Dineen and Wise set to represent Kansas at the East-West Shrine Game
LAWRENCE, Kan.- Two Kansas football greats will be representing the Jayhawks on at the East-West Shrine Game as linebacker Joe Dineen Jr., and defensive lineman Daniel Wise will be taking part in the contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (CT), at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida on Saturday Jan. 19. The game will air on the NFL Network with both Jayhawks suiting up for the West Team.
Dineen was named to The Sporting News All-America Second Team, he also picked up Second Team recognition from the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated.
A Lawrence, Kansas native, Dineen led the Big 12 Conference in tackles for the second-consecutive year—just the second player in conference history to do so joining Texas Tech’s Lawrence Flugence (2001, 2002, 2003). Dineen turned in a career-best 147 tackles, which ranks sixth on KU’s single-season chart. His 12.3 stops per game in 2018 also ranks fourth in the FBS.
For the second-straight season, Dineen also led the FBS and the Big 12 Conference in solo tackles with 108 during his senior campaign. Dineen collected 11 tackles-for-loss in 2018, giving him a KU-record 45.5 in his career, making him both the single-season TFL record-holder (25.0 in 2017) and career record-holder. Additionally, Dineen’s 391 career-tackles rank fourth in Kansas history.
Dineen was honored by the league coaches as a first-team member for the first time in his career after earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2017. He was tabbed Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice during his senior season. Dineen is currently a Senior CLASS Award finalist. He was a Jason Witten Man of the Year semifinalist and a Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist after picking up its weekly award one time this season and being a weekly award nominee three other weeks. He was named Midseason First Team All-America by Sports Illustrated, an Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree and a finalist for the Pop Warner Little Scholars Collegiate Player of the Year.
A native of Lewisville, Texas, Wise led the Jayhawk defense with 12.5 TFLs in 2018. His career total of 44.0 tackles behind the line scrimmage rank second in KU history, just 1.5 behind Dineen.
Wise led KU in sacks in 2018 with 5.0, while he added five quarterback hurries and 34 total tackles as a senior. In addition to concluding his career at Kansas ranked second in TFLs, Wise ranks sixth in sacks with 18.5. His 16.0 TFLs in 2017 rank 10th in KU single-season history, while his 7.0 sacks in 2017 also rank 10th on KU’s single-season charts.
Wise earned All-Big 12 First Team honors by both the conference coaches and the Associated Press in 2018. He also was tabbed All-Big 12 First Team by the league coaches in 2017.
Dineen and Wise become the 53rd and 54th players in KU history invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game. Safety Fish Smithson was the last Jayhawk to do so, taking part in the 2017 contest.
The East-West Shrine Game is the longest running college all-star football game in the nation with the 2019 edition marking its 94th year. The East-West Shrine Game is an important part of America’s football tradition, giving top college players a chance to showcase their talents to NFL scouts and a national television audience. As members of the West Team, Dineen and Wise will be coached by Minnesota Vikings linebacker’s coach Adam Zimmer.
The East-West Shrine Game benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children and its mission to provide advanced care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families’ ability to pay for services.
Players and coaches visit a local Shriners Hospitals for Children during game week to meet the patients and gain a greater understanding of the importance of the game. During the inspirational and humbling visit, the teams experience a day they will never forget. Whether dancing to music, playing games or simply sharing stories with one another, the instant friendships that form between the patients and players are a testament to our motto of being more than just a game.
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