Donald Ray Dykes (born August 24, 1955) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for four seasons with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He also played in the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Southeastern Louisiana Lions The Southeastern Louisiana Lions and Lady Lions are composed of 14 teams representing Southeastern Louisiana University in intercollegiate athletics, competing in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the ...

. Dykes was an assistant football coach at the

University of Arkansas at Monticello The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) is a public university in Monticello, Arkansas with Colleges of Technology in Crossett and McGehee. UAM is part of the University of Arkansas System and offers master's degrees, baccalaureate degree ...

. As of 2016, Donald Dykes is in his fifth year at

Southwest Mississippi Community College Southwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in unincorporated Pike County, Mississippi, in Summit, MS The college's district includes Pike, Amite, Walthall, and Wilkinson counties. History The college was officia ...

as defensive backs coach. He came to Southwest from Glenville (WV) State College where he held the same position in the 2011 season.

Early life and education

A native of Hammond, LA, Dykes won numerous individual state track and field championships at Hammond High School and helped the Tornadoes win two team championships. He was also a 10-time All-State selection and a one-time All American selection. Dykes attended

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it beca ...

where he was a four-year letterman in both football and track and field. An eight-time All-American in track and field, he won three national championships including two in the long jump. In 1977, he set a school and Louisiana state record with a long jump of 26’ 3” which was 17th best in the world. He was also an NAIA outdoor champion in the event. As a member of the SLU football team, he blocked 12 kicks and had six interceptions. He graduated from SLU in 1988 with a B. A. degree in criminology.

Professional career

A third-round NFL draft pick by the

in 1979, Dykes played for the Jets from 1979 to 1981. His best season came in 1980 when he had five interceptions. Also in 1980, he qualified for the Olympic trials in the long jump. He was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1982 and signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in 1983. Later, he played for the Houston Gamblers and Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL. He received a master's degree from

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta. History The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricultu ...

in Health and Physical Education in 1994 and helped coach the Statesmen to an NCAA Division II national championship in 2000. He began his coaching career at Hammond High School in 1989. Other coaching stops along the way include Ft. Valley State (GA) University, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Arkansas–Monticello.

Personal life

Dykes has two children and three grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dykes, Donald 1955 births Living people Hammond High School (Louisiana) alumni People from Independence, Louisiana American football cornerbacks New York Jets players San Diego Chargers players Southeastern Louisiana Lions football players Players of American football from Louisiana 20th-century American sportsmen