Ken Dilger

Kenneth Ray Dilger (born February 2, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dilger played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Early life Ken Dilger was raised in Mariah Hill in Spencer County, Indiana. He attended Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana, where he played quarterback on the football team. As a senior, Dilger threw for a school-record 2,005 yards and 23 touchdowns. Dilger totaled 3,750 passing yards in his high school career. He also starred in basketball and baseball.

College career Dilger was recruited by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he joined the football team in 1990 as a quarterback. He redshirted his freshman year. During spring practice for the 1991 season, Dilger transitioned to tight end at the request of offensive coordinator Gene Dahlquist. In the second game of the season against Missouri, Dilger dropped a late pass in the endzone from quarterback Jason Verduzco that could have won the game, but the Illini lost 19–23. He redeemed himself throughout the season, with his best performance of the year coming in a 21–24 loss against Iowa, where he had five receptions for 77 yards. The Illini were ranked as high as #13 in the AP poll during the season, and played in the 1991 John Hancock Bowl, but lost 3–6 in a defensive struggle against UCLA. They finished the year at 6–6, with defensive coordinator Lou Tepper replacing John Mackovic at head coach prior to the bowl game.

In the lead-up to the 1992 season, Dilger tore cartilage in his right knee in late-August and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. After missing the first five games of the season, Dilger returned in a 14–24 loss to Iowa, where he caught one pass for six yards. Dilger recorded six catches on the season for 42 yards before breaking his left wrist during practice prior to the 1992 Holiday Bowl, which ended his season.

In his redshirt junior year, Dilger battled for the starting tight end spot with senior David Olson. Dilger won out, and featured in all 11 games for the Illini. Dilger's first touchdown reception of the season came on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Johnny Johnson as the Illini upset #13-ranked Michigan, 24–21, on October 23, 1993. Dilger followed up with a 26-yard TD reception the next week in a 20–13 win over Northwestern. Dilger had 17 receptions for 212 yards and two touchdowns on the year, as the Illini finished with a 5–6 record.

Dilger's 1994 redshirt senior season was the best of his college career. Despite suffering a hamstring injury in the opening game of the season against Washington State, Dilger finished the year as the Illini's second leading receiver and tied for most receiving touchdowns. In the third game of the season against Northern Illinois, Dilger led the Illini in receiving with five receptions for 78 yards. Against #17 Ohio State two weeks later, Dilger scored the deciding touchdown in a 24–10 upset victory. Illinois finished the year with a 30–0 shutout win against East Carolina in the 1994 Liberty Bowl. Dilger recorded a 17-yard touchdown reception in the game, totaling seven catches for 60 yards. Dilger finished the year with 48 receptions for 607 yards and six touchdowns and was named to the 1994 All-Big Ten Second-Team.

Professional career

Dilger was projected as a middle-round pick in the 1995 NFL draft, and was ranked as the ninth overall tight end by USA Today.

Indianapolis Colts (1995–2001) The Indianapolis Colts selected Dilger in the second round (48th overall pick) of the 1995 NFL draft. Dilger signed a reported five-year contract with the Colts on July 15, 1995, and he joined the team in training camp at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Dilger started the season as the backup tight end behind Charles Arbuckle, but Arbuckle was waived during the Colts bye week leading to Dilger taking over the starting role in week five. Dilger's breakout game as a rookie came in the Colts' week-six comeback victory in overtime against the previously undefeated Miami Dolphins, where he recorded four catches for 92 yards. His first NFL touchdown came the following week as the Colts upset the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, 18–17. Dilger recorded seven receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown, forming a partnership with quarterback Jim Harbaugh. Dilger proved to be a regular contributor throughout his rookie year, and finished the regular season with 42 receptions, a career-high 635 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. He was named to the 1995 PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.

