If you find a more badass picture of 20 I would like to see it.

Yesterday former Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins announced his retirement from the NFL after 16 seasons. He played the last three seasons for the Denver Broncos. He was drafted out of Clemson in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft and went on to start 182 out of 183 games for the Eagles. Throughout his tenure here in Philadelphia he was the unquestioned leader of the Eagles defense and most will tell you he was the leader of the entire locker roomas well, more so than quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Although Dawkins has an impressive career resume and will certainly be considered for the Hall of Fame one day, I’m not simply going to list his accomplishments. (Warning: Name drop coming in three…two…one.)

In the summer of 2007 I had the opportunity to meet Brian at the filming of a commercial for Schuylkill Valley Sports which he was a spokesperson for. Propulsion Media Labs was producing the commercial and I was interning with them at the time. And yes, this was the highlight of the internship. The video can be seen here. I actually almost made it into the commercial but didn’t make the final cut. Not that I’m bitter or anything. Anyway…

Before we left to go on the shoot the boss read us all the riot act, that if we didn’t behave professionally and if we did something crazy like ask him for an autograph that we would be fired on the spot. It was a bit over the top. But he did also explain that Brian was having some health problems with his twin daughters that were recently born and that we should be sensitive to the situation. Of course we all understood that.

To make a long story short, even with the problems going on with his family and even though he would have rather been doing a million other things, Brian Dawkins was as nice as could be to everyone on the shoot and he brought that same energy and motivation to that commercial as he did to the football field. Despite being out of his element he made everyone else feel comfortable and excited about what they were doing in that moment. It was the same thing Eagles fans grew accustomed to seeing every Sunday in the fall for 13 years. He lead by example and inspired others, on and off a football field.

It was reassuring to me to know that the man that would induce goosebumps with his pregame speeches was not just putting on a show, even though most times it seemed like he was because he would go so crazy before a game. Even on a random weekday at a local mall he was still able to make everyone around him feel that excitement and that energy that he brings. He was the consummate professional and it made me appreciate even more what he did for the Eagles because not only did he play the game the right way and give everything he had to it, but he lived like that in his daily life.

Brian Dawkins is a Hall of Fame player in my eyes and an even better person. Although it is sad to see him hang up the cleats I think he has made the right decision for him and his family. Every Eagles fan should be thankful for what he meant to this team, especially the leadership he provided which was clearly something the Eagles lacked this past year and never really were able to replace when he left. So “Weapon X” thank you for giving your heart and soul to this team and for being the player and role model that you were. Philly will NEVER forget you.