At the University of Illinois, the college football team’s weight room is named after alumnus David Diehl. It shows what a giving man the former Illini star is. Diehl is very accomplished too, and today adds another accomplishment as he joins Fox Sports for the 2014 football season as an NFL on FOX game analyst. The announcement was made today by FOX Sports Executive Vice President, Production and Executive Producer John Entz.
Diehl (@davediehl66) played his entire 11-year NFL career with the New York Giants where he started on two Super Bowl championship teams (2008 & 2012). The vocal leader in the locker room was selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl. David Diehl announced his retirement in January.
“I’m thrilled for the opportunity to still be involved in the sport that I love so much and that has provided me so much in my life,” said Diehl. “FOX Sports has a tremendous team of talented analysts, and I’m excited to join them and add my knowledge and experiences to the mix.”
Known as “Mr. Versatility” for his willingness to always step in where he was needed, Diehl started in several different offensive line positions including left guard, right guard, right tackle and left tackle. He concluded his career tied with Phil Simms for 12th on the franchise’s all-time list of regular-season games played with 164.
Said Entz: “Our sense is that he’ll devote the same passion and preparation to his new career that he demonstrated in the trenches for 11 years, and he’ll quickly develop to lead the next generation of NFL game analysts.”
Diehl was drafted in the fifth round in 2003 out of the University of Illinois.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on national talk radio. Banks, a former contributor to NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, has been featured in numerous outlets including NFL.com, Forbes and the History Channel. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks