From ‘told I wasn’t good enough’ to solid 10-year run, Gamecock great retires from NFL
Patrick DiMarco came to South Carolina in 2007 as a two-star recruit, playing a fullback position considered increasingly irrelevant in modern football.
He retired from the NFL on Thursday after playing more than 115 games on the professional level, earning Pro Bowl honors and making more than $10 million.
DiMarco made the announcement on social media, putting out a lengthy statement reflecting on his career.
“What an amazing 10-year journey it has been from an undrafted free agent and being told I wasn’t good enough by 3 teams in my first 3 years to finishing up a captain, NFC champ, union leader, Pro Bowler, All-Pro, Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award recipient, Atlanta Falcons All-Decade team... Man, God is soo, soo good!” DiMarco wrote.
DiMarco was a two-time team captain at South Carolina, playing tight end and fullback over the course of four seasons under coach Steve Spurrier. In that time, he played in 52 games, catching 38 passes for 302 yards and six touchdowns, rushing 11 times for 34 yards and working as the lead blocker for the likes of Mike Davis and Marcus Lattimore. He also contributed on special teams.
Coming out of USC, DiMarco went undrafted in the NFL and had brief stints with the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs before finally catching on with the Atlanta Falcons.
As a member of the Falcons, DiMarco had his finest season in 2015, going to his first Pro Bowl and earning second-team All-Pro honors as he caught 13 passes for 110 yards and two scores. In 2016, he made it to the Super Bowl with Atlanta before losing to the New England Patriots — and one of his former Gamecock teammates in cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
In 2017, DiMarco signed a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, where he was once more named a team captain. This past season, he was placed on the injured reserve with a neck injury during training camp, then released several days later through an injury settlement.
“To all the fans out there of all the teams I had the pleasure of strapping up for, thank you!” DiMarco wrote in his announcement. “I felt the love every time I ran out of that tunnel and I want you to know that I wore your jersey every chance I had with so much pride! Gamecock Nation, Falcons fans and Bills Mafia, it was an honor to represent your state and cities!
“From a 10-year-old kid dreaming of being Mike Alstott to playing fullback for 10 years in the National Football League, I am a testament for all the youth to pursue your dreams with everything you’ve got and don’t let the critics and doubters tell you what you can’t do and instead show them what you can do! Humble and Hungry for Chapter 2!”
DiMarco recently returned to Columbia in the past few days to visit the Gamecocks’ football operations building and visit with new head coach Shane Beamer, who was an assistant during DiMarco’s time at USC. In an image posted to social media by the program, he called the building an “NFL facility.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 5:05 PM.
