View source for Tim Dwight

{{Short description|American football player (born 1975)}}
{{other people||Timothy Dwight (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Tim Dwight
| image       = Atlanta Falcons receiver Tim Dwight (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Dwight in a [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III]] at [[MacDill Air Force Base]] in 2001
| image_size  =
| alt         = 
| number      = 17, 83, 85, 86, 87
| position    = [[Wide receiver]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1975|7|13|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Iowa City, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| height_ft   = 5
| height_in   = 8
| weight_lbs  = 180
| high_school = [[Iowa City High School|Iowa City]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Layden|first=Tim|title=Spring Fling|url=http://www.cnnsi.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015971/index.htm|publisher=[[Sports Illustrated]]|access-date=April 21, 2014|date=May 24, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421050923/http://www.cnnsi.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1015971/index.htm|archive-date=April 21, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| college     = [[Iowa Hawkeyes football|Iowa]]
| draftyear   = 1998
| draftround  = 4
| draftpick   = 114
| pastteams   =
* [[Atlanta Falcons]] ({{NFL Year|1998}}&ndash;{{NFL Year|2000}})
* [[San Diego Chargers]] ({{NFL Year|2001}}&ndash;{{NFL Year|2004}})
* [[New England Patriots]] ({{NFL Year|2005}})
* [[New York Jets]] ({{NFL Year|2006}})
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ({{NFL Year|2007}})
| highlights  =
* [[PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[PFWA All-Rookie Team#1998|1998]])
* Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1997 College Football All-America Team|1997]])
* First-team All-American ([[1996 College Football All-America Team|1996]])
* First-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1997 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1997]])
* Second-team All-Big Ten ([[1996 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1996]])
| statlabel1  = [[Reception (American football)|Receptions]]
| statvalue1  = 194
| statlabel2  = [[Receiving yards]]
| statvalue2  = 2,964
| statlabel3  = [[Carry (American football)|Rushing attempts]]
| statvalue3  = 53
| statlabel4  = [[Rushing yards]]
| statvalue4  = 380
| statlabel5  = [[Return yards]]
| statvalue5  = 6,526
| statlabel6  = [[Touchdown|Total touchdowns]]
| statvalue6  = 27
| pfr         = DwigTi00 
}}

'''Timothy John Dwight Jr.''' (born July 13, 1975) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[wide receiver]] and [[return specialist]] for 10 seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL).  He played [[college football]] for the [[Iowa Hawkeyes football|Iowa Hawkeyes]], and was a two-time [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]].  He was selected by the [[Atlanta Falcons]] in the fourth round of the [[1998 NFL draft]], and he played professionally for the Falcons, [[San Diego Chargers]], [[New England Patriots]], [[New York Jets]] and [[Oakland Raiders]] of the NFL.

Dwight is remembered for his 94-yard touchdown return on a kickoff in [[Super Bowl XXXIII]] against the [[Denver Broncos]].

==College career==
Dwight attended the University of Iowa, where he played for the [[Iowa Hawkeyes football]] team.  He finished his college career with [[Big Ten Conference]] records for punt return yardage (1,102) and punts returned for [[touchdown]]s (5); his yardage mark has since been eclipsed by three others and [[Ted Ginn Jr.]] surpassed his return touchdown mark.  Dwight held the Hawkeyes team record for career receiving touchdowns (21) until 2011, when his mark was surpassed by [[Marvin McNutt]].  He held the team record for career receiving yards (2,271) until 2010 when [[Derrell Johnson-Koulianos]] became the all-time leader in receiving yards. In 1997, Dwight was a [[1997 College Football All-America Team|consensus first-team All-American]] and finished seventh in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy.

On December 12, 2014, the [[Big Ten Network]] included Dwight on "The Mount Rushmore of [[University of Iowa football|Iowa Football]]", as chosen by online fan voting. Dwight was joined in the honor by [[Nile Kinnick]], [[Chuck Long]] and [[Alex Karras]].

