MONTREAL — Dahrran Diedrick, a running back who starred at Nebraska and won three Grey Cups during a 10-year career in the Canadian Football League, died Saturday. He was 44.
The cause of death was cancer, The Associated Press reported.
The Montreal Alouettes, who won two Grey Cups with Diedrick in the backfield, confirmed the player’s death through his family, according to the news organization.
In a statement, Anthony Calvillo, the Alouettes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, said that Diedrick was a key member of the team.
“I won two championships with Dahrran and he was a very important piece of our team,” Calvillo, who played quarterback for Montreal and was a teammate of Dahrran for eight years, said in a statement. “He was always in a good mood and got along with everyone in our dressing room. He leaves us far too young.”
Diedrick was born in Jamaica and raised in Toronto, according to the AP. The 6-foot, 225-pounder was the first Canadian scholarship recruit to play for Nebraska. In 2001, he started for the Cornhuskers as a junior, rushing for a Big 12-leading 1,299 yards and 15 touchdowns, according to Sports-Reference.com.
As a senior, Diedrick helped Nebraska reach the national championship game at the 2002 Rose Bowl, a 37-14 loss to the University of Miami, the AP reported.
The university called Diedrick “a key role in Nebraska’s Big 12-leading rushing offense in 2002,” according to KETV.
“It’s really sad,” former Nebraska coach Frank Solich told the AP. “Great kid. Huge heart in everything he did. I enjoyed being around him, I enjoyed coaching him and I think the players enjoyed being around him. He was a warrior.
“The perfect I-back to have a fullback in front of you. You could run I formation all day long with that combination. He was a true I-formation tailback. He’d give you everything he had.”
Diedrick played his lone game in the NFL with Washington in 2004. The following year he joined Edmonton in the CFL, where he won his first Grey Cup.
In 2006, Diedrick joined the Montreal and played for the Alouettes through 2013. He won Grey Cups in Montreal in 2009 and 2010, the AP reported.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends, family, and former coaches and teammates of Dahrran Diedrick during this difficult time,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie tweeted. “Another life tragically cut short by cancer.”
Diedrick ran for 872 yards on 179 carries over 130 CFL regular-season games with six touchdowns, according to the AP.