Remember the name Tim Dwight? Or Timothy Deutch Dwight, Jr. originally taken by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
Dwight, who has the sweetest nickname ever “white lightning,” is perhaps best known for his 94-yard kickoff return TD for Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII. He has also played for the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Oakland Raiders in his career.
A highly endangered species these days (by that I mean a white return specialist) Dwight finished his college career with Big Ten records for punt return yardage (1,102) and punts returned for touchdowns (5);
He’ll forever be an Iowa Hawkeyes legend.
His yardage mark has since been eclipsed by three others and Ohio State’s Ted Ginn Jr. has surpassed his touchdown mark. He held the record for career receiving yards (2,271) until 2010 when marijuana enthusiast Derrell Johnson-Koulianos became the all time leader in receiving yards.
Dwight has been named honorary captain for Saturday’s game against Michigan. The Hawkeyes face the Wolverines in a nationally televised game at Kinnick Stadium.
Dwight was a first-team all-American as a kick returner in both 1996 and 1997. He was a consensus All-American and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1997. He was a 1997 first team all-Big Ten selection and was a co-MVP of the Hawkeyes his final two years as a wide receiver/kick return specialist. He was also traded from Atlanta to San Diego as part of the deal that allowed the Falcons to draft Michael Vick.
Dwight is still a dominant figure in the Iowa records book. Three of Iowa’s top seven punt returns for touchdowns belong to Dwight. He returned five punts for TD’s during his career. His career punt return yardage of 1,102 is the best ever in the Big Ten.
Three times he was Iowa’s leading receiver (1995-96-97). He’s still third on Iowa’s all-purpose yardage charts (322 rushing, 2,271 receiving, 1,102 punt returns, 1,195 kickoff returns). He is ninth in Iowa scoring with 192 points. His 21 career touchdown receptions were an Iowa record until it was broken this year by Marvin McNutt, Jr.
Dwight will accompany the Iowa captains to the center of the field for the pre-game coin flip. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room, before and after the game, and on the sidelines during the contest.
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.
Today he owns his own yoga studio
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, a Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports.
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; he’s also a member of the FWAA, USBWA and SPJ. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.