Diondre Overton (April 19, 1998 – September 7, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver. After playing college football for the Clemson Tigers, he spent time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Vienna Vikings, Philadelphia Stars, Pittsburgh Maulers, and Memphis Showboats.
 Overton with the Philadelphia Stars | |
| No. 5, 14, 16 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 19, 1998 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died: | September 7, 2024 (aged 26) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Page (Greensboro) |
| College: | Clemson (2016–2019) |
| Undrafted: | 2020 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Early life and college
editOverton was born on April 19, 1998, in Greensboro, North Carolina.[1] He attended Walter Hines Page Senior High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he competed in football and basketball.[2] As a junior, he averaged 14.6 points per game in basketball and made 31 catches for 577 yards in football.[3] As a senior in football, he made 78 receptions for 1,251 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.[3] He was the number four overall prospect in the state according to 247Sports.[4]
Overton committed to Clemson University over offers from NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.[3][5] As a freshman in 2016, he made two catches for 48 yards and scored a touchdown on his first career reception.[3][6] In 2017, Overton played in 14 games and made 14 catches for 178 yards.[3] As a junior in 2018, he caught 14 passes and scored three touchdowns while gaining 199 yards in 14 games.[3]
As a senior in 2019, Overton recorded 22 catches for 352 yards and scored three touchdowns, appearing in 15 games with five starts. He was voted a team captain and was an Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.[3] In a win against Boston College, he tied the school record with three touchdown catches, making a career-high 119 yards to earn offensive player of the game and Atlantic Coast Conference receiver of the week honors.[3][7]
Overton won two national championships at Clemson (in 2016 and 2018), and finished his college career with 52 catches for 777 yards and seven touchdowns.[3][8]
Professional career
editAfter spending 2020 out of football, Overton was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in June 2021.[9] He was released shortly afterwards.[10]
In November 2021, Overton was signed by the Vienna Vikings of the European League of Football.[10]
Overton was selected by the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL) in the 16th round of the 2022 USFL draft.[11] He was ruled inactive for the game against the Tampa Bay Bandits on May 21, 2022, with a hamstring strain.[12][13]
On October 4, 2023, Overton signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL.[14] The Maulers folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[15]
On January 5, 2024, Overton was selected by the Memphis Showboats during the 2024 UFL dispersal draft.[16]
Statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2022 | PHI | 6 | 5 | 12 | 200 | 16.7 | 41 | 3 |
| 2023 | PHI | 10 | 9 | 30 | 333 | 11.1 | 37 | 2 |
| 2024 | MEM | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Career | 16 | 14 | 45 | 566 | 12.6 | 41 | 5 | |
Death
editOn September 7, 2024, Overton was shot and killed while attending a party in Greensboro. He was 26 years old.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ "Diondre Overton". Canadian Football League.
- ^ Sayles, Damon (May 14, 2015). "Diondre Overton Balancing Life, College Choices as a 2-Sport Star Athlete". Bleacher Report.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Diondre Overton". Clemson Tigers. June 21, 2016.
- ^ "Four-star receiver Diondre Overton to announce choice at Semper Fi game". USA Today. January 2, 2016.
- ^ Webster, Danny (January 4, 2016). "Diondre Overton to Clemson: Tigers Land 4-Star WR Prospect". Bleacher Report.
- ^ Hope, Dan (September 19, 2016). "The Play: Diondre Overton scores on first career catch". Independent Mail.
- ^ Hall, Christopher (June 8, 2020). "2019 Recap: Overton's Hat Trick Guides Clemson Past Boston College". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Nakos, Pete (June 2021). "Tigers Today: Former Clemson national champ Diondre Overton signs CFL deal". on3.com.
- ^ "Former Clemson wide receiver signs with CFL team". theclemsoninsider.com. June 29, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Malchow, Alex (November 28, 2021). "ELF: Vienna Vikings sign former Clemson WR Diondre Overton". americanfootballinternational.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Durham, Andy (February 23, 2022). "WR Diondre Overton (Page HS/Clemson) selected by the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL Draft". Greensboro Sports. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ @USFLStars (May 21, 2022). "Roster updates for today's game vs Tampa Bay" (Tweet). Retrieved May 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ @USFLStars (May 20, 2022). "Game Status Report" (Tweet). Retrieved May 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Larsen, James (October 4, 2023). "Pittsburgh Maulers Sign WR Diondre Overton In USFL Free Agency". USFL Newsroom. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Seifert, Kevin (January 1, 2024). "Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "UFL Dispersal Draft Results for Former XFL, USFL Teams". Sports Illustrated UFL on FanNation News, Analysis and More. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "Philadelphia Stars Team Stats". foxsports.com. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Diondre Overton Stats". FootballDB.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Raynor, Grace (September 7, 2024). "Former Clemson WR Diondre Overton dies at 26". The New York Times.
- ^ Smith, Rebecca (September 8, 2024). "Clemson Alumnus Killed in Shooting; Deputies Investigating, Guilford County Sheriff's Office Says". WXII-TV. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
Further reading
edit- Keepfer, Scott (April 17, 2020). "Overlooked and Underrated? Former Clemson Receiver Diondre Overton Makes His NFL Bid". The Greenville News. Greenville, SC.
- Needleman, Joshua (October 28, 2019). "Clemson receiver glad he didn't transfer: 'I was hoping and praying for a night like this'". The Post and Courier. Charleston, SC.
- Sirera, Joe (January 10, 2020). "Overton Stayed the Course at Clemson". News & Record.