Defensive tackle Adrian Dingle, who spent five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, died Tuesday at 45, Clemson University announced.
Dingle played with the Chargers from 2000 to 2004. His best season got here in 2003, when he made 37 tackles and picked up six sacks while starting all 16 games.
Dingle was chosen by the Chargers within the fifth round of the 1999 NFL draft out of Clemson where he was an All-ACC defensive end. As a senior in 1998, he posted 10.5 sacks, a college record on the time.
His 180 tackles are still eleventh in Clemson history and his 23 sacks ranks sixth.
“RIP to my teammate @AdrianDingle,” former Charger Marcellus Wiley tweeted. “We were just hanging, laughing, swapping war stories, and talking family. Rest easy big dog!”
A 2003 San Diego Tribune story about Dingle being made a starter by head coach Marty Schottenheimer referred to him as “one of the reserved players on the team.”
“I’m going to go on the market and do the identical thing I’ve been doing, attempt to play the very best I can to assist the team win,” Dingle said. “There’s no extra excitement. You’ve got the identical job to do.”
In the primary game of the yr, he responded with six tackles and two sacks against the Chiefs.
A reason behind death for Dingle was not released.
