Former Eagles great Dawkins calls it quits

Brian Dawkins has decided to call it a career after 16 brilliant seasons as a safety in the NFL.

Dawkins, who spent 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles and played his last three seasons with the Denver Broncos, made the announcement on his Twitter feed.

"The Lord has blessed me to play in the NFL for 16 years," Dawkins wrote. "I would like to thank the Eagles & the Broncos 4 believing In me. I would like 2 thank all my teammates & Coaches that I have been blessed 2 go to battle with. Along with u, the fans 4 helping make my career 1 that i have enjoyed tremendously. In other words. I am announcing my retirement from the NFL."

Dawkins was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and finished his career with 37 interceptions, 624 tackles, 26 sacks and 28 forced fumbles. He played in one Super Bowl with Philadelphia after the 2004 season.

The 38-year-old Clemson product appeared in 14 games for the Broncos last season, starting 12, but was bothered by a neck injury that forced him to miss each of Denver's two playoff games in January.

The Eagles will honor Dawkins on Sept. 30 at Lincoln Financial Field.

 "The NFL will miss a player as talented, ferocious, and determined as Brian Dawkins," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "He was one of the most dedicated and hardest working players I have ever coached.

"Whether it was on the practice field, the film room or the weight room, Brian always put in the extra hours it took to become the star player that he was. And he transferred all of that and more onto the field on Sundays. He poured everything he could into doing whatever was best for his teammates and this organization. He was the unquestioned leader of our defense. He will go down as one of the greatest Eagles of all-time and I have no doubt we'll be celebrating his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I wish he, his wife Connie, and his family all of the best during the next phase of their lives."