On November 24, 2015, an annual award from the [[Big Ten Conference]] was created in honor of Dwight and [[Johnny Rodgers]] called the [[Big Ten Conference football individual awards#Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year|Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ketv.com/article/big-ten-creates-rodgers-dwight-return-specialist-of-the-year-award/7656430 |title = Big Ten creates Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year Award| date=November 24, 2015 }}</ref>

===Track and field===
Dwight also competed in [[track and field|track]] events, with personal bests of 10.31 seconds in the 100 meters and 20.98 seconds in the 200 meters; in 1999, he was Big Ten Champion in the [[100-meter dash]], and he also was a member of the Big Ten champion [[4 x 400 metres relay|4x400-meter relay]] and [[4 x 100 metres relay|4x100-meter relay]] teams in 1999, and the Big Ten champion 4x100-meter relay team in 1998.

====Personal bests====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Event
!Time (seconds)
!Venue
!Date
|-
|[[60 meters]]
|6.87
|Cedar Falls, Iowa
|February 27, 2000
|-
|[[100 meters]]
|10.31
|West Lafayette, Indiana
|May 22, 1999
|-
|[[200 meters]]
|20.98
|West Lafayette, Indiana
|May 22, 1999
|}

==Professional career==

===Atlanta Falcons===
Dwight was drafted in the fourth round (114th overall) of the [[1998 NFL draft]] by the [[Atlanta Falcons]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1998 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1998/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> In [[Super Bowl XXXIII]], he returned five kickoffs, including one for 94 yards and a touchdown. He is second all-time in [[Super Bowl]] kick return yardage for a single game (210), and his 42.0 yards per return in the game was a Super Bowl career record. Dwight is also known as "The Man".

===San Diego Chargers===
After three seasons with Atlanta, Dwight was traded on April 20, 2001, to the [[San Diego Chargers]] as part of the deal that enabled the Falcons to select quarterback [[Michael Vick]] with the 2001 draft's top selection (which the Chargers originally held pursuant to their 1–15 record in 2000).

===New England Patriots===
Dwight became a free agent following the 2004 season, and on March 11, 2005, he signed with the [[New England Patriots]]. As a New England Patriot, Dwight caught 19 passes for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns and also gained 523 yards returning punts and kickoffs.

===New York Jets===
After the [[2005 NFL season]], Dwight signed a four-year contract to play for the [[New York Jets]], and was expected to play as the fourth wide receiver and perform return duties.

For the 2006 season, Dwight played in nine games totaling 16 receptions for 112 yards, before being placed on IR in early December. He also had 146 punt return yards.

===Oakland Raiders===
Dwight signed a one-year contract with the [[Oakland Raiders]] in October 2007. He returned one kickoff, and totaled 98 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver. He became a free agent after that season but did not play in the NFL in 2008.

===Accomplishments and reputation===
Despite being only 5'8" tall and weighing 185 pounds, Dwight was a prolific punt and kick returner during his career. He was labeled "injury-prone" because he rarely played a season without missing a significant number of games. The 2005 season was the only season in which Dwight appeared in all 16 of his team's games. Dwight's most productive seasons as a wide receiver have been [[1999 NFL season|1999]], when he caught 32 passes for 669 yards (a 20.9-yard average per catch) with seven touchdowns, and [[2002 NFL season|2002]], when he caught 50 passes for 623 yards. He also scored five return touchdowns in the NFL, three on punts and two on kickoffs.

Dwight has a number of interests outside football. He founded the Tim Dwight Foundation to help needy kids with scholarships and provide assistance to the Children's Hospital of Iowa. He also owns his own yoga studio in Iowa.

In 2007, ''The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette'' sports staff voted Dwight the all-time greatest athlete from that newspaper's circulation area, topping other notables like NFL quarterback [[Kurt Warner]] and 2007 Masters champion [[Zach Johnson]].

