Tim Dwight was listed as a receiver during his decade playing in the NFL.
However, his best work was actually as a kick and punt returner for five different franchises.
During his rookie year in 1998 with the Atlanta Falcons, Dwight played in Super Bowl XXXIII.
In the fourth quarter of the contest, he took a kickoff 94 yards to the house.
Although Atlanta lost that day, the rookie accumulated 210 total kick return yards, still good for the second most in Super Bowl history.
Listed at 5’8” and 180 pounds, Dwight was a lightning bolt for each team he played for.
Honestly, Tim Dwight on the Chargers lol. When I was a kid he threw me a pass in a football camp so he was my dude 😂 Him and Eric Parker. pic.twitter.com/3Wyo8ah8YQ
— MJ (@MJ54) February 20, 2022
No matter the situation, he was always a threat to make a huge play and put his team in good field position.
Following his retirement after the 2007 season, Dwight got involved in the business sector, started his own foundation for disadvantaged youth, opened a yoga studio and was hired as a high school football assistant coach in 2025.
This is the story of Tim Dwight.
Speed Demon
Timothy John Dwight Jr. was born on July 13, 1975, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Right from the jump, Dwight appeared to be destined for athletic greatness.
It helped that his dad was a high school coach and that he grew up less than two miles from Kinnick Stadium where the Iowa Hawkeyes play.
“I was born in ’75, he [Hayden Fry] came here in ’79,” Dwight said in 2014. “I grew up in the era of Hayden Fry and the re-establishment of Iowa football in the ’80s with the Longs, with the Harmons.”
Watching his local heroes on the gridiron made Dwight want to play ball himself.
He wasn’t very big, but he had serious wheels that first brought him attention as a middle schooler.
As a student at Southeast Junior High in Iowa City, Dwight ran a blistering 51.9 seconds in the 400 meter run.
That got the attention of the track and football coaches at nearby Iowa City High School.
GOAT Wide Receivers From Every #PowerFive 🏈
Iowa: Tim Dwight
High School: Iowa City High School (Iowa City, IA)
Height/weight: 5-foot-8, 180 pounds
College highlights: 2x AP All-American (1996, 1997), two-time All-Big Ten (1996, 1997)@CityHighFB @CityHighSports… pic.twitter.com/m9lSqKmoMw— stadiumtalkcom (@stadiumtalkcom) October 10, 2023
When Dwight arrived as a freshman, he mostly played on the sophomore team as a 140-pound running back.
During the state playoffs that season, he was brought up to the varsity squad against Davenport Assumption High School.
If you grew up in Iowa City, chances are good that it was Tim Dwight. Multi-sport star who was written about often in @presscitizen by @ChadLeistikow Hard to top this one… @jeffmcginness would be a strong contender. @IowaXC_TF ‘s own Joey Woody a contender. pic.twitter.com/GnooNwRd4e
— Iowa City West Track & Field (@ICWestBoysTF) March 28, 2020
Dwight got some playing time in the second half, and on his first carry, took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown.
“Fearless, even at that age,” said Larry Brown, his high school coach.
All-State
Dwight was no one-trick pony.
He also blazed a trail on the Little Hawks track team as a sprinter and long jumper.
Iowa City's Tim Dwight runs at state track in 1993: pic.twitter.com/8x6YOl3cd1
— Dan Corey (@DanCorey_) April 14, 2016
Spectators were amazed during the Drake Relays his freshman year when Dwight turned the first corner of his 400-meter leg.
In the apex of the turn, one of his shoes fell off.
Still clad with just one shoe, Dwight finished the lap without hesitation.
Returning to the football field as a sophomore, Dwight became one of the Little Hawks’ starting running backs.
He was named to the All-State football team that season as well as the following two seasons.
With Dwight in the backfield, Iowa City High was consistently in the playoffs.
It didn’t matter that he was still one of the smallest guys on the field; Dwight darted through opponents without hesitation.
“What separated him was his explosiveness and competitiveness,” said former Iowa City West football coach Reese Morgan. “It was men against boys.”
Staggering Numbers
In his four years as a Little Hawk, Dwight rushed for 4,230 yards and 83 touchdowns.
His senior year alone produced 2,126 yards on the ground and a state record (at the time) 43 touchdowns.
