Derek Dimke (born April 16, 1990)[1] is a former American football placekicker. Dimke played college football at the University of Illinois, where he broke several school records. He was signed by the Detroit Lions in 2012.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | April 16, 1990 Rockford, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Boylan Catholic (Rockford, Illinois) |
| College: | Illinois |
| Position: | Placekicker |
| Undrafted: | 2012 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Early years edit
Dimke was born in Rockford, Illinois to Tim, a director within the Rockford Park District, and Debra, a school administrator.[2]
Dimke attended Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois.[1] He was selected second-team All-State by the Chicago Tribune[3] and was also a special mention All-State selection by the Champaign News-Gazette.[1] He set an Illinois high school record when he kicked a 54-yard field goal during the playoffs his senior year.[4]
College career edit
Dimke was a four-year letterman at the University of Illinois. During his college career, he made 39 of 46 field goals for a field goal percentage of 84.7%. He also went 89 for 89 on extra point attempts, for a combined field goal and extra point percentage of 94.8%. He is the most accurate kicker in Fighting Illini history. He holds several other school records including most points scored in a season by a kicker, most field goals in a season, most field goals in a bowl game, most consecutive PATs made, and most touchbacks in a single game.[5] Dimke ranks 6th on the Fighting Illini football career scoring list, and 2nd on the single season scoring list. In his junior season, he was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award.[6] He led the Big Ten in both field goals per game and touchbacks. He was selected to Phil Steele's first-team All-Big Ten team following the conclusion of his Junior season.[7] He was selected to the Second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches.[8] He also was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection by the media.[1]
Dimke named to the ESPN All-Big Ten Bowl Team for his performance in the 2010 Texas Bowl. In his senior season, he was selected to the Lou Groza Award Preseason Watch List.[9][10] Dimke led the Fighting Illini in scoring during the 2011 season. During his senior year, he also was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection by coaches & media.[11] He was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2009, 2010, and 2011.[1] He was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week three times (11/30/09), (10/11/10), and (9/26/11) while at Illinois.[1] Following his senior season, he was invited to the NFL Combine.
Professional career edit
Detroit Lions edit
On April 30, 2012, Dimke signed with the Detroit Lions.[12] He went 2 for 2 on field goals during the preseason while battling Jason Hanson for the starting role.[13] On August 27, 2012, he was released.[14]
New York Jets edit
Dimke signed with the New York Jets on April 11, 2013.[15] He was released on May 12, 2013.[16]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit
Dimke was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on June 4, 2013. During his time there he went 6 for 7 on field goals while battling Lawrence Tynes and Rian Lindell for the starting role.[17] He was later cut on August 31, 2013.[18]
New Orleans Saints edit
Dimke was signed by the New Orleans Saints to a futures contract on January 2, 2014.[19] Dimke went 4 for 4 with a long of 49 yards. Dimke along with kicker Shayne Graham were released as part of the final roster cuts on August 30, 2014.[20]
Jacksonville Jaguars edit
On January 5, 2015, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Dimke to a reserve/future contract.[21]
He was released on May 11, 2015.[22]
Personal life edit
Dimke graduated with a degree in finance in 2012.
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Illinois Fighting Illini Profile". fightingillini.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
- ^ Supinie, John (August 27, 2010). "Hard work paying off for Illinois kicker Derek Dimke". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
- ^ "Chicago Tribune Names Derek Dimke to All-State 2nd Team". wifr.com. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
- ^ "Bears overcome 54-yard FG, upset Titans - Chicago Tribune". articles.chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014.
- ^ "FIGHTINGILLINI.COM - Derek Dimke Profile". Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- ^ "Big Ten Announces 2010 Football All-Conference Teams and Individual Honors". bigten.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010.
- ^ "Seven Illini Named to Phil Steele's All-Big Ten Teams". fightingillini.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
- ^ "Dimke Makes All-Big Ten Team". mystateline.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ "Lou Groza Award preseason watch list". sportingnews.com. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Ex-Boylan standout Derek Dimke on Lou Groza Award list". rrstar.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ "Ex-Boylan standout Derek Dimke on Lou Groza Award list". bigten.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ "Detroit Lions sign seven more undrafted free agents, including Wayne State's Troy Burrell". mlive.com. April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
- ^ http://www.wrex.com/story/19388010/lions-cut-dimke
- ^ "Hanson will be Lions kicker in 2012 with expected release of Derek Dimke". detroitlions.com. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ Orr, Conor (April 11, 2013). "Jets sign free agent K Derek Dimke". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ Jets Staff (May 12, 2013). "4 Tryouts Signed, 3 Undrafted FAs Released". New York Jets. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ^ "Bucs' Derek Dimke took advantage of opportunity in opener". August 9, 2013.
- ^ "Bucs Add Kicker Dimke, Waive TE Landi". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. June 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints preach balance against Philadelphia Eagles: notebook". The Times-Picayune. January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ^ New Orleans Saints trim roster to 53-player limit Archived June 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine www.neworleanssaints.com, Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- ^ Jaguars make roster moves, sign three players to reserve/future contracts[permanent dead link] www.firstcoastnews.com, Retrieved January 7, 2015
- ^ "Jaguars make roster moves". Jacksonville Jaguars. May 11, 2015. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2015.