Every once in a while you hear about an outstanding college athlete who falls short of expectations in the big leagues. The story gets even sadder when you find out the athlete survived immense adversity to get where he is, only to see him slip during a few bad decisions. That was certainly the case for the third pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Dion Jordan, who had the world under his feet waiting for him to conquer it.
Biography of Dion Jordan
Dion Jordan is the first of three children born to mother Sherrita and father Dion Jordan. He was born on March 5, 1990 in San Francisco, California. He spent most of his childhood in San Francisco’s tough Hunters Point neighborhood before moving to Chandler, Arizona in his early teens. At Chandler, Jordan embraced his athletic abilities, first joining a youth track team before becoming a football star in Chandler High School.
Jordan’s physical attributes meant he was always the tallest in his class. He played both defensive and tight positions, recording 54 pass receptions for 804 yards and 13 touchdowns during his junior year. He also had 13 pass receptions for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns in a season that was cut short due to a serious off-field accident that nearly cost him his life.
The star high school athlete was nearly burned to death trying to siphon gas from an abandoned vehicle with a vacuum cleaner. The cleaner allegedly short-circuited, causing it to explode, leaving Jordan with very serious injuries. Luckily for him, after first responders rushed him to hospital, the young athlete turned out not to have inhaled any life-threatening substances that could have had devastating effects. He only needed a skin graft which kept him out of action for a few months.
Dion Jordan spent some time wrapped in bandages and could only move with a walker. This threatened the likelihood of him continuing to play football in college, but Jordan was able to get healthy enough to attend the University of Oregon on a scholarship. After redesigning the 2008 season, Jordan, who was now mostly playing as a defenseman, made just 2 tackles in 6 games during a poor first season with the Oregon Ducks football team. His fortunes, however, changed in 2010 as he appeared in 13 games and recorded 33 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
For the 2011 season, Jordan became a starter, playing in a career-high 14 college games as he recorded 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. His performances additionally earned him a selection to the All-Pac-12 Conference First Team. The following year, Jordan was again named to the All-Pac-12 First Team selection on the back of 44 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 5 performance sacks that year.
After ending his college career, DionJordan was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2013 NFL Draft as the third overall pick. He then spent 4 years with the Dolphins, which was marred by lengthy suspensions for drug use. Despite the time he needed to pull himself together, Jordan continued to let those who cared for him down. He was eventually released by the team, giving him room to travel to Seattle to start a new chapter with the Seahawks.
Family – Parents
As inferred above, Dion Jordan was named after his father who played almost no role in him and the upbringing of his siblings. Jordan and his two younger siblings; Michael and Sherrelle, instead, were raised by their mother who also had her own demons as she was a drug addict. By the time Jordan was 12, he and his siblings were sent to Chandler, Arizona to live with his mother’s sister, Yative Tiger, where for the first time in his life he experienced serenity in a house.
A few years later, his mother, Sherrita Jordan, got off drugs and moved to Arizona to be with her children. This time around, she bonded with them when Jordan started referring to her as “my dog” and “my angel.” player while Michael was in school and Sherrelle showed prospects of becoming a star hurdler.
Height, weight and measurements
Dion Jordan stands at an impressive height of 6 feet 5 inches or 1.98m and weighs 281 pounds or 127 kg. He further has an arm length of 33 7⁄8 inches or 0.86 m while his hand size measures 10 inches or 0.25 m.