Sean Dawkins, who spent nine seasons in the NFL after an exceptional collegiate career at Cal, has died aged 52.
His passing was announced on Thursday, with Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay immediately paying tribute to the star, who spent the majority of his NFL career at the Colts.
No cause of death has been announced.
Mr. Dawkins was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, and raised in Sunnyvale, California, where he distinguished himself as a wide receiver at Homestead High School in Cupertino.
He then joined the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the California Golden Bears. In 1990, Mr. Dawkins helped Cal secure the team’s first bowl game victory since the 1930s, defeating Wyoming 17-15 in the Copper Bowl.
In 1992, the explosive, 6-foot-5-inch wide receiver was named Cal's MVP, with 65 catches for 1,070 yards and a new school record of 14 touchdowns in a season. In total, Mr. Dawkins scored 31 touchdowns during his three seasons at Cal, a record that has remained unbeaten at the university since.
The Indianapolis Colts selected Mr. Dawkins in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft. He would stay with the team for 5 seasons, playing a total of 69 games.
The wide receiver would play 9 seasons in the NFL in total before his retirement in 2002. After his time with the Colts, he played 1 season with the New Orleans Saints, two years with the Seattle Seahawks, the 2001 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a final stint with the Minnesota Vikings.
Over his NFL career, Mr. Dawkins received 445 passes for 6,291 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
Mr. Dawkins’ best statistical season came with the Seahawks in 1999, as he set career-highs with seven touchdowns, 992 receiving yards, and 17.1 yards per reception as Seattle made the playoffs for the first time since 1988.
He spent a year with the Jaguars and signed in 2002 with the Vikings, but was released at the final cutdown before the beginning of the season.