The Colts made the 1995-96 NFL playoffs, their first playoff appearance since 1987. Dilger scored a touchdown in the Colts' Wild Card game against the San Diego Chargers. After beating the Kansas City Chiefs in a frigid game, the Colts made it to the 1995 AFC Championship Game, facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Colts lost after a last-second throw to Aaron Bailey fell incomplete in the end zone. Dilger had one reception for 30 yards in the AFC Championship Game.

In 1996, Dilger built upon his success as a rookie as the full-time starting tight end. In a week-two 21–7 victory against the New York Jets, Dilger set a franchise record for tight end receiving yards in a game when he recorded seven receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown. Dilger's targets dropped as rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison became the Colts primary pass catcher. Despite a sluggish end of the season, Dilger finished the year with 42 receptions for 503 yards and tied his career-high of four touchdown receptions. The Colts made the 1996-97 NFL playoffs, losing in the Wild Card round to the Steelers.

Dilger's 1997 season started slow, complicated by a hamstring injury that caused him to miss two games in weeks six and seven. The Colts offense faltered in 1997, and with a young offensive line, Dilger was tasked with blocking more than pass catching. Despite his new role, Dilger still served as a pass catcher when needed. In a week-16 rout of the Dolphins, Dilger recorded five catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the 1997 season with 27 receptions, 380 receiving yards, and three touchdowns, as the Colts went 3–13 on the year.

The 1998 season brought many changes to the Colts. The Colts had a new quarterback in first-overall draft pick Peyton Manning, new head coach Jim Mora, and new offensive coordinator Tom Moore. The Colts employed a two tight end formation, where Dilger shared starting duties with Marcus Pollard. Pollard's emergence, coupled with a sputtering Colts offense, meant limited productivity for Dilger. His first scoring play of the season was on a trick-play extra point, where long snapper Bradford Banta made a direct snap to Dilger who ran it in for a two-point conversion. Dilger's lone touchdown on the season came in a week-nine loss to the Miami Dolphins. He finished the season with 31 receptions for 303 yards and one touchdown.

In 1999, Dilger continued to split time with Pollard. Dilger was continued to serve as the pass-blocking tight end while Pollard established his pass catching capabilities. The emergence of rookie running back Edgerrin James also led to more run blocking scenarios. The Colts offense found their rhythm throughout the 1999 season, and Dilger's productivity rose from the previous season. He finished the 1999 season with 40 catches for 479 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts had a historic turn around from the previous season, going 13–3 and winning their division. In the 1999-00 NFL playoffs, they lost in the Divisional Round to the Tennessee Titans. Dilger had two receptions for 12 yards in the 16–19 loss.

On February 10, 2000, Dilger re-signed with the Colts on a five-year, $15 million contract that included a $4.5 million signing bonus. The Colts planned to use the franchise tag on Dilger had he not signed a new contract. Dilger expressed excitement in the new contract, stating that he was looking forward to ending his career with the Colts. Dilger had become an important part of the Colts diverse offensive attack, whether it was through blocking, pass-catching, or lining up in the backfield as an H-back.

Dilger remained consistent in the 2000 season. In a week-two loss to the Oakland Raiders, Dilger recorded eight receptions for 96 yards. The following week, he had five receptions for 38 yards and one touchdown in a 43–14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In week six, Dilger had six catches for 93 yards and one touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks. He finished the 2000 regular season with a career-high 47 receptions, 538 yards, and three touchdowns. The Colts made the 2000-01 NFL playoffs, losing in overtime to the Miami Dolphins. Dilger recorded three catches for 16 yards in the loss 17–23 loss.

Dilger's 2001 season was less productive statistically than prior years. He started the season slow, averaging only 25 receiving yards in the first six games. In weeks seven and eight Dilger did not have a reception. His lone touchdown reception came in a win against the Atlanta Falcons in week 14 when Dilger leapt over two defenders on the way to the end zone. The following week, Dilger threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison after receiving a backfield throw from Manning. The Colts finished the year at 6–10, and Dilger had 32 catches for 343 yards and one touchdown. Dilger played through a knee injury throughout the year, and planned to have surgery after the regular season. However, Dilger was named to the 2001 Pro Bowl as an alternate due to other players' injuries and delayed his surgery until after the game.

