Corey Dillon

Corey James Dillon was born on October 24, 1974, and played running back in the NFL for a decade, suiting up for the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots. He played his college ball at the University of Washington, where he earned third-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 1996. The Bengals picked him in the second round of the 1997 draft.

Over seven seasons in Cincinnati, Dillon set multiple franchise records and earned three straight Pro Bowl nods. He spent his final three seasons with the Patriots, making a fourth Pro Bowl and winning Super Bowl XXXIX. He retired with over 11,000 rushing yards, ranking 21st all-time. In 2024, he was inducted into the Bengals Ring of Honor.

Dillon grew up in Seattle and attended Franklin High School, where he and his cousin Ed Raiford formed one of the state’s top duos on the football team. Both earned Parade, USA, Best In The West, and Tom Flemming All-American honors. They also excelled in other sports—Raiford was an All-State basketball player, while Dillon starred as a baseball catcher, earning All-Metro recognition and getting drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1993.

He began his college career at Garden City Community College in Kansas, rushing for 1,165 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1994. The next year, at Dixie State College (now Utah Tech University) in Utah, he ran for 1,899 yards and 20 touchdowns on 279 carries, earning JC Offensive Back of the Year from College Sports magazine. In his lone season at Washington in 1996, Dillon used a punishing running style to set team single-season records with 1,695 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns.

He led the nation with 22 rushing touchdowns and 138 points. In a November game against San Jose State, he rushed for 222 yards and caught an 83-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter alone, setting NCAA records for rushing yards and all-purpose yards (305) in a quarter. He didn’t return after the first quarter as Washington led 25–0, eventually winning 53–10. In the 1996 Holiday Bowl against Colorado, he ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns, adding to his regular-season total of 23.

He scored five touchdowns in a 41–21 win over UCLA, earning Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week after rushing for 145 yards and adding 53 receiving yards.

The Bengals took Dillon with the 43rd overall pick in the 1997 draft. In his first season, he rushed 39 times for 246 yards and four touchdowns in a 41–14 win over the Tennessee Oilers, breaking Jim Brown’s rookie single-game record that had stood for 40 years. That performance remains a Bengals rookie record for carries, yards, and touchdowns, and a franchise record for touchdowns. His 1,129 rushing yards that year is still a Bengals rookie mark.

For six seasons, Dillon was a rare bright spot on struggling Bengals teams, and he voiced his frustration after a 2001 game, saying, “We will never win with the Brown family in Cincinnati.” From 1997 to 2002, he topped 1,000 rushing yards each season and made the Pro Bowl from 1999 to 2001. On October 22, 2000, he set an NFL record with 278 rushing yards in a game against the Denver Broncos, breaking Walter Payton’s single-game mark of 275 yards.

That record later fell to Jamal Lewis (295 yards) and Adrian Peterson (296 yards), but Dillon’s 12.64 yards per carry that game remains a franchise record. In 2003, injuries limited him to 138 carries for 541 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2004, the Bengals traded Dillon to the Patriots for a second-round pick, which Cincinnati used to select Madieu Williams. That season, Dillon set career highs and franchise records with 1,635 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was key in New England’s playoff win over the Indianapolis Colts, rushing for 144 yards and catching five passes for 17 yards. The Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX, with Dillon leading all rushers with 75 yards and a touchdown, plus three catches for 31 yards, totaling 106 yards.

Over three postseason games, he ran for 292 yards, caught nine passes for 53 yards, and scored two touchdowns. In 2005, injuries limited him to 733 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games, but he was used more as a receiver, catching 23 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown—more receiving yards than his previous two seasons combined. In 2006, he shared carries with rookie Laurence Maroney, finishing with 812 rushing yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, tied for third in the league. With Curtis Martin’s retirement, Dillon entered that season as the NFL’s active leader in career rushing yards.

The Patriots released Dillon on March 2, 2007. He later told the Boston Globe in August that he was retiring.