Dat Nguyen
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| Dat Nguyen | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 25, 1975 |
| Place of birth | Fort Chaffee, Arkansas |
| Position(s) | Middle Linebacker |
| College | Texas A&M |
| NFL Draft | 1999 / Round 3/ Pick 85 |
| Awards | 1998 Bednarik Award 1998 Lombardi Award |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1999-2005 | Dallas Cowboys |
Dat Nguyen (Vietnamese: Nguyễn Tấn Đạt, born on September 25, 1975 in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas [1]) is the first Vietnamese American to play in the National Football League. He played for the Dallas Cowboys.
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[edit] Background
His family immigrated from Vietnam after the collapse of South Vietnam. He lived most of his childhood in the Gulf Coast town of Rockport, Texas.
[edit] Biography
Dat Nguyen battled the perception that he was too small to play linebacker for as long as he was involved in the game, despite his muscular 5'11", 238 pound frame. As a college freshman, he was known as "Fat" Nguyen, but added muscle and became an NFL prospect. Proving critics wrong at an early stage, he proceeded to leave Texas A&M University as the Aggies' career record holder with 51 consecutive starts, 517 career tackles and a 10.7 tackles-per-game average.
In 1998, he was named an All-American and won the Bednarik Award as well as the Lombardi Award.
Despite such an illustrious collegiate career, the "undersized" criticism was still heard from NFL personnel.
The Cowboys went ahead and drafted the most productive linebacker in Texas A&M history in the third round (85th overall) of the 1999 NFL draft. Nguyen made an impact with the Cowboys from the very beginning, leading the team in special-teams stops as a rookie and becoming Dallas' starting middle linebacker in his second professional season.
In 2001, he competed his first full season as a starting NFL middle linebacker and silenced the critics by recording 112 tackles. Nguyen was a fan favorite throughout his career, even among those who do not like Texas A&M or the Cowboys, because he has always been perceived as an overachieving underdog and a quintessential team-player.
In 2003, with Nguyen leading the team in tackles, his Dallas Cowboys were the most effective defense in the NFL by a very wide margin; several interviews questioned his being left off the Pro Bowl roster.
In May 2004, Nguyen was awarded a Golden Torch Award at the Vietnamese American National Gala in Washington, D.C.
He officially retired from the NFL on March 3, 2006, after a neck injury that hindered his 2005 performance failed to improve. Among the greatest linebackers in Dallas Cowboys history, Nguyen led the team in tackles three times, in 2001, 2003, and 2004.[2]
Nguyen and wife Becky have three daughters.
[edit] Awards - collegiate
- All-American, consensus (1998)
- All Big-12 Conference Football - 1st team (1996-98)
- Big 12 Conference - 10th Anniversary Team (2005)
- Big 12 Conference - Defensive Player of the Year (1998)
- Chuck Bednarik Award - College Defensive Player of the Year (1998)
- Cotton Bowl - Defensive Player of the Game (1998)
- Dallas Morning News Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year (1998)
- Lombardi Award - Outstanding College Lineman (1998)
- Southwest Conference Defensive Newcomer of the Year (1995)
- Texas A&M Football Team MVP (1997)
