The NFL community has suffered a devastating loss. On December 3rd, at the age of 62, former UTEP football coach Dana Dimel passed away in his sleep. Everyone was taken aback when the news of his passing became public. NFL legends, players, and fans have all expressed their sympathies on his demise. One of Dimel’s former prominent students has also expressed sympathies. Surprisingly enough, this student is Rob Gronkowski.

The former tight end took to Instagram to share a story about Dana Dimel. Gronkowski reposted an IG post on the football legend’s death, captioning it “RIP Coach.” While fans echoed his feelings, they also had questions. The questions and confusion were regarding when exactly Dimel was Rob’s coach. Gronkowski played for only two teams in his career, and Dana Dimel was nowhere near his team’s coaching squad. So, when did he coach the former player?

Let’s rewind a little. Rob Gronkowski played college football before becoming a household name in the NFL. In 2008, he played for the Arizona Wildcats, and that was when Dana Dimel was the team’s coach. If you recall, Dimel joined the squad in 2005 as Arizona’s tight ends coach and subsequently became the run game coordinator from 2006 to 2008.

Dimel took a significant stride forward in 2008 when he was appointed as the team’s associate head coach. This year, the team’s win-loss record was 8-5, which was significant for the Wildcats. But why? The team finally had a respectable record after ten years. In the 2008 roaster, future NFL gem Rob Gronkowski was also present. This was the hidden meaning of that coach word in Gronk’s story.

Aside from Rob, many others also mourned the loss of Dana Dimel. Among those was Illinois’ current head coach.

Bret Bielema also mourns Dimel’s passing

Bret Bielema is someone who was extremely close to Dana Dimel till his last season. They each spent a significant amount of time designing the offensive strategy for their collegiate squad. Bielema said that when he learned the news, he was both astonished and saddened. It was not only a loss for Dimel’s family but for the whole college football community.

Bielema stated, “Today is a difficult day for college football and our Illini family. Dana was an exceptional person, husband, father, friend, and football coach. He affected the lives of countless coaches, players, and staff members for more than three decades in college football.”

Bret Bielema, like Rob Gronkowski, recognized how talented Dimel was as a coach. In his condolence speech, he also expressed gratitude for this. Sharing how much he learned from his late coach, Bielema said, “His influence on our program was incredible to witness and be a part of. His infectious positive energy had a major impact on me, our players, and everyone in our building every day.” This only goes to show the vast impact Dimel had on everyone around him.

We extend our condolences to the Dimel family. May his soul rest in peace.