View source for Dat Nguyen

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1975)}}
{{for|the boxer|Dat Nguyen (boxer)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name         = Dat Nguyen
| image        = <!-- Only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people -- see [[WP:NONFREE]]. -->
| image_size   =
| alt          = 
| caption      = 
| number       = 59
| position     = [[Linebacker]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1975|9|25|mf=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Fort Chaffee, Arkansas]], U.S.
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| height_ft    = 5
| height_in    = 11
| weight_lbs   = 238
| high_school  = [[Rockport-Fulton High School|Rockport-Fulton]] {{nowrap|([[Rockport, Texas]])}}
| college      = [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M]]
| draftyear    = 1999
| draftround   = 3
| draftpick    = 85
| pastteams    =
* [[Dallas Cowboys]] ({{NFL Year|1999}}&ndash;{{NFL Year|2005}})
| pastcoaching =
* Dallas Cowboys ({{NFL Year|2007}}&ndash;{{NFL Year|2009}})<br>Assistant linebackers/quality control coach
* [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M]] (2010&ndash;2011)<br>Inside linebackers coach
| highlights   =
* Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[2003 All-Pro Team|2003]])
* All-Rookie Team ({{NFL Year|1999}})
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1998 College Football All-America Team|1998]])
* [[Chuck Bednarik Award]] (1998)
* [[Lombardi Award]] (1998)
* [[Lambert Award|Jack Lambert Trophy]] (1998)
* [[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]] Defensive Player of the Year (1998)
* 2× First-team All-Big 12 ([[1997 All-Big 12 Conference football team|1997]], [[1998 All-Big 12 Conference football team|1998]])
* Second-team All-Big 12 ([[1996 All-Big 12 Conference football team|1996]])
* Second-team All-[[Southwest Conference|SWC]] ([[1995 All-Southwest Conference football team|1995]])
* Texas A&M Athletic Hall Of Fame (2004)
* Big 12 10th Anniversary Team (2005)
* Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame (2007)
* AP All-Time Big 12 Team (2010)
* Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2014)
| statlabel1   = Games played
| statvalue1   = 90
| statlabel2   = [[Tackle (football move)|Total tackles]]
| statvalue2   = 515
| statlabel3   = [[Quarterback sack|Sacks]]
| statvalue3   = 6.0
| statlabel4   = [[Fumble|Forced fumbles]]
| statvalue4   = 4
| statlabel5   = [[Fumble|Fumble recoveries]]
| statvalue5   = 6
| statlabel6   = [[Interceptions]]
| statvalue6   = 7
| pfr          = NguyDa20
| CollegeHOF   = 2414 
}}
'''Dat Tan Nguyen''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|d|æ|t|_|ˈ|w|ɪ|n}}; {{langx|vi|Nguyễn Tấn Đạt}}, {{IPA|vi|ŋʷjə̌ˀn tə̌n ɗàːt|pron}}; born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[linebacker]] for seven seasons with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Texas A&M Aggies]], earning [[unanimous All-American]] honors.  He is the first [[Vietnamese-American]] to be drafted, play, and be recognized as an [[All-Pro]] in the NFL.

In 2017, Nguyen was elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].

==Early life==
Nguyen's family left [[South Vietnam]] during the [[fall of Saigon]] at the end of the [[Vietnam War]], and he was born in a refugee center at [[Fort Chaffee]] in [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]].  He lived most of his childhood in the [[Gulf Coast]] town of [[Rockport, Texas]]. At [[Rockport-Fulton High School]], Nguyen played [[middle linebacker]] and handled [[punt (gridiron football)|punting]] duties. Nguyen earned All-State honors as a [[Punter (American football)|punter]]. Nguyen was recruited and received scholarship offers from Michigan, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, and Florida. Nguyen eventually decided to play closer to home and chose Texas A&M University.

==College career==
Nguyen attended [[Texas A&M University]], where he played for the [[Texas A&M Aggies football|Aggies]] from 1995 to 1998.  He battled the perception that he was too small to play [[linebacker]] for as long as he was involved in the game, despite his muscular 5'11", 238-pound frame. Proving critics wrong at an early stage, he finished his college career as the Aggies' career record holder with 51 consecutive starts, 517 career tackles, and a 10.7 tackles-per-game average. His 517 career tackles are a Texas A&M record. He is the only Aggie to ever lead the school in tackles for four consecutive years. It is widely acknowledged that Nguyen was the undisputed on-field leader of the famous "Wrecking Crew" defense, as well as being its most famous and decorated player.

