BOULDER - To your shortlist of life's sureties (death, taxes, Larry King in suspenders, Paris Hilton in the news, no more $1.50-a- gallon gas), add this: If it's halftime at a University of Colorado football game, Jordon Dizon will be intimately acquainted with an IV drip.

If football is Dizon's first love, feeling the business end of a needle apparently is Love 1-B. Or so it has seemed to best bud and fellow linebacker R.J. Brown and their veteran position coach, Brian Cabral.

In truth, it's not that way at all, explained Dizon. Even in high school, he played so hard, expended so much energy and spent so much of himself, he needed the needle more often than not.

At CU, the poking merely became a Saturday ritual. Or, as Dizon said, "Once you feel like your whole body is cramping up, it gets to be a routine. It (stinks) getting stuck that much, but when it's done once a week, it gets kind of redundant."

In football, this is among the things that earn merit badges and widespread respect, which Dizon unquestionably has from his teammates and coaches. He's the Buffaloes' defensive captain, as well as a preseason all-Big 12 Conference selection by a number of publications.

"What I like best about watching him play, he comes into the locker room at halftime, drenched in sweat, gets IVs in both arms and is ready to get back out there. He pushes his body as far as it can take him," said Brown, the Buffs' special teams captain.

"You hate to see him or anybody else getting poked with IVs, but he just can't help it. It's kind of become commonplace."

What's more, added Cabral, "the (game-day) temperature doesn't matter; Jordon usually is going to need an IV." Dizon receives a standard IV of rehydration solutions to treat dehydration, which can be a fairly common condition in athletics.

Moral to this story: As long as the drips keep coming, so will the hits - and Dizon's are considerable. As CU begins practice today, he enters his senior season as the nation's fourth-leading active tackler (280, career).

Culture shock?

Dizon, of Waimea, Hawaii, arrived in Boulder in 2004, a temporarily out-of-sync islander who wore flip-flops (he still does) through the snow to class and, only when prodded, told engaging tales of he and his knife-wielding high school buddies stalking wild pigs for summertime fun.

So what could be that different or difficult about bringing down a Division I running back cradling a pigskin? For Dizon, not much.

Converted from safety to linebacker in August camp of his freshman season, Dizon immediately proved the prescience of CU's former coaching staff, which wanted him nearer the ball when it was snapped.

Although about 30 pounds short of his current weight (225), the 6-foot Dizon became the only freshman to start for Cabral, who is poised to begin his 19th season as a CU staffer and has a lengthy and luminous list of former Buffs linebackers.

Dizon quickly justified Cabral's faith in him, setting a school freshman record for tackles (82, 51 solo), being named Big 12 freshman of the year by the league's coaches and landing on a number of all- freshman teams.

Dizon's deeds resulted mostly from lateral foot speed and football instinct. He has been among Cabral's surest tacklers and most consistent playmakers, but controlled play wasn't a strong suit.

Cabral recalls Season 1 of the Dizon era thusly: "He showed up and was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, going 1,000 miles an hour until he crashed and burned. He would just run out of fuel emotionally and physically."

No wonder the need for the, ah, halftime needlework. Dizon was stuck in overdrive - really not that bad a gear for an inside linebacker but one obviously requiring frequent maintenance. That has changed.

Said Cabral: "He's learning to play a little calmer and put it in idle because he understands the defense now, how he fits into it and not just his role but the roles of the guys around him - that's the biggest thing."

It has been a big thing for the entire defense. "For everybody on the defense last year, it was know what you do and that's it," Dizon said. "This year, it's know what everyone else does . . . knowing where your help is coming from. That's crucial. Last year, we were just aiming to hit, and who cares where (the ballcarrier) goes.

"Now, it's more of a technical thing for us, turning a runner inside or out. We use a lot more safety help now (and) in run support; knowing which way they're coming is crucial."

Yet in Dizon's development, there also has been another crucial element: He has matured into the type of senior leader Cabral craves.

