University of Colorado linebacker Jordan Dizon wasn’t completely prepared for his big college debut three years ago. “My first game, I got ran over. They’re all bigger than the kids on Kaua‘i,” said the 2004 Waimea High School grad. “I
University of Colorado linebacker Jordan Dizon wasn’t completely prepared for his big college debut three years ago.
“My first game, I got ran over. They’re all bigger than the kids on Kaua‘i,” said the 2004 Waimea High School grad. “I stepped onto the field (against Colorado State University), I was set and, you know, the fullback came right through and down I went.”
Mentally, is there so much more pressure on a college player playing at the Buffaloes’ Folsom Field than playing at the Hanapepe or Vidinha Stadium.
“Over here, we’re playing to 60,000, sometimes 90,000 people, and it’s a big show,” he said. “It was rough my for me. I didn’t know what I was doing. For Kaua‘i, it’s the same competition every two weeks. Here, it’s a different person every week. It’s like finals week, every week, and you’re cramming every week.”
But the 6-foot, 225-pound Dizon must have adjusted just fine as he went on to earn the Defensive Newcomer of the Year award from the Associated Press and the Defensive Freshman of the Year by Big 12 Conference coaches.
Now going into his senior and final year at Colorado, he’s the defensive line captain and has been picked for the first-team All Big 12 Conference by Athlon Sports and Lindy’s Big 12 Football magazines. He also serves as both magazines’ current cover player.
“(Being on the covers) doesn’t mean much,” he said. “Either way, they’re nice little mementos to have.”
Dizon said he didn’t know he made the cover. He actually thought the covers would feature several players and that he “would be in the corner somewhere.”
It wasn’t until a coach congratulated him for making the covers, that he found out.
Going by his statistics, he shouldn’t be too surprised.
He’s the nation’s fourth-leading tackler with an accumulated total 280, which also ranks him 17th overall for Colorado.
He is one of 48 as a linebacker who is on the Football Writer’s All-America checklist, one of 42 on the preseason watch list for the Ronnie Lott award and was one of 65 on the regular-season watch list for the Dick Butkis award.
He expects good things to happen for Colorado (2-10). He said he and his teammates have learned a lot from last year and are looking good.
Dizon plays alongside B.J. Beatty of Ka‘a‘awa, R.J. Brown of Honolulu and Kai Maiava of Wailuku.
Colorado’s linebacker coach Brian Cabral, who also hails from Hawai‘i, has said nothing but positive things about Dizon.
“He’s a fourth-year starter and I’m expecting his best season yet,” Cabral said in a release earlier this year. “He’s played in a lot of big games and has made a lot of plays for us.”
In Athlon Sports’ “Big 12” preview issue, Dizon is described as “tough and smart,” and that “his instincts at the position are what set him apart” from other players.
So, maybe this will be his year.
“I’ve received all these accolades and been nominated for all these awards. It would nice to actually win one them,” he said. “Hopefully we win more than two games.”
Win or lose, his mother Darla Abbatiello is proud of the recognition he’s received.
“I think it’s good for all the other Kaua‘i athletes,” she said. “I know one of his goals was to prove to the rest of the world there is talent on Kaua‘i and I think he’s proven that. I know it’s a big honor for him (to be on the covers of the magazines) and I know he’s happy for Kaua‘i.”
Dizon was so humble about the awards and the magazines, Abbatiello said, that he was too shy to even autograph a copy for her.
But that’s, OK with her. She still goes to see him play at Colorado every year. This year, because it’s senior year, she said she will try to go more often.
Growing up on Kaua‘i, Dizon played Pop Warner football and flag football for the Kaua‘i Police Activities League.
While at Waimea, he earned second-team, all-state and Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation honors for football. He also played varsity basketball in which he was a three-time Player of the Year for the KIF. His junior year, he was the 100-Meter Dash KIF champion.
In looking slightly to the future, Dizon said he’s not really thinking of a career in the NFL. The economics major is actually hoping to move back to Kaua‘i.
“My emphasis is on the hotel industry, so hopefully I’ll be able to find a good fit there,” he said.
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