In 1995, he was named Southwest Conference Defensive Newcomer of the Year. From 1996 to 1998, he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors three consecutive times. In 1997, he was named Aggies MVP. In 1998, he was named a [[unanimous All-American]] by every awarding publication, won the [[Bednarik Award]] for College Defensive Player of the Year, and the [[Lombardi Award]] for Outstanding College Lineman. Nguyen was also selected as a finalist for the [[Butkus Award]], eventually becoming first runner-up. Nguyen missed winning the Butkus Award by a single vote out of more than 45 votes cast. It remains to date the closest vote in Butkus Award history. He was named Defensive Player of the Game for the 1998 Cotton Bowl after recording a bowl-record 12 tackles, including three tackles for a loss, and an interception, which he lateraled to a teammate for a touchdown. The ''[[Dallas Morning News]]'' named him Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year in 1998, and he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Big 12 Conference. He also won the Jack Lambert Award in 1998. That same year, Texas A&M won the Big 12 championship game against Kansas State which is to date their last conference title. In 2005, he was named to the Big 12 Conference's 10th Anniversary Team. In 2010, he was voted on to the AP All-Time Big 12 Team tying with former University of Texas player Derrick Johnson for most votes at linebacker (19 out of 20.) Nguyen is generally acknowledged as the best defensive player in Texas A&M football history and one of the greatest defensive players of all time in the history of the Big 12 Conference. In 2004, Nguyen was inducted in the Texas A&M Athletics Hall Of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aggielettermen.org/dat-nguyen-98-football/ |title=Dat Nguyen '98, Football |access-date=August 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140806084256/https://www.aggielettermen.org/dat-nguyen-98-football/ |archive-date=August 6, 2014}}</ref> In April 2007, Nguyen was also inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Hall Of Fame.

On January 9, 2017, the [[National Football Foundation]] announced Nguyen was elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collegefootball.org/tabid/567/Article/55799/NFF-Announces-Star-Studded-2017-College-Football-Hall-of-Fame-Class.aspx |title=NFF Announces Star-Studded 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class > National Football Foundation > NewsDetail |publisher=Collegefootball.org |date=January 9, 2017 |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=July 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702233141/http://www.collegefootball.org/tabid/567/Article/55799/NFF-Announces-Star-Studded-2017-College-Football-Hall-of-Fame-Class.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> an impressive class that included [[Peyton Manning]], [[Adrian N. Peterson]], [[Marshall Faulk]], [[Steve Spurrier]], and [[Brian Urlacher]].

==Professional career==

===Dallas Cowboys===
The [[Dallas Cowboys]] drafted Nguyen in the third round (85th overall) of the [[1999 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1999 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1999/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref>

Nguyen made an impact with the Cowboys from the beginning, leading the team in [[special teams]] tackles (18) as a rookie and becoming the Cowboys' starting [[middle linebacker]] in his second season, after [[Randall Godfrey]] left via [[free agency (sports)|free agency]].

In [[2000 NFL season|2000]], he played 10 games (five starts) and registered 64 tackles, after missing six contests with a sprained knee and losing his starting job to [[Barron Wortham]]. The next year, he completed his first full season as a starter and finished with a team-leading 172 tackles.

In [[2002 NFL season|2002]], while playing against the [[Houston Texans]] in the season opener, he suffered a broken wrist that forced him to miss the next eight games. Despite the serious injury, he finished the Texans game with a team-high 11 tackles (one for a loss) and one sack.

When head coach [[Bill Parcells]] arrived in [[2003 NFL season|2003]], he was critical of the linebackers in the Cowboys roster, joking publicly: "If this were the circus, we could fit them all into one of those Volkswagens that 10 clowns climb out of." The next season, he would pay Nguyen a compliment when he said: "He's a football playing dude, that guy. ... You bet he could have played for any of my teams".

In [[2003 NFL season|2003]], with Nguyen leading the team in tackles, the Cowboys were the second-most effective defense in the NFL and he was selected second-team All-Pro by the [[Associated Press]]. In [[2004 NFL season|2004]], Parcells implemented his preferred [[3–4 defense]] and Nguyen repeated as the team's leading tackler, but the additional hits he received in this scheme started to affect his health.

In [[2005 NFL season|2005]], he started the first four games before suffering a neck injury that sidelined him for three games. He returned as a nickel linebacker and played in four more games, before being placed on the [[injured reserve list]] on November 28, after the Thanksgiving Day overtime loss against the [[Denver Broncos]]. He finished the season with 31 tackles and one sack in eight appearances.

