Matthew Miller Dickerson (born November 9, 1995) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

. He has also played for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

and

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divi ...

Early life

Matthew Miller Dickerson was born on November 9, 1995, in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, to Pamela and Clarence Dickerson. Matt Dickerson grew up in

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame, California, Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough, California, Hillsboro ...

, and attended Junípero Serra High School, where he excelled in football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. As a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. A ...

on the football team, he led the Padres to an undefeated championship season in the WCAL. He was also named

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of his freshman basketball team. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educati ...

on the football team, he started the season on the

varsity team In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams. Varsity in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...

before being sent down to the junior varsity team. He was recalled to the varsity team for the CIF Central Coast Section playoffs in football and called up in basketball as well. The Padres had not won a CCS Championship in football since 1990. On December 3, 2011, at Terra Nova High School, in a 42–21 win over the Menlo-Atherton Bears, the Padres won their second CCS Championship and first at the Division One level. As a junior on the football team, he was named All-WCAL Honorable Mention as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

. As a junior on the basketball team, the Padres reached the WCAL and CCS Championship Finals against the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs who were led by All-American Aaron Gordon. On February 16, 2013, at

Foothill College Foothill College is a public community college in Los Altos Hills, California. It is part of the Foothill–De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957, and offers 79 Associate degree programs, 1 Bachelor's degree pro ...

, Dickerson guarded Gordon in the WCAL Championship Final. In the first quarter, Gordon drove to the basket and was fouled on the way up and wound up on top of Dickerson. Gordon wrapped his arms around Dickerson's neck and then proceeded to stand up immediately with players on the court from both teams playing peace makers. They would both receive technical fouls and Dickerson was suspended. Before Dickerson's senior football season, he was named a ''USA Today'' High School All-American as well as the number six rated prospect coming out of the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

. Dickerson studied

precalculus In mathematics education, precalculus is a course, or a set of courses, that includes algebra and trigonometry at a level which is designed to prepare students for the study of calculus. Schools often distinguish between algebra and trigonometr ...

under Serra Hall of Famer

Joe Kmak Joseph Robert Kmak (born May 3, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player who played catcher in Major League Baseball from 1993 to 1995. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. He stands tall and weighs . He bats and ...

. Dickerson would miss his entire senior season due to a back injury. Despite missing his senior season, the Padres would be named co-champions of the WCAL with Archbishop Mitty and would go on to defeat the Monarchs in the CCS Championship Final to win their first Sectional Open Division Championship in any sport and at any level. He was teammates in football and basketball with future NFL player

Easop Winston Easop Winston Jr. (born December 17, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington State. Early life Easop Winston Jr. was born on December ...

College career

Dickerson appeared in 44 games (16 starts) for the Bruins over four seasons. Over the course of his career he recorded totaled 97 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four passes defensed and 1.5 sacks. Dickerson's senior season was cut short after a severe injury to his collarbone.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Dickerson signed by the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on May 11, 2018. He made his NFL debut on September 23, 2018, in a 9–6 win against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. As a rookie, Dickerson played in three games with three tackles. On October 19, 2019, Dickerson was waived by the Titans. He was re-signed on October 22, 2019. He was waived again on October 26, but re-signed two days later. In the Wild Card round of the 2020 playoffs against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

, Dickerson recorded his first career sack on Lamar Jackson during the 20–13 loss.

Las Vegas Raiders

Dickerson signed with the

on March 22, 2021. He was waived on August 31, 2021.

Arizona Cardinals

On November 2, 2021, Dickerson was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

practice squad. He was released on November 15. He was re-signed on December 27. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on January 19, 2022. He was released on July 29, 2022.

Kansas City Chiefs

On August 8, 2022, Dickerson signed with the

. He was waived on August 30, 2022.

Atlanta Falcons

On August 31, 2022, Dickerson was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Falcons.

Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)

On May 10, 2023, Dickerson signed with the

. He was released on August 30, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 27.

Personal life

Dickerson originally committed to play for Notre Dame. However, his father, Clarence, who played college football at Henderson State in Arkansas, was diagnosed with prostate cancer before Dickerson left for South Bend. Because of this, Dickerson decided to stay in-state to play for the Bruins to be an hour flight from home rather than across the country. His father is in remission. Dickerson has a twin sister named Megan and enjoys fishing and golfing.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioUCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerson, Matt 1995 births Living people American football defensive ends Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Junípero Serra High School (San Mateo, California) alumni Kansas City Chiefs players Las Vegas Raiders players Players of American football from San Mateo, California Tennessee Titans players UCLA Bruins football players