In January 2002, Dilger was included in the Colts list of players available in the 2002 NFL expansion draft for the newly created Houston Texans. Dilger was not selected by the Texans. The Colts subsequently released Dilger on February 21, 2002, along with cornerback Jeff Burris, safety Chad Cota, and defensive tackle Mike Wells to clear salary cap space.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002–2004) After declining offers from the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears, Dilger signed a three-year, $3.34 million contract, including an $800,000 signing bonus, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 17, 2002.

Dilger provided a veteran presence for newly hired head coach Jon Gruden, who brought in Dilger both for his pass-catching ability but also to bolster the Buccaneers' run-blocking. Despite battling injuries throughout the year, Dilger appeared in all 16 games, with 34 receptions for 329 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The Buccaneers went 12-4 and won the newly-formed NFC South division. Dilger and the Bucs beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round of the 2002-03 NFL playoffs, where Dilger recorded three catches for 35 yards. In the 2002 NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Dilger had three receptions for 41 yards as the Bucs won 27–10. Dilger then had one catch for 12 yards in Super Bowl XXXVII, where Tampa Bay defeated the Oakland Raiders 48–21.

In 2003, Dilger and the Buccaneers looked to build on their success of the previous year. In week five, Dilger made his first return to Indianapolis since being released by the Colts. Dilger and the Buccaneers lost 35–38 in overtime in a game where the Bucs were leading 35–14 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Dilger had six receptions for 63 yards in the game. Dilger was involved with a strange play when he was the target of a Brad Johnson throw in the first quarter that was intercepted by Colts safety Mike Doss. Doss then fumbled the ball while being tackled by Buccaneers' center John Wade. The fumble was recovered by Buccaneers' wide receiver Keenan McCardell and returned for a 57-yard touchdown. Dilger suffered several injury setbacks throughout the year and finished with 22 catches for 244 yards and one touchdown.

The Buccaneers started 0–4 in the 2004 season and Dilger saw limited offensive production during that span. In the team's first win against the New Orleans Saints, Dilger had three catches for 60 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brian Griese. Dilger had five games of at least four receptions on the year as he saw more action as a pass-catcher. Despite the Buccaneers finishing the year at 5–11, Dilger had 39 receptions for 345 yards and three touchdowns.

Dilger finished his career with regular season totals of 356 receptions, 4,099 receiving yards (11.5 average per reception), and 24 touchdowns.

Career statistics NFL Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg TD 1995 IND 16 13 42 635 15.1 4 1996 IND 16 16 42 503 12.0 4 1997 IND 14 14 27 380 14.1 3 1998 IND 16 16 31 303 9.8 1 1999 IND 15 15 40 479 12.0 2 2000 IND 16 16 47 538 11.4 3 2001 IND 16 16 32 343 10.7 12002 TB 16 15 34 329 9.7 2 2003 TB 15 15 22 244 11.1 1 2004 TB 16 14 39 345 8.8 3 Career 156 150 356 4,099 11.5 24

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg TD 1995 IND 3 3 3 39 13.0 1 1996 IND 1 1 1 4 4.0 0 1999 IND 1 1 2 12 6.0 0 2000 IND 1 1 3 16 5.3 0 2002 TB 3 3 7 88 12.6 0 Career 9 9 16 159 9.9 1

College Season Team GP Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD 1991 Illinois 11 18 212 11.8 1 1992 Illinois 6 6 42 7.0 0 1993 Illinois 11 17 212 12.5 2 1994 Illinois 11 48 607 12.6 6Career 39 89 1,073 12.1 9

Personal life Dilger graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in marketing.

After retiring as a player, Dilger served as an analyst for Indianapolis television station WISH-TV for 14 years, providing Colts pre-game coverage.

Dilger was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 2022.