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" |Year
! rowspan="2" |Team
! colspan="2" |Games
! colspan="5" |Receiving
! colspan="5" |Rushing
! colspan="5" |Punt returns
! colspan="5" |Kickoff returns
|-
! GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Ret !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Ret !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD
|-
! [[1998 NFL season|1998]] !! [[1998 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 12 || 0 || 4 || 94 || '''23.5''' || 44 || 1 || 8 || 19 || 2.4 || 7 || 0 || 31 || 263 || 8.5 || 23 || 0 || 36 || 973 || 27.0 || '''93''' || '''1'''
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] !! [[1999 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 12 || 8 || 32 || '''669''' || style="background:#cfecec; width:2em;"|20.9 || 60 || '''7''' || 5 || 28 || 5.6 || 9 || '''1''' || 20 || 220 || 11.0 || 70 || '''1''' || 44 || 944 || 21.5 || 40 || 0
|-
! [[2000 NFL season|2000]] !! [[2000 Atlanta Falcons season|ATL]]
| 14 || 1 || 26 || 406 || 15.6 || 52 || 3 || 5 || 8 || 1.6 || 5 || 0 || '''33''' || '''309''' || 9.4 || 70 || '''1''' || 32 || 680 || 21.3 || 48 || 0
|-
! [[2001 NFL season|2001]] !! [[2001 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| 10 || 2 || 25 || 406 || 16.2 || '''78''' || 0 || 2 || 24 || 12.0 || 16 || '''1''' || 24 || 271 || 11.3 || '''84''' || '''1''' || — || — || — || — || 0
|-
! [[2002 NFL season|2002]] !! [[2002 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| '''16''' || '''14''' || '''50''' || 623 || 12.5 || 42 || 2 || '''12''' || '''108''' || 9.0 || 20 || '''1''' || 19 || 231 || '''12.2''' || 37 || 0 || 8 || 166 || 20.8 || 26 || 0
|-
! [[2003 NFL season|2003]] !! [[2003 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| 9 || 3 || 14 || 193 || 13.8 || 32 || 0 || 9 || 88 || 9.8 || 20 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0.0 || 2 || 0 || 22 || 488 || 22.2 || 32 || 0
|-
! [[2004 NFL season|2004]] !! [[2004 San Diego Chargers season|SD]]
| 12 || 0 || 2 || 31 || 15.5 || 23 || 1 || 4 || 54 || 13.5 || '''48''' || 0 || 1 || 6 || 6.0 || 6 || 0 || '''50''' || '''1,222''' || 24.4 || 87 || '''1'''
|-
! [[2005 NFL season|2005]] !! [[2005 New England Patriots season|NE]]
| '''16''' || 1 || 19 || 332 || 17.5 || 59 || 3 || 4 || 11 || 2.8 || 12 || 0 || 32 || 273 || 8.5 || 29 || 0 || 10 || 250 || 25.0 || 38 || 0
|-
! [[2006 NFL season|2006]] !! [[2006 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 9 || 2 || 16 || 112 || 7.0 || 15 || 0 || 2 || 28 || '''14.0''' || 28 || 0 || 14 || 146 || 10.4 || 18 || 0 || — || — || — || — || 0
|-
! [[2007 NFL season|2007]] !! [[2007 Oakland Raiders season|OAK]]
| 6 || 1 || 6 || 98 || 16.3 || 28 || 2 || 2 || 12 || 6.0 || 10 || 0 || 9 || 54 || 6.0 || 16 || 0 || 1 || 30 || '''30.0''' || 30 || 0
|-
! colspan="2" |[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DwigTi00.htm Career] !! 116 !! 32 !! 194 !! 2,964 !! 15.3 !! 78 !! 19 !! 53 !! 380 !! 7.2 !! 48 !! 3 !! 185 !! 1,773 !! 9.6 !! 84 !! 3 !! 203 !! 4,753 !! 23.4 !! 93 !! 2
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://hof.hawkeyesports.com/inductees/timothy-john-dwight/ University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame profile]
* {{Footballstats |nfl=tim-dwight |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=D/DwigTi00 |rotoworld= }}

{{1997 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{Atlanta Falcons 1998 draft navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwight, Tim}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football return specialists]]
[[Category:American football wide receivers]]
[[Category:Atlanta Falcons players]]
[[Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football players]]
[[Category:New England Patriots players]]
[[Category:New York Jets players]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders players]]
[[Category:San Diego Chargers players]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:Iowa City High School alumni]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Iowa City, Iowa]]
[[Category:American male sprinters]]
[[Category:Iowa Hawkeyes men's track and field athletes]]