He also helped the school win its first-ever state championship in 1993 against Sioux City Heelan where he slashed the Crusaders for 236 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-14 blowout.
As a junior and senior, Iowa City went 23-1 with number 21 in the backfield.
Tim Dwight’s NFL Debut: On September 6, 1998, Iowa Hawkeye legend Tim Dwight made his NFL debut for the Atlanta Falcons. An all-time great at Iowa City High and the University of Iowa, Dwight shined on the gridiron and the track during a decorated career. pic.twitter.com/dUlrrCmgvF
— Notes on Iowa (@notesoniowa) September 6, 2024
Following his final prep season, Dwight was invited to play in the Iowa High School All-Star game where he dispensed with a nasty block on Jared DeVries, a 225-pound opponent.
“The guy is just extreme,” said DeVries, a future college teammate of Dwight’s as well as a third-round NFL draft pick. “And he’s extreme in a way that you just don’t see very often. It’s almost crazy.”
When track season rolled around, Dwight continued putting up huge numbers.
In his high school career, he was a two-time Drake Relays Outstanding Performer, three-time Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year and a Gatorade Midwest States Athlete of the Year.
Additionally, Dwight was a 12-time state champ (no one comes close), including four titles in the 200-meter dash and three in the long jump.
Many of his sprint times are still tops, or near the top, of the Iowa prep record book.
Iowa high school sports icon Tim Dwight, an Iowa City High alum, was inducted today into the National High School Hall of Fame, celebrating his outstanding multi-sport career and lasting impact on Iowa athletics!
⭐️ https://t.co/fITgICvATh pic.twitter.com/ovijD4b3Jq
— IHSAA (@IHSAA) July 1, 2025
In 2025, Dwight was inducted into the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Hall of Fame.
Dwight Becomes a Hawkeye
Just before he settled into Christmas break during his senior year, Dwight committed to play for the Hawkeyes.
As soon as he set foot on campus in 1994, a position change was in order.
“I thought I was going to go in there and play running back,” Dwight said. “I learned the hard way, I wasn’t going to be that running back.”
Iowa won its first two games of the year before a five-game slide led to a 5-5-1 season.
Meanwhile, Dwight, now listed as a receiver, didn’t get any receptions, but he did have a rushing touchdown and made his name on special teams (13 punt returns for 161 yards and 14 kicks for 278 yards).
𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂
Tim Dwight will join Iowa City High’s coaching staff this year per @EliotClough 😳
Dwight was 7th in Heisman voting at Iowa and was a First Team All American in High School at Iowa City High. Played in the NFL for 10 Seasons.#iahsfb Gazette pic.twitter.com/UJdqkP1LiA
— Bound Iowa (@Bound_IA) May 28, 2025
During his sophomore year, Dwight caught 43 passes for 776 yards and nine touchdowns and also rushed for 111 yards and two more scores for the 8-4 Hawkeyes.
After snagging his first touchdown as a receiver, Dwight knew he belonged.
“That play kind of solidified myself — you know, you can compete at this level, you can make it in this league,” Dwight said.
On special teams, he returned 13 punts for 106 yards and 21 kicks for 407 yards.
The Hawkeyes wrapped the season with an easy 38-18 victory over Washington in the Sun Bowl.
All-American
It turned out that Dwight’s sophomore campaign was just a glimpse of what was to come.
In 1996, he had decent numbers as a receiver (45 catches, 646 yards, four touchdowns) and as a runner (68 yards and three touchdowns).
But the junior’s outstanding contributions came on special teams.
His 22 punt returns led to 417 yards, a 19.0 yards per return average and two touchdowns along with 227 yards on kick returns.
Iowa History Daily🧵: On October 28, 1996, Tim Dwight racked up 131 punt return yards to break the individual game record for the Hawkeyes. #IowaOTD pic.twitter.com/ALgcmrZg68
— Notes on Iowa (@notesoniowa) October 28, 2023
The last three stats led the Big Ten Conference and he was selected as a second-team All-Big Ten and a first-team All-American.
Iowa won five of its first six games on the way to an eventual 9-3 record and 27-0 blanking of Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl.
Then, in 1997, the Hawkeyes won six of its first eight games before finishing 7-5 and losing to Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.
