Kris Dielman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| San Diego Chargers — No. 68 | |
| Left guard | |
| Date of birth: February 3, 1981 | |
| Place of birth: Goshen, Indiana | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 310 lb (140 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2003 for the San Diego Chargers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Indiana | |
| Undrafted in 2003 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Kristopher M. Dielman[1] (born February 3, 1981) is an American football guard who currently plays for the San Diego Chargers.
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[edit] High School and College career
A graduate of Troy High School in Troy, Ohio, Kris was known as the "Real Deal". Dielman was an all-state and all-conference linebacker and tight end, he also lettered in basketball. Then he went on to play at Indiana University. Kris played tight end at IU under former Charger offensive coordinator Cam Cameron[2] and current Charger co-offensive line coach Hal Hunter earning All-Big 10 honors his junior year. Dielman's blocking was a huge contribution to the success of then-IU quarterback Antwaan Randle El, who became the first player in the history of NCAA 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 a team captain during his senior season.[3]
[edit] NFL career
[edit] San Diego Chargers
Dielman went undrafted out of college, but signed on with the San Diego Chargers. 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. By the his fourth year in the league, Dielman was a rising star and an integral part of LaDainian Tomlinson's record breaking 2006 season. Dielman was chosen as a 1st Alternate for the 2007 Pro Bowl.
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's Jim Corbett, Charger general manager 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."[4]
2008 Season In the 2008 season Dielman played his way into being voted to the AFC Pro Bowl squad for his first Pro Bowl selection.