Nguyen officially retired from the NFL on March 3, 2006, after a neck injury and knee problems, which hindered his performance, failed to improve. He led the team in tackles three times, in 2001, 2003, and 2004, and amassed 516 tackles in seven seasons, despite missing half of two separate seasons to injury.<ref>{{cite web |author=Pasquarelli, Len |title=Injuries likely to force Nguyen to retire |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2307171 |work=ESPN.com |date=January 26, 2006 |access-date=January 16, 2010}}</ref> As of November 2010, Dat Nguyen currently ranks 10th all-time in Cowboys recorded history for career total tackles. For his NFL career, he was named to the 2013 class of Texas Gridiron Legends.<ref>{{cite web|last=McClain |first=John |url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2013/08/texans-to-honor-2013-class-of-gridiron-legends/ |title=Texans to honor 2013 class of Gridiron Legends - Ultimate Texans |publisher=Blog.chron.com |date=August 12, 2013 |access-date=August 26, 2017}}</ref>

==Coaching career==

===Dallas Cowboys===
In February 2007, Cowboys head coach [[Wade Phillips]] announced the hiring of Nguyen as assistant linebackers coach and defensive quality control coach. Along with Phillips' son Wes, Nguyen was the first assistant hired under Phillips.<ref>{{cite web|author=Eatman, Nick |title=Dat Nguyen, Wes Phillips Added To Coaching Staff |url=http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=BE7C527A-BE80-1C4B-EC3DC15724C84661 |publisher=DallasCowboys.com |date=February 13, 2007 |access-date=January 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307131239/http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=BE7C527A-BE80-1C4B-EC3DC15724C84661 |archive-date=March 7, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Smith, Michael David |title=Wade Phillips Hires His Son and Dat Nguyen as Assistants |url=http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/02/14/wade-phillips-hires-his-son-and-dat-nguyen-as-assistants/ |publisher=AOL Fanhouse |date=February 14, 2007 |access-date=January 16, 2010 |archive-date=May 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527081132/http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/02/14/wade-phillips-hires-his-son-and-dat-nguyen-as-assistants |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nguyen left the Cowboys on January 27, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |author=Archer, Todd |title=Wade Phillips on Dat Nguyen |url=http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/01/wade-phillips-on-dat-nguyen.html |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=January 27, 2010 |access-date=January 28, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129181238/http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/01/wade-phillips-on-dat-nguyen.html |archive-date=January 29, 2010 }}</ref>

===Texas A&M===
Nguyen was named the inside linebackers coach at Texas A&M University on February 12, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4666574/dat-nguyen-joins-texas-am-coaching-staff |title=Dat Nguyen joins Texas A&M coaching staff - Dallas Cowboys Blog |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=February 14, 2010 |access-date=August 26, 2017}}</ref> In Nguyen's first year as the A&M inside linebackers coach, the Aggies went 9–3 in the regular season with wins over nationally ranked Oklahoma and Nebraska, as well as wins over Texas and Texas Tech. This marked the first time in school history that A&M had beaten all four of those teams in a single season. The resurgence of the Texas A&M defense to its former glory as the "Wrecking Crew" and particularly the outstanding play of the linebacker corps has been cited as a major reason for the team's 2010 season success.

Nguyen helped cement linebacker [[Von Miller]]'s status in Texas A&M history by coaching him in the 2010 season, which led to Miller being awarded the 2010 Butkus Award.

