.png) Dufek from 1974 Michiganensian | |||||||||
| No. 25, 35 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | S/KR | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | April 28, 1954 Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Pioneer (MI) | ||||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976 / round: 5 / pick: 126 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Donald Patrick Dufek Jr. (born April 28, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was a safety and special teamer for eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1973 to 1975. He was chosen to serve as team captain for both the Seahawks and Wolverines.
At the University of Michigan, he was following in the footsteps of his father Don Dufek Sr. who had been a Wolverine team Most Valuable Player. As a graduate of Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Dufek was able to stay close to home while performing as a two-sport star at the University of Michigan, where he played for the Wolverines football and hockey teams. In football, he was a member of back-to-back Big Ten Conference championship teams at Michigan and became an All-American as well as a team captain.
Dufek, was sought after as a professional athlete in two sports: Dufek was selected 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.