Paul Dickson (American football)

Paul Serafin Dickson (February 26, 1937 – June 7, 2011) was a defensive tackle and coach in the National Football League. Over his 12-year career, Dickson played for the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and St. Louis Cardinals.

Football career
Originally playing as an offensive lineman, Dickson was a first round selection (ninth overall pick) in the 1959 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams out of Baylor University. After the 1959 season, he played the 1960 season for the Dallas Cowboys. Following the 1960 season, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns, but did not play a snap. Before the 1961 season, Dickson was acquired by the Minnesota Vikings along with five other players (including defensive lineman Jim Marshall) for two draft picks in the 1961 NFL Draft and thus became one of the original players in the team's inaugural season. Following the trade, Dickson was switched from right tackle to defensive tackle - a position he played for the rest of his career. In practice, Dickson was known for playing at full-speed, much to the irritation of his teammates on the offensive side of the ball. Seven years later, he would help propel the team to Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. After 10 seasons and 129 games with the Vikings, Dickson was released after the 1970 season and played the 1971 season, his last, for the St. Louis Cardinals.

In January 1971, Dickson joined several ex-Viking teammates (including Marshall) and other Minnesota friends in snowmobile excursion that ended in tragedy. Traveling up to Montana's Bear Tooth Pass, a party of 16 became fragmented, and then stranded in a blizzard and had to spend a frigid night in the snow with few provisions. Dickson, Marshall and three others huddled together in a grove of trees, and lit all the cash they had on them -- "Hundreds, twenties, ones, they were all the same denomination: burnable," Marshall said—in order to start a small fire to keep from freezing. Although everyone was rescued the next day, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Hugh Galusha died of hypothermia.

Retirement
After his one season in St. Louis, Dickson returned to Minneapolis, MN to live where he worked in sales, marketing and customer relations for computer companies. He was also a member and president of the Minnesota chapter of the NFL Alumni Association. Dickson died on June 7, 2011 of a blood infection. He was survived by his second wife Maureen and his two sons Scott and Slade from his first marriage.