Kris Dielman

Kristopher M. Dielman (born February 3, 1981) is a former American football guard who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played his entire professional career for the Chargers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times, and he is a member of the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.

High school and college career
A graduate of Troy High School in Troy, Ohio, Dielman was an all-state and all-conference linebacker and tight end. He also lettered in basketball. Off the field, Dielman was both Homecoming and Prom King at Troy High School. Then he went on to play at Indiana University. Kris played tight end at IU under former Charger offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and current Charger co-offensive line coach Hal Hunter earning All-Big 10 honors his junior year. Dielman's blocking was a huge contribution to the success of then-IU quarterback Antwaan Randle El, who became the first player in the history of NCAA football with 8,000 pass yards and 3,000 rush yards in Dielman's junior season. Cameron was Dielman's head coach and Hunter was his offensive coordinator. Once Cameron got a job as the Charger offensive coordinator, Hunter left for North Carolina. Dielman's new coaching staff started playing him more at defensive line, a position he had experience throughout his college career and where he later became a team captain during his senior season.

San Diego Chargers
Dielman went undrafted out of college, but signed on with the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers converted him from a defensive tackle to an offensive lineman, and before long Dielman had established himself as a starter at left guard. Right away Dielman made a name for himself in large part due to his gritty, hard-nosed style of play on the offensive line. By his fourth year in the league, Dielman was a rising star and an integral part of LaDainian Tomlinson's record breaking 2006 season. Dielman's teammates referred to him as their "enforcer" and "battering ram". Dielman was chosen as a 1st Alternate for the 2007 Pro Bowl.

In the off-season the Seattle Seahawks offered him a large contract worth $48.2 million but he returned to San Diego to sign a six-year deal with the Chargers that guarantees him $17 million over the first two years and is potentially worth $39 million, becoming one of the highest paid guards in the NFL.

In an interview with USA Today's Jim Corbett, Charger general manager AJ Smith remarked, "He's a special kid. The loyalty he showed is very, very rare.  I knew if he could just be paid like a premier guard, he would stay with us because of who he is.  Seattle was legitimate, and he didn't want any part of it.  He said, 'I want to go home with my team.'  It's the best thing in the world to happen for us. He's a Pro Bowler waiting to happen."

In December 2010, Dielman was selected as a Pro Bowl starter for the second time, his fourth Pro Bowl overall. Dielman suffered a concussion in the sixth game of the 2011 season against the New York Jets. He had a seizure on the team plane after the game, and he missed the remainder of the season. In February 2012, Dielman announced his retirement from pro football due to the risk of further head injuries. On July 21, 2012, the San Diego Chargers released Dielman from the team's reserved-retired list by the request of his agent.