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NFL Star Adrian Dingle Dead at 45

Defensive tackle Adrian Dingle, who spent five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, died Tuesday at 45. Clemson University announced the news in a release. Dingle played with the Chargers from 2000 to 2004. His best season came in 2003. That year, he recorded 37 tackles and collected six sacks while starting all 16 games.

Dingle was selected by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL draft. At Clemson, he was an All-ACC defensive end. As a senior in 1998, he posted 10.5 sacks, a school record at the time.

His 180 tackles are still 11th in Clemson history. Moreover, 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 most reserved players on the team.”

“I’m going to go out there and do the same thing I’ve been doing, try to play the best I can to help the team win,” Dingle said. “There’s no extra excitement. You’ve got the same job to do.”

In the first game of the year, he responded with six tackles and two sacks against the Chiefs.

A cause of death for Dingle was not immediately released. We send thoughts and prayers to Dingle’s family and all affected by the loss.

Dingle died in Holly Hill, South Carolina, where he was born and raised. He attended Holly Hill High School and went on to graduate from Clemson University.

He was the cousin of former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Vontrell Jamison.

Marcellus Wiley Mourns Loss of NFL Teammate Adrian Dingle

Many currently know Marcellus Wiley from his time as a sportscaster on ESPN. Before landing that broadcasting role, Wiley played played 10 seasons in the National Football League as a stellar defensive end. He played for the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars. Wiley made the Pro Bowl in 2001.

Wiley spent a few seasons together with Adrian Dingle on the San Diego Chargers and posted a touching tweet to commemorate his friend.

He currently hosts the More To It podcast, as part of the Dan Patrick Podcast Network. 

Wiley formerly co-hosted SportsNation on ESPN. He also used to host an afternoon drive-time sports talk radio show on ESPN 710AM in Los Angeles. Additionally, he previously hosted Fox Sports 1’s Speak For Yourself.

Wiley also published a book Never Shut Up: The Life, Opinions, and Unexpected Adventures of an NFL Outlier in 2018.

Wiley’s lone Pro-Bowl season came with the San Diego Chargers, when he was a teammate of Adrian Dingle. That season, Wiley recorded 48 tackles, 13 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles.

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