Don Dufek
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NFL draft: | 1976 / Round: 5 / Pick: 126 | ||
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Donald Patrick Dufek Jr. (born April 28, 1954) is a former
At Michigan, he was following in the footsteps of his father
Dufek, was sought after as a professional athlete in two sports: Dufek was drafted by teams in the National Hockey League, World Hockey Association and National Football League. He opted for football and played his entire professional career with the Seahawks. He endured several unsuccessful seasons in Seattle, but the team made the playoffs in his final two years. In his role as a special teams player, he again became a team captain.
Youth
Dufek grew up in Ann Arbor, the son of former
In a 2003 interview with the
University of Michigan
Football
Michigan provided Dufek with the opportunity that he had hoped for. He played
Hockey
In addition to receiving three
In a 1975 interview, Dufek noted his love of both sports: "There are times when I've thought of dropping one or the other, but heck, I've been doing this since high school and it would be pretty tough to quit them both now."[17] Dufek added: "Hockey is a more relaxed thing. It's a smaller atmosphere and you have to deal with only one or two coaches. You can be more individual and flashy. Football has certain assignments and you can't really express yourself."[17] In the end, however, Dufek chose the NFL over the NHL. He explained: "I've decided to pursue professional football because I would probably have an extensive tour in the hockey minor leagues and I don't want that."[12]
Seattle Seahawks
Dufek was drafted by the Seahawks with the second selection of fifth round and 126th overall selection of the
After numerous seasons under
Dufek was interviewed by the
Family
Dufek now lives in Ann Arbor with his wife Candi Dufek. Dufek ran his own construction company, Dufek Wolverine Construction.[27] In December 2006, the Detroit Free Press did a feature about the Dufek family and their big U-M tailgate parties. The article noted: "It's hard to get more maize and blue than the Dufek family. Candy Dufek met Donnie Dufek in the first grade in Ann Arbor, and cheered as he played under Bo Schembechler in the 1970s. Younger brother, Bill also played for U-M from 1974 to 1978, also attaining All-American status. Their younger brother Joe, however, played for Yale (as well as pro ball as a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers). They are the sons of legendary U-M Hall of Famer, Don Dufek Sr., who scored two touchdowns in U-M's 1951 Rose Bowl win."[28][29] Dufek has two children, Jacqueline and Frank.[27]
References
- Grand Rapids Press. 2006-12-24.
- ^ a b "Trojan Dave Whiteford Named On All-State Team". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 1971-12-02.
- ^ Bell, Ken (1971-12-08). "Second Guesses". Traverse City Record-Eagle.
- Grand Rapids Press.
- ^ a b "1975 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ^ UPI wire service report (1975-12-03). "Dufek on Team". The Holland, Michigan Evening Sentinel.
- ^ UPI wire service report (1975-12-14). "Selmon Brothers On All-American". Cumberland Sunday Times.
- ^ "UPI Selects 1975 All-American Team". The Coshcocton Tribune. 1975-12-04.
- ^ "1973 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ^ "1974 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ^ "University of Michigan Football All-American, 1975, Team Co-Captain, 1975: Don Dufek". The Regents of the University of Michigan. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ a b AP wire service report (1976-06-18). "Dufek Ready for All-Star Test". The Capital Times (Madison, Wisc.).
- ^ "Don Dufek". HockeyDB.com. Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ AP wire service report (1974-05-30). "Wings Draft Two From Michigan". The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich.
- ^ "1974 NHL amateur draft". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "1974 WHA Amateur Draft". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ a b Lucas, Mike (1975-01-17). "Two Dufeks Better Than One". The Capital Times (Madison, Wisc.).
- ^ "1976 NFL Player Draft". databaseFootball.com. databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-27. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "Seattle Seahawks". Tank Productions. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ "Seattle Seahawks Team History". Seattle Seahawks. Archived from the original on January 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ a b "Don Dufek". databaseFootball.com. databaseSports.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "Don Dufek was there!". beckys-place.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ISBN 0-9629648-2-4.
- ^ "1983 Seattle Seahawks". databaseFootball.com. databaseSports.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ "1984 Seattle Seahawks". databaseFootball.com. databaseSports.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- Ann Arbor News. 2006-01-30.
- ^ a b "M News 2002" (PDF). Fall 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ Montemurri, Patricia (2006-12-24). "Party Time: 5 tips for football and other get-togethers". Detroit Free Press.
- Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
External links