Paul Dekker

NFL player


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DateOfBirth=birth date|1931|2|24|mf=y
Birthplace= Muskegon, MI
DateOfDeath=death date and age|2001|05|8|1931|02|24
Position=End
number=83
College=Michigan State
DraftedYear=1953
DraftedRound=3
DatabaseFootball=DEKKEPAU01
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NFL=DEK553722
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Retired #s=
years=1953
1954-1962
teams=Washington Redskins
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)
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Paul Nelson Dekker (February 24, 1931 – May 8, 2001) was an American and Canadian football player for the Michigan State Spartans and professionally for the Washington Redskins and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

College career

At Michigan State, Dekker was a starting end in his junior and senior years. The Spartans were runners-up for the 1951 National Championship in the Associated Press poll and National Champions in the undefeated 1952 season. He was selected by the Associated Press as a member of their All‑Western team. Dekker represented the Spartans in the annual East‑West Shrine contest, pulling in a game-record nine receptions for 100 yards. A member of the 1953 College All‑Stars and the 1953 Hula Bowl squad, he was selected in the third round of the 1953 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

Professional career

Dekker remained with the Redskins for only one season. In 1954, he joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. In nine seasons at Hamilton, Dekker played in the Grey Cup championship contest five times. He was elected to the All Eastern/All Western All‑Star team four times and tied a Grey Cup record for the longest completed pass with a 90‑yard touchdown reception in the Tiger‑Cats' 21‑14 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 1961 Grey Cup game. Dekker retired from professional football following the 1962 season.

Legacy

He is a member of the [http://www.mashf.com/1990_inductees.htm#Dekker Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame] and was selected as an honorary member of Hamilton's "Team of the Decade."