Dan Dierdorf

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Dan Dierdorf
No. 72
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1949-06-29) June 29, 1949 (age 74)
Place of birth: Canton, Ohio
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Career information
High school: Canton (OH) Glenwood
College: Michigan
NFL draft: 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 43
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 160
Seasons: 13
Fumble Recoveries: 7
Player stats at NFL.com

Daniel Lee "Dan" Dierdorf (born June 29, 1949) is a former American football player and television sportscaster. He played 13 NFL seasons and has worked as a broadcast color analyst since retiring from football.

Born in Canton, Ohio, Dierdorf played football at Glenwood High School in Canton (now GlenOak High School), then the University of Michigan before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the 1971 NFL Draft.

College career

At Michigan, Dierdorf was a consensus All-American in 1970 and assisted the team to a 25–6 record in his 3 years as a starter. The Wolverines were Big Ten Champions in 1969. Dierdorf made all-conference in 1969 and 1970. He was chosen for the East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl and for the 1971 College All-Star Game. In 2000, Dierdorf was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. While in college, Dierdorf became a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

NFL career

Dierdorf began his career as a guard and left tackle before settling in as a starter at right tackle in 1974. In 1982 he moved to center and was the starter in that season and became a back-up in his final year, 1983.

Dierdorf was named to the Pro Bowl 6 times from 1974–78 and 1980. Dierdorf was named All-Pro for 4 consecutive seasons beginning in 1975 when the Pro Football Writers Association voted him All-Pro. From 1976–78 Dan was a consensus All-Pro and in 1980 the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) named him All-Pro. In addition, Dan was a consensus 2nd team All-Pro in 1974.

He was named NFLPA NFC Offensive Lineman of the year by his peers in 1976, '77, and '78. In 1996 he received the ultimate honor when he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 1975 Cardinals offensive line, consisting from right to left of Dierdorf, Conrad Dobler, Tom Banks, Bob Young, and Roger Finnie, allowed a total of only 8 sacks, a then-NFL record. Dierdorf did not give up a sack for the entire 1976 and 1977 seasons. His streak ended in the first game of the 1978 season when Chicago Bears left defensive end Tommy Hart nabbed 2 sacks against Dierdorf. Dan had not given up a sack since the 1975 NFC Divisional playoff game when Jack Youngblood sacked Jim Hart.

Broadcasting career

After his retirement, Dierdorf made the transition to the broadcast booth, becoming one of the first former offensive linemen to become a broadcaster. He worked as a color analyst for Cardinals and Missouri Tigers games on KMOX radio in 1984 before moving to CBS, where he called play-by-play of NFL games in 1985 before returning to the analyst role in 1986.

In 1987 he moved to ABC, where he was added to the Monday Night Football team with Al Michaels and Frank Gifford. He was also named as ABC's blow-by-blow boxing commentator in 1989, beginning with Meldrick Taylor's first defense of his championship, served as a correspondent for the network's coverage of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and called play-by-play of some college football games in the early 1990s. Dierdorf stayed at ABC for twelve seasons before a shake up after the 1998 season. Dierdorf quickly moved to CBS, who had just gained rights to air AFC football matchups, and was placed on the network's number 2 team with play-by-play man Verne Lundquist, replacing Randy Cross who was moved to The NFL Today. After the 1999 season Lundquist was moved to CBS' lead college football team, and Dierdorf served as commentator for Dick Enberg from 1999 to 2005. He would share the booth with Greg Gumbel for the next 8 seasons.

Dierdorf was the 2008 recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He received the award on August 1 of that year during the Enshrinees Dinner in Canton, at which the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2008 enshrinees – Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Emmitt Thomas, Andre Tippett and Gary Zimmerman – received their gold Hall of Fame jackets from each of their presenters. The Class of 2008 Enshrinement Ceremony took place the following day.

On November 20, 2013, Dierdorf announced that the 2013 NFL season would be his last as an analyst. "It has become a challenge for me to travel to a different NFL city every week, so it's time to step aside," he said.[1] Dierdorf's final broadcast came January 11, 2014 in an AFC divisional playoff game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

On April 17, 2014, Dierdorf was introduced as the new color analyst for Michigan Wolverines football radio broadcasts. He will join former college teammate Jim Brandstatter, who will do play-by-play, on Michigan games. Brandstatter was Dierdorf’s backup on the offensive line, at strong tackle.[2]

Other ventures

Dierdorf continues to live in St. Louis and has his own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.[3] He was the co-proprietor, along with former Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart, of Dierdorf and Hart's, a St. Louis steakhouse which closed in 2013. Dan Dierdorf also is one of the investors of KTRS radio in St. Louis.

See also

References

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External links

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