At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Nguyen chose to leave Texas A&M, telling the ''Houston Chronicle''{{'}}s Brent Zwerneman that there was "no chance" of him being retained on [[Kevin Sumlin]]'s staff.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nguyen says 'no chance' he'll be back; Narduzzi in town |author=Brent Zwerneman |date=January 5, 2012 |url=http://blog.mysanantonio.com/aggies/2012/01/nguyen-says-no-chance-hell-be-back-narduzzi-in-town/ |work=San Antonio Express News |access-date=October 24, 2013 |archive-date=August 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806080059/http://blog.mysanantonio.com/aggies/2012/01/nguyen-says-no-chance-hell-be-back-narduzzi-in-town/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==NFL career statistics==
===Regular season===
{| class= "wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2"| Games
! colspan="5"| Tackles
! colspan="5"| Interceptions
! colspan="5"| Fumbles
|-
! GP !! GS !! Cmb !! Solo !! Ast !! Sck !! Sfty !! Int !! Yds !! Lng !! TD !! PD !! FF !! FR !! Yds !! TD
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] !! [[1999 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| '''16'''||0|| 43 || 36 || 7 || 1.0 || 0 || 1 || 6 || 6 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2000 NFL season|2000]] !! [[2000 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
|10||5|| 48 || 42 || 6 || 0.0 || 0 || 2 || '''31''' || '''24''' ||0|| 4 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2001 NFL season|2001]] !! [[2001 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| '''16'''|| '''16'''|| 113 || '''91''' || 22 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 1 ||0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2002 NFL season|2002]] !! [[2002 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
|8||8|| 52 || 42 || 10 || 1.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2003 NFL season|2003]] !! [[2003 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| '''16'''|| '''16''' || '''121''' || 90 || 31 || '''2.0''' || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || '''11''' || '''2''' || '''2''' || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2004 NFL season|2004]] !! [[2004 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| '''16'''|| '''16'''|| 107 || 75 || '''32''' || 1.0 || 0 || '''3''' || 19 || 19 || 0 || 5 || 1 || 1 || '''9''' || 0
|-
! [[2005 NFL season|2005]] !! [[2005 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
|8||4|| 31 || 26 || 5 || 1.0 || 0 || 1 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 3 || 0 || '''2''' || 0 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/N/NguyDa20.htm Career] !! 90 !! 65 !! 515 !! 402 !! 113 !! 6.0 !! 0 !! 7 !! 63 !! 24 !! 0 !! 27 !! 4 !! 6 !! 9 !! 0
|}

==Personal life==
Nguyen married his college sweetheart, Becky, and they have three daughters and twin boys. His family are [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and attend mass at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in [[Boerne, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Levy |first=Abe |url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/religion/article/Refugee-football-player-credits-faith-for-new-4045087.php |title=Refugee, football player credits faith for new life in S.A. - San Antonio Express-News |publisher=Mysanantonio.com |date=November 17, 2012 |access-date=August 26, 2017}}</ref> In May 2004, Nguyen was awarded a Golden Torch Award at the Vietnamese American National Gala in [[Washington, D.C.]] He was also featured in [[HBO]]'s ''[[Hard Knocks (documentary series)|Hard Knocks]]''. 
In 2012, he became cohost with Jasson Minnix of an afternoon sports talk program on [[ESPN]] in [[San Antonio]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espnsa.com/The-Blitz-with-Dat-Nguyen---Jason-Minnix/14738395 |title=KZDC 1250 AM - the Blitz with Dat Nguyen & Jason Minnix |access-date=January 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106031939/http://www.espnsa.com/The-Blitz-with-Dat-Nguyen---Jason-Minnix/14738395 |archive-date=January 6, 2014 }}</ref> In March 2016, Nguyen became an owner/operator of a [[Chick-fil-A]] franchise located at [[Montgomery Plaza]] in [[Fort Worth]], Texas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chick-fil-A West 7th Montgomery Plaza |url=https://whodatchick.com/ |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=Chick-fil-A West 7th Montgomery Plaza |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/05/sports/football-nguyen-has-made-his-own-long-journey-and-the-nfl-is-in-sight.html Nguyen Has Made His Own Long Journey, and the N.F.L. Is in Sight]
* [http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Dat-Guy-Makes-Plays/9F9C4A83C0CD438293589800FD5B6B1C Dat Guy Makes Plays] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051257/http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Dat-Guy-Makes-Plays/9F9C4A83C0CD438293589800FD5B6B1C |date=August 8, 2014 }}
* [https://archive.today/20140806084256/https://www.aggielettermen.org/dat-nguyen-98-football/ Texas A/M hall of Fame bio]
* [https://www.amazon.com/Dat-Tackling-Life-Darren-Woodson/dp/1585444723 Dat: Tackling Life and the NFL]

{{Lombardi Award}}
{{Chuck Bednarik Award}}
{{1998 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Big 12 Conference football Player of the Year navbox}}
{{Cowboys1999DraftPicks}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Dat}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:Catholics from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Catholics from Texas]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys coaches]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys players]]
[[Category:People from Rockport, Texas]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Fort Smith, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Texas]]
[[Category:Texas A&M Aggies football players]]
[[Category:Texas A&M Aggies football coaches]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Vietnamese descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Vietnamese descent]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Arkansas]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Asian American players of American football]]