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The sign greeting visitors at 闯辞谤诲辞苍听顿颈锄辞苍鈥檚 Colorado home exudes tropical聽warmth. 鈥淎loha,鈥� it says.聽

The trademark Hawaiian salutation聽means both hello and goodbye, but聽Dizon (Econ鈥�08), a Hawaii native, said聽it鈥檚 more than a greeting or farewell: It聽conveys an attitude about the future.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just 鈥榞oodbye,鈥� it鈥檚 鈥業鈥檒l see you聽soon,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a sign of love and聽respect towards another.鈥澛�

For Dizon 鈥� one of CU鈥檚 best聽defensive football players of the past聽25 years 鈥� living the optimistic 鈥榓loha鈥櫬爏pirit has served him well.聽

Two seasons after entering the NFL as聽a second-round draft pick of the Detroit聽Lions, the former All-American linebacker聽blew out his knee, ending a promising聽pro career after 28 games.聽

Rather than lament his misfortune, he聽seized an opportunity: A week later, he enrolled聽in EMT classes and began pursuing聽life in a different uniform 鈥� a 聽firefighter鈥檚.聽

In some ways, becoming a firefighter聽was more of a challenge for Dizon 鈥� the聽2007 runner-up for the Butkus award for聽the nation鈥檚 best college linebacker 鈥斅爐han landing a NFL roster spot.聽

In California, where he and wife聽Chelsea Haverty Dizon (Jour鈥�09)聽lived in the off-season, there were then聽about 1,800 applicants for every firefighting聽opening, he said.聽

But he kept after it and, in 2012, after聽returning to Hawaii and briefly managing聽a hotel, joined the Kauai County Fire聽Department in his hometown.聽

鈥淢y mom has been a cop for 30 years,鈥澛爏aid Dizon, who 聽came to CU from the聽westernmost high school in the United聽States. 鈥淚鈥檝e always found public service聽very interesting. When you play football聽there鈥檚 always that competitive side and聽camaraderie that you like about sports.聽When you鈥檙e done, you try to find something聽to fill that competitive 聽void.鈥�

Firefighting lived up to his expectations.聽

鈥淲hen you run into a burning building,聽you don鈥檛 know what to expect,鈥� he said.鈥淎nything and everything can happen鈥β燭here鈥檚 no other rush