Making some noise

Upon his arrival for college life on the mainland, Dizon was ultraquiet. Three and half years later, said Brown, a fellow islander (Honolulu) who played against Dizon in high school and roomed with him during their sophomore seasons at CU, the Buffs defense is blessed with an ultravocal leader who can commandeer his teammates' attention in an instant.

"Once he gets acquainted with you, he becomes very vocal," Brown said. "He's the type of guy who kind of pops. He'll usually stay at a certain demeanor, then he reaches the point where he'll get in your face.

"The guys expected him to be a captain; he was an absolutely clear-cut choice. The respect comes from what he's done; there's confidence in him throughout the team."

Although Dizon didn't anticipate such a transformation, he accepts and cherishes the role. He feels he won't be tuned out if he has to call out a teammate.

"Half of leadership is being vocal, saying it when it's supposed to be said," Dizon noted. "This being my senior year, it's time for me to say what's right and what's not. The group of guys we have now is really close. We all respect one another, (and) I know I'm not going to get grief if I point them out."

To Cabral, Dizon has become "a marvelous leader, a guy who's really stepped up during the spring and summer. I couldn't have foreseen it. He's really quiet, humble and doesn't want to draw attention. But he's stepped out of his self and become a leader, and that's just what we need."

Much of what drives Dizon comes from a desire to not disappoint his coaches, a trait Cabral saw in former CU Butkus Award winner Matt Russell. If Dizon believes he has disappointed his coaches, particularly his position coach, he is "very, very hard on himself," Cabral said.

That's mainly because Dizon views Cabral as "my dad away from home. My freshman year, I don't know what I could have done without him. He would tell me to do this or go home. I thank him for it, for pushing me and never letting up.

"Sometimes I'd be like, 'Why are you picking on me?' But he wanted me to be the best I can be. Giving me an extra 10 minutes of film or running me after practice because I'd done something wrong - it all worked out. He knew what he was doing, but I didn't know it at the time."

He knows it now, just as Cabral knows he has produced yet another top-tier 'backer. Dizon is "not as big as some of my (former) guys, but he'll make just as many plays," Cabral said. "But the size of his heart - that will match any of those guys. My hope is for him to stay healthy and enjoy his senior season."

Just keep those halftime IVs flowing.

CU at a glance

• Practices: Conducted on fields north of the Dal Ward Athletics Center, across Boulder Creek. All practices are open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

• Tentative practice dates this week:

Today, 9:45-11:45 a.m. newcomers, 4-6 p.m. veterans; Tuesday, 9:45-11:45 a.m. newcomers, 4-6 p.m. veterans; Wednesday, 9:45-11:45 a.m. newcomers, 4-6 p.m. veterans; 8:45-9:30 p.m. walkthrough for full squad; Thursday, 9:45-11:45 a.m. newcomers, 4-6 p.m. veterans; Friday, 4-6:30 p.m., full squad in pads;

Saturday, 9-11:30 a.m., 4-6 p.m.; Sunday, scrimmage 10 a.m.- noon, 8-9 p.m.

• 2006 record: 2-10 overall, 2-6 (fifth) in Big 12 Conference North Division.

• Opening game: Sept. 1, Colorado State at Invesco Field at Mile High (10 a.m., FSN Rocky Mountain).

• Media's predicted Big 12 finish: Fifth in North Division.

• Preseason to-do list: Name a starting quarterback. Build offensive-line depth and identify two new starters. Find a hard-nosed, load-bearing running back and at least two deep-threat receivers. Identify a defensive end who can rush the passer. Shore up the secondary and all special teams, especially the kicking game.

• Best reasons for optimism: Counting two offseasons, the Buffs have more than a year under their belts in the Dan Hawkins system, which should stabilize them on game day. Plus, overall quarterback play and game management should improve with either Cody Hawkins, below, or Nick Nelson at the position.

Dizon's career statistics

Year Games Plays Tackles UT-AT Total tackles Tackles for loss Sacks

2004 12 597 51-31 82 6 1

2005 12 475 42-19 61 7 3

2006 12 679 80-57 137 11 4

Totals 36 1,751 173-107 280 24 8

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466

Back to Top