Sean Dawkins

Sean Russell Dawkins (February 3, 1971 – August 9, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, earning consensus All-American honors. A first-round draft pick in the 1993 NFL draft, he played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.

Early life Sean Russell Dawkins was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, but raised in Sunnyvale, California. He distinguished himself as a wide receiver at Homestead High School in Cupertino, California.

College career Dawkins earned an athletic scholarship to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the California Golden Bears.

Dawkins was selected in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts as the 16th overall pick and the second wide receiver chosen. In his third season with the Colts, Indianapolis won two playoff games before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game. He played in two more playoff games in his career, but both were losses.

After one season in New Orleans, Dawkins signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 1999. He enjoyed his finest personal year in 1999 with 58 receptions for 992 yards. After two campaigns with Seattle, Dawkins spent his final year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. His career was clearly on the decline by that point, as he made only 20 catches with the Jaguars that season. Before the 2002 season, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings but was among the final cuts and never played in the NFL again.

Life after football Dawkins pursued a career in real estate in Sacramento, California, and later trained to become a police officer in San Jose, California.

Dawkins died on August 9, 2023, at the age of 52.

NFL career statistics Year Team GP Rec Yards Avg Lng TD FD Fum Lost 1993 IND 16 26 430 16.5 68 1 21 0 0 1994 IND 16 51 742 14.5 49 5 35 1 1 1995 IND 16 52 784 15.1 52 3 37 1 0 1996 IND 15 54 751 13.9 42 1 39 1 1 1997 IND 14 68 804 11.8 51 2 39 0 0 1998 NO 15 53 823 15.5 64 1 40 2 2 1999 SEA 16 58 992 17.1 45 7 51 1 1 2000 SEA 16 63 731 11.6 40 5 42 0 0 2001 JAX 16 20 234 11.7 28 0 11 1 0 Career 140 445 6,291 14.1 68 25 315 7 5