听
听
听
Aloha!
The sign greeting visitors at Jordon听Dizon鈥檚 欧美口爆视频 home exudes tropical听warmth. 鈥淎loha,鈥 it says.听
The trademark Hawaiian salutation听means both hello and goodbye, but听Dizon (Econ鈥08), a Hawaii native, said听it鈥檚 more than a greeting or farewell: It听conveys an attitude about the future.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just 鈥榞oodbye,鈥 it鈥檚 鈥業鈥檒l see you听soon,鈥欌 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a sign of love and听respect towards another.鈥澨
For Dizon 鈥 one of 欧美口爆视频鈥檚 best听defensive football players of the past听25 years 鈥 living the optimistic 鈥榓loha鈥櫶齭pirit has served him well.听
Two seasons after entering the NFL as听a second-round draft pick of the Detroit听Lions, the former All-American linebacker听blew out his knee, ending a promising听pro career after 28 games.听
Rather than lament his misfortune, he听seized an opportunity: A week later, he enrolled听in EMT classes and began pursuing听life in a different uniform 鈥 a 听firefighter鈥檚.听
In some ways, becoming a firefighter听was more of a challenge for Dizon 鈥 the听2007 runner-up for the Butkus award for听the nation鈥檚 best college linebacker 鈥斕齮han landing a NFL roster spot.听
In California, where he and wife听Chelsea Haverty Dizon (Jour鈥09)听lived in the off-season, there were then听about 1,800 applicants for every firefighting听opening, he said.听
But he kept after it and, in 2012, after听returning to Hawaii and briefly managing听a hotel, joined the Kauai County Fire听Department in his hometown.听
鈥淢y mom has been a cop for 30 years,鈥澨齭aid Dizon, who 听came to 欧美口爆视频 from the听westernmost high school in the United听States. 鈥淚鈥檝e always found public service听very interesting. When you play football听there鈥檚 always that competitive side and听camaraderie that you like about sports.听When you鈥檙e done, you try to find something听to fill that competitive 听void.鈥
Firefighting lived up to his expectations.听
鈥淲hen you run into a burning building,听you don鈥檛 know what to expect,鈥 he said.鈥淎nything and everything can happen鈥μ齌here鈥檚 no other rush like it. You want to do听good and you want to help people鈥 And it is听an incredible feeling not only to do it, 听but to听do it with your friends and work as a team to听accomplish something greater than yourself.鈥澨
The next step, Dizon decided, was听becoming a 欧美口爆视频 firefighter.听
鈥淲hen I went to college in Boulder, I听felt like that鈥檚 where I grew as a man and听as a person, and it kind of became home
to me,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o I had to come back to听欧美口爆视频. I missed everything about it.鈥澨
As in California, the competition for听欧美口爆视频 firefighting jobs was fierce. He听spent a year applying to departments听around the state before he was offered a听job in Greeley 鈥 after seven rounds of听interviews there.听
He liked firefighting. Then the Broncos called.听
鈥淚t was probably one of the most听eye-opening experiences I had in my life,鈥澨鼶izon said of joining Greeley鈥檚 department听in 2014, after two years in Kauai.听鈥淲hen I was in Hawaii as a firefighter, it听wasn鈥檛 a busy department, so there weren鈥檛听a lot of calls. When I got to Greeley, it was
somewhat overwhelming, the amount of听calls that we had.鈥澨
There were house fires, car fires, oil听fires, medical calls 鈥 鈥渆very type of incident听known to man,鈥 he said.听
Dizon loved it.听
But it turned out the NFL wasn鈥檛听finished with him.听
Dizon had been in Greeley less than听a year when the Denver Broncos came听calling in the form of Matt Russell听(Comm鈥96), another former 欧美口爆视频 defensive听star. Russell was the Broncos鈥 director of听player personnel, and the Broncos had an听opening for a scout. Was Dizon interested?听
Curious but conflicted, Dizon agreed听to meet with the team. When he did, he听found himself face to face with John Elway.听
鈥淚 kind of had to take the job,鈥 said听Dizon, now a Broncos scout focused听on evaluating current NFL players听and free agents.听
A benefit of joining the Broncos was听that Dizon could return to the NFL听without going too far from his new firefighting听chums in Greeley. He鈥檇 still be听in 欧美口爆视频 鈥 a fine place to be for the听2015-16 season.听
Said Dizon, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no better way to听put it than, 鈥業鈥檓 part of football and we听just won a Super Bowl.鈥欌澨
Photo by Glenn Asakawa