Dwight caught 39 passes for 653 yards and eight scores that year along with rushing for 85 yards.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Per @EliotClough, Tim Dwight is set to join Iowa City High's coaching staff as a Special Tams, RBs coach!#IAfootball X #iahsfb pic.twitter.com/uTQLNFvomK
— IAfootball (@IAfootball_) May 28, 2025
On special teams, he returned 19 punts for a conference-leading 367 yards, a 19.3 average and three touchdowns and 229 yards on kick returns.
The senior was honored as a Consensus All-American, a first-team All-Big Ten and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.
Record Setter
During his four years at Iowa, Dwight had 127 receptions (139 including bowl games) for 2,075 yards (2,271 yards including bowl games) and 21 touchdowns as a pass-catcher and 322 yards and six scores rushing.
He also added 67 punt returns for 1,051 yards, a 15.7 average and five touchdowns and 55 kick returns for 1,141 yards.
Iowa History Daily🧵: On September 6, 1998, Iowa Hawkeye legend Tim Dwight made his NFL debut for the Atlanta Falcons. A all-time great at Iowa City High and the University of Iowa, Dwight shined on the gridiron and the track during a decorated career. #IowaOTD pic.twitter.com/TsofLc4UpQ
— Notes on Iowa (@notesoniowa) September 6, 2023
At the time, Dwight held school records for career punt return yardage, punts returned for touchdowns, receiving touchdowns and receiving yardage.
All have since been surpassed.
He made such a huge impact as a returner while in college that in 2015, the Big Ten created a new award called the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, named after Dwight and former Nebraska great Johnny Rodgers.
In 1998, Dwight ran with the Iowa track team and was the conference champ in the 4×100 meter relay.
Fourth Round Pick
Normally, being 5’8 and 180 pounds would work against most NFL Draft hopefuls.
Most of those same hopefuls, however, don’t have the insane speed Dwight had.
A groin injury suffered during his senior year kept Dwight from performing his best at the NFL Combine in February 1998 and he ran a slow (by his standards) 4.6 40-yard dash.
Later that spring, Dwight was at the Mt. SAC Relays in California during the NFL Draft.
The first three rounds of the event came and went without his name being called.
Discouraged, Dwight prepared for the second day of events for his track meet, not aware that the Atlanta Falcons were getting ready to select him on Day 2.
Tim Dwight pic.twitter.com/9X3jODXEL2
— Ar〽️ando Ca〽️pos (@Armando68282753) April 30, 2025
Head coach Dan Reeves and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis were crossing their fingers and toes hoping their guy would still be available.
“I was incredibly stressed,” recalled DeCamillis. “I had watched Tim every weekend in the fall, and I knew he could make plays. I just wanted him on the board when we picked in the fourth round.”
Sure enough, Dwight was still available and Atlanta pulled the trigger, although Dwight had no idea until someone told him.
“Hey, you got drafted by the Falcons. I just heard it on the radio,” said Hawkeyes track teammate Ellen Grant to Dwight.
1998
When he got to Atlanta for training camp, Dwight didn’t hold back and tried to win over the coaches at every practice.
“Then he came into training camp just blazing,” said former Falcons running back Jamal Anderson. “His energy was awesome.”
During a team conditioning drill, the rookie ran 4.5 seconds or faster during five consecutive 40-yard dashes.
Good times, but Dwight didn’t think they were fast enough.
“You always have a little doubt in your self-confidence,” Dwight said. “You talk yourself out of it … It’s day to day, every day.”
The Falcons coaches sure thought he was fast enough and he won the starting punt and kick return jobs.
Iowa History Daily🧵: On January 31, 1999, Iowa Hawkeye legend Tim Dwight took a kickoff return to the house for the Atlanta Falcons. A all-time great at Iowa City High and the University of Iowa, Dwight shined on the gridiron and the track during a decorated career. #IowaOTD pic.twitter.com/C9F5DG6JQa
— Notes on Iowa (@notesoniowa) January 31, 2024
During the first game of his NFL career against the Carolina Panthers, Dwight caught his first pro pass and went 44 yards for a touchdown.
”I think there’s a feeling with some players that they think they can break my bones,” Dwight said. ”But most of the time I’m too fast for them to catch.”
Four weeks later, the two teams met again and this time Dwight took a kick return 93 yards for a score.
Although he missed four weeks due to injury, Dwight still tallied 263 punt return yards and 973 kick return yards.
