A career worth celebrating: Gehrig Dieter's South Bend Washington football jersey retired

SOUTH BEND — When Gehrig Dieter planned his jersey retirement ceremony with South Bend Washington athletic director Garland Hudson, there was only one food he wanted to have: Barnaby's Pizza.

You can take the boy — now a 29-year-old former NFL football player with a wife and two kids — out of South Bend, but you can't take South Bend out of the boy.

"I'm a big pizza guy," Dieter said ahead of Friday's South Bend Washington football game against South Bend Riley. "Barnaby's, you can't go wrong."

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Dieter, who now lives in Olathe, Kan., said he tries to stop by his favorite childhood pizza shop on East Jefferson Street near downtown every time he is back home. As a wideout with the Panthers from 2009-12, Dieter dominated the local gridiron, finishing with 4,336 receiving yards, setting multiple Indiana High School football state records that still stand. He also scored 50 touchdowns for Washington, all but one receiving.

Dieter went on to play college ball at Southern Methodist and Bowling Green where he caught 94 passes for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior in 2015.

The following year Dieter transferred to play for Nick Saban at Alabama. There he played in 13 games, collecting 15 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns. The Crimson Tide — with a roster that included future NFL stars Jalen Hurts, Calvin Ridley, Irv Smith Jr., Rashann Evans and Trevon Diggs — wend on to advance to the College Football Playoff Championship where they lost 35-31, when Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson scored a touchdown with one second left.

Dieter played in both the Peach Bowl semifinal vs. Washington, where he caught a 10-yard pass, and in the title game. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, becoming a valued member of the practice squad and playing in 10 games over five seasons, including a playoff game. He caught two NFL passes for 32 yards.

Starting with Alabama, Dieter was grateful to be around legendary coaches in Saban and Kansas City's Andy Reid.

"Saban, he is one of the best college coaches of all time," Dieter said. "Even going into the NFL with coach Reid, he is one of the top five coaches of all time. Just to have that experience and see how they interact with guys and can change the culture, for me that was awesome to see."

That's why he returned Friday for his first Washington football game since graduating in 2012 — to celebrate his achievements and commemorate a historic career.

"To be here is a little bit different with the turf and stuff (at TCU School Field), but it brings back all of those good memories," Dieter said. "We had a lot of fun playing. Obviously my senior year we had a good team, which was a lot of fun."

Dieter was All-State as a senior and named a 2012 Parade All-American while setting a national record for most receiving yards in a single game (437) and an Indiana record for career receiving yards.

The Panthers advanced to the 2011 4A state championship, losing 42-7 to Indianapolis Cathedral.

"That was the first time in 35 years Washington has been to that game," Dieter said. "Obviously we couldn't pull it off, but just to get there with that team. For me it was cool to get there and obviously wished we pulled that off."

This trip back was even more special because Dieter had a chance to talk with this year's Panthers, as he tries to do every time he returns home, and gave each player a pair of green and white gloves, donated by his former teammate, NFL wideout Tyreek Hill, now with the Miami Dolphins.

"I let them know they are in a good spot and have an opportunity to do something with their lives," Dieter said. "I just try to be an example to them, come out, give a positive message and hopefully it resonates with some people."

Hundreds of Washington fans were given a green t-shirt with Dieter's No. 4 on it to celebrate. A screen with his high school, college and NFL highlights played as he sat at a table signing autographs.

More:South Bend Washington alum Gehrig Dieter celebrates Super Bowl title with Chiefs teammates

At halftime, Dieter and his family ran through a fan tunnel made by Navarre middle school players, leading him to midfield, where his high school jersey sat enclosed in a frame for nobody to wear again.

Then, Dieter and his high school quarterback Daigien Morgan, recreated a 50-yard touchdown pass down the far sideline of the field.

One last touchdown for the Washington faithful. One last touchdown for Dieter's football life.

Dieter, who is good friends with MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was waived by the Chiefs in May and knew he was ready for the next phase of his life when a tryout with the New York Giants didn't go as planned.

"I have two kids, so I wasn’t going to be the type of guy that went to five teams and kept trying out," he said. "I feel like I could have made a team eventually, but for me, I would rather be hanging out with the family in Kansas City."

Dieter and his family have bought a house in the Kansas City area and began a new career with the pickleball company, "Chicken N' Pickle." The tackles and touchdowns? He can live without now.

"I'm having fun, enjoying it," Dieter said. "... And haven’t missed football."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Washington honors Gehrig Dieter high school football career