys to flip the program over. Saying 'why not us?' We had all of the right pieces to do that."
"I was blessed I got to play against Haason [Reddick]," he continued. "He was a tougher guy coming from Camden. He just wanted a way out and he made this his way out. He and I just competed, competed, competed. I would win and he would win. Having studs on offense and on defense it was iron sharpening iron, and with that guys just kept getting better and better."
When Dawkins talks about his time and his teammates at Temple, he often uses the term family. But, for some brief moments, there is no love.
He assured, "Honestly, on that field everybody who is not wearing a Bills' uniform is the enemy, they know that while the game is being played. I remember it was last season against the Titans and I had a couple of plays against Sharif [Finch]. Sharif was rushing at defensive end. He lined up and I just looked and I was like 'Dang bro, this is Temple,' and it just made me smile. But then all I was thinking was I'm gonna bring it back to Temple days, and let's just [get after each other like] we did at Temple on an NFL field."
While he continues to have love for his Temple family, it's his immediate family who means the most to him. Dawkins recently had a scare that shook him to his core.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge animal lover, especially dogs, especially my dogs," he said. "I have a German Shepard mixed with a husky who lives back home in New Jersey with my mother. And I have a pit bull, Cami, who lives here in Buffalo with me and my girlfriend, Daiyaana."
This spring while Dion was heading to practice, Cami was outside for her daily routine. She then disappeared from the backyard and Daiyaana was not able to find her.
"I'm gonna say there was a deer that chased Cami while she was outside," said Dawkins.
Daiyaana tried to find Cami and soon alerted Dawkins. He took to social media to seek assistance and after several tense hours had some good news.
"I was just blessed to get Cami back," he said of the happy ending. "Some family found her, they had her, they loved her. I thanked them, then I told them who I was. I asked if they liked football and said that I can give them tickets. The first game of the season they will be there cheering."
Dawkins might have to muster up more love and more urgency as he embarks on the next stage of adulthood.
"I am expecting a baby girl in November!"
Off the field Dawkins is one of the most laid-back people on the planet. He's friendly, can always be seen smiling, and is warm-hearted. He is an oversized kid who is not rushing into adulthood.
This spring, however, he had three instances that made his two worlds collide; where he was forced to take some quick and serious action. One has to do with his career and the other two with family.
Dawkins came to Temple in 2013 and was inserted into the starting lineup as a true freshman. There was no denying his talent. At 6-6, 300, he had the size and strength of a redwood tree yet had the footwork of a ballroom dancer. Former Temple head coach Matt Rhule would often challenge his players to do things out of their comfort zone and on one particular day he had the offensive linemen field kickoffs. Post-practice sprints were on the line and Dawkins needed to catch the ball to save the team from running sprints.
That is not always an easy task for a big lineman in full pads, yet Dawkins camped under the skyrocketed ball and flawlessly caught the football with one hand.
Whether or not things come easy to the Rahway, New Jersey, native, he has a way of going with the flow.
Following a career at Temple where he was a first team all-conference lineman, Dawkins became a second-round selection of the Buffalo Bills in 2017.
"The differences from college to pro are game speed and managing time," said Dawkins about his transition. "In college everything is schedules and slots. When you come here and there is no school, it's a fulltime job."
"At first it's a wide-open world. You're hot stuff back on campus. You're that new dude trying to do everything. Living your dream out. As soon as you get here, 'Holy crap. I'm an NFL player,' I have that badge. Let's see what that entails. You come across people who say, 'I can do this for you.' Maybe you get caught up in that stuff. Learn and live."
Despite the distractions, he quickly found his way into the starting lineup and has been the Bills' starting left tackle ever since. He even showed his athleticism in 2018 when he caught a touchdown pass in the end zone.
"My early years with [Bills' head coach Sean McDermott] just trying to find out what the NFL was about. He would say, 'us Philly guys are built for this. We are built to block out the negative energy. We are built to take on all the critics. We're just molded harder. Less things affect us where it affects other people who haven't gone through it.'"
The Bills had a disappointing 2018 season, finishing 6-10. Dawkins, by most accounts, under-performed compared to his rookie season, but he recognized that and told the Buffalo News that the place he needed to improve wasn't just physical, but mental as well.
"First, I had to get my mental state right" said Dawkins who identified his shortcomings and urgently went to work to improve. "I was in a darker place last year. Now I'm out. I just have to keep it rolling and take care of myself, put my body first, put my mind on ball and my family."
He learned that discipline and mentality while he was at Temple.
"It was like bootcamp at Temple. Everything was very strict. If you break a rule there are consequences. When I came [to Buffalo] I didn't want to break any rules, maybe all coaches were like Matt Rhule. So, I always wanted to stay in the green and not the red. Being afraid of making the wrong choice."
Dawkins was part of the culture change at Temple and hopes to enjoy similar success with the Bills.
"Accepting change and accepting the culture," he said about his time at Temple. "Trying to be that group of guys to flip the program over. Saying 'why not us?' We had all of the right pieces to do that."
"I was blessed I got to play against Haason [Reddick]," he continued. "He was a tougher guy coming from Camden. He just wanted a way out and he made this his way out. He and I just competed, competed, competed. I would win and he would win. Having studs on offense and on defense it was iron sharpening iron, and with that guys just kept getting better and better."
When Dawkins talks about his time and his teammates at Temple, he often uses the term family. But, for some brief moments, there is no love.
He assured, "Honestly, on that field everybody who is not wearing a Bills' uniform is the enemy, they know that while the game is being played. I remember it was last season against the Titans and I had a couple of plays against Sharif [Finch]. Sharif was rushing at defensive end. He lined up and I just looked and I was like 'Dang bro, this is Temple,' and it just made me smile. But then all I was thinking was I'm gonna bring it back to Temple days, and let's just [get after each other like] we did at Temple on an NFL field."
While he continues to have love for his Temple family, it's his immediate family who means the most to him. Dawkins recently had a scare that shook him to his core.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge animal lover, especially dogs, especially my dogs," he said. "I have a German Shepard mixed with a husky who lives back home in New Jersey with my mother. And I have a pit bull, Cami, who lives here in Buffalo with me and my girlfriend, Daiyaana."
This spring while Dion was heading to practice, Cami was outside for her daily routine. She then disappeared from the backyard and Daiyaana was not able to find her.
"I'm gonna say there was a deer that chased Cami while she was outside," said Dawkins.
Daiyaana tried to find Cami and soon alerted Dawkins. He took to social media to seek assistance and after several tense hours had some good news.
"I was just blessed to get Cami back," he said of the happy ending. "Some family found her, they had her, they loved her. I thanked them, then I told them who I was. I asked if they liked football and said that I can give them tickets. The first game of the season they will be there cheering."
Dawkins might have to muster up more love and more urgency as he embarks on the next stage of adulthood.
"I am expecting a baby girl in November!"
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