“He’s fearless,” said Reeves. “Not many guys come back on kickoffs at the speed that he does. Not many guys have his knack for catching punts going forward.”
Following the regular season, he was chosen for the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Super Bowl XXXIII
A year after winning seven games, and two years after just three wins, the 1998 Falcons were vastly improved.
The mix of quarterback Chris Chandler and Anderson, along with receivers Tony Martin and Terance Mathis, propelled a fourth-ranked offense.
#200DaysofTrivia: Tim Dwight’s 210 return yards for the Falcons in the 1999 Super Bowl against Denver are third most in game history.
Find complete AJC coverage of #ATLSB53 at https://t.co/slHFB2bsuY pic.twitter.com/Q8Ozh6t9sU— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) October 29, 2018
Atlanta finished 14-2 (still the best record in team history) and advanced to Super Bowl XXXIII after upsetting the 15-1 Minnesota Vikings on the road in the NFC Championship.
Unfortunately, the Falcons met a very good Denver Broncos team led by quarterback John Elway.
Dwight was the first person to touch the football in the game when he took the opening kickoff to the Falcons’ 37-yard line.
Kicker Morten Anderson later helped Atlanta score first on a 32-yard field goal, but it was all Broncos from then on.
A few minutes into the fourth quarter Denver led easily, 31-6, following an Elway three-yard touchdown run with 11:20 remaining.
Dwight had five kick returns at that point that averaged 42 yards (setting a career Super Bowl record), but the Falcons could never take advantage.
That changed briefly when he took the kickoff immediately following Elway’s score and returned it 94 yards for Atlanta’s first touchdown of the contest.
Happy Big 5-0, Tim Dwight!#Falcons and #Chargers return man and receiver
The University of #Iowa product is one of ten players with a kickoff return touchdown in Super Bowl history. His 210 kickoff return yards in Super Bowl XXXIII are the second-most in a Super Bowl.#RiseUp… pic.twitter.com/W8KilfBHYb
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) July 13, 2025
He was so far ahead of the trailing Broncos that Dwight backpedaled the final six yards looking to see where everyone was at.
“I wasn’t afraid, at that time as a rookie, 23 years old, to slam it up in there when I saw a hole — I took it,” Dwight said. “And then I figured out what to do on the other side of it.”
Denver prevailed, 34-19, and Elway was named the MVP.
Dwight had 210 yards of total kick returns for the day, still good for second place in Super Bowl history.
Back to School
In the months following the Super Bowl, Dwight took a little vacation and then returned to Iowa City to run with the Hawkeyes track team.
He had already battled with the NCAA to gain another year of track eligibility and the governing body pushed back slightly before eventually ruling in his favor.
Happy Birthday to Tim Dwight! Have a good day. GoHawks! #LegacyHawk pic.twitter.com/PPl3z8Hydq
— Hawkeye Legacy (@LegacyHawks) July 13, 2023
Iowa’s first track meet of the 1999 season had over 4,000 people in attendance to watch Dwight do his thing.
“There’s something about track,” Dwight said. “It’s not just running workouts, which is torture, or running meets. It’s getting to the point where you’re so in control of your speed that you can just relax in a race. And then you’re not running, you’re floating. I love that feeling.”
Opponents lining up in the blocks next to Dwight did a double-take before realizing that was indeed the guy that had just played in the Super Bowl.
By the end of the 1999 season, he was the Big Ten champ in the 100-meter dash, 4×100 meter relay and 4×400 meter relay.
Dwight was then named All-Big Ten and a Track and Field All-American.
Trade to San Diego
Following another semester in school, Dwight returned to Atlanta and had eight touchdowns combined rushing and receiving in 1999.
He also led the NFL with a 20.9 yards per reception average and had 220 punt return yards and 944 kick return yards.
His 1,861 total yards were a career-best.
The Falcons took a giant step back with only five wins and then followed it up with four victories in 2000.
Dwight collected 1,403 combined yards that season, along with three receiving and one punt return touchdowns.
A few months into the offseason, he was traded to the San Diego Chargers.
In 2001, the Atlanta Falcons traded their 2001 1st and 2nd round picks & WR Tim Dwight to the San Diego Chargers to move up from 5 to 1 for QB Michael Vick.
Atlanta drafted, at the time, the NFL’s most electric duel-threat QB, and San Diego drafted LaDainian Tomlinson & Drew… pic.twitter.com/uXj7v4KwS0
— Tommy R. Callahan III (@yalltitanup) April 22, 2025
The trade helped the Falcons move up to the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft which they used to select Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick.
It was a busy offseason for San Diego as the franchise not only brought in Dwight, but it signed free agent quarterback Doug Flutie and drafted running back LaDainian Tomlinson and quarterback Drew Brees.
“I said, ‘Woo, sweet,'” Dwight said. “I just got traded and Flutie’s got a few more years on his way out and Drew will open the offense.”
Turn Around in San Diego
No doubt about it, the Chargers needed an upgrade.
In 2000, the organization only had a single victory, which marked the lowest single-season win total in team history.
The additions in 2001 helped as San Diego improved to five wins while Dwight had 701 combined yards, a touchdown rushing and one as a punt returner.
San Diego won eight games in 2002 with new coach Marty Schottenheimer and Dwight had 50 receptions in 14 starts.
Tim Dwight pic.twitter.com/uCSlmASZYb
— Gruff⚡️ (@Raff95Griff) March 17, 2025
Both were by far the most during a single season in his career.
His 1,112 combined yards included scores as a receiver and runner.
The Bolts fell to four victories in 2003 and Dwight missed significant time due to injury.
Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the effort & hustle of Tim Dwight on this play.
This is how the game should always be played. pic.twitter.com/c2fjixFhi6
— Matthew Drinkall 🇺🇸 (@DrinkallCoach) June 23, 2021
He missed four more games in 2004 and was primarily used as a kick returner, tallying 1,222 return yards and a touchdown.
San Diego won 12 games and was upset by the New York Jets in the wild-card round.
Dwight Retires
In 2005, Dwight was a free agent and signed with New England, the two-time defending world champions.
Head coach Bill Belichick was in the process of reloading for a three-peat and hoped the return expert could help.
As the team won 10 games, he had 866 total yards and three touchdowns.
Tim Dwight (on the Patriots) 2005 #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/4C26h0pbri
— Big Neily aka Neil In Warwick (@NMorrison5_91) January 28, 2022
Unfortunately, Dwight missed out on a possible Super Bowl ring when the Pats lost in the divisional round, 27-13, to the Denver Broncos.
The following season, he was with the New York Jets and started two games while accumulating 286 yards but no touchdowns.
Then, in October of 2007, Dwight signed with the Oakland Raiders and started one game.
He scored twice on receptions and had 194 total yards for the year.
In 2008, Dwight was a free agent but didn’t sign with a team and retired.
During his career, Dwight had 194 receptions for 2,964 yards and 19 touchdowns.
On the ground, he had 380 yards and three touchdowns. He added 1,773 punt return yards and 4,753 yards and two touchdowns on kick returns.
He also set Super Bowl records as a rookie.
“I was a lucky player,” Dwight said in 2014.
Life After Football
Once he left the game as a player, Dwight could have coasted for a while on his fame, but that just wasn’t his style.
“You have to let it go, re-calibrate your life, who you are,” Dwight said in 2016. “When you play that long and make the NFL, you associate yourself so much with that industry that’s it tough to break out if it because you have to put so much into being getting there and staying there. You have to have quality control with yourself.”
For the past two decades, he has done more than recalibrate.
Dwight dove headfirst into charity and got involved with organizations such as Make-a-Wish and the Salvation Army.
He also founded the Tim Dwight Foundation to help disadvantaged youth with scholarships and other needs for the Children’s Hospital of Iowa.
Meet Tim Dwight, solar energy advocate (Yes, THAT Tim Dwight) My Where Are They Now story: https://t.co/uBUegAFKwq pic.twitter.com/5ZtnuXriXI
— Melissa Jacobs 💙 (@thefootballgirl) July 8, 2016
Since 2008, he has promoted and advocated for clean energy by working with Integrated Power Corporation, a Novato, California company, to help businesses switch to solar power.
As if he isn’t busy enough, Dwight continues to run football camps and even opened a yoga studio in Iowa.
In 2025, the 50-year-old accepted a job as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator for City High School in Iowa City.
References
https://www.iatrackcoaches.org
https://www.sports-reference.com
https://www.pro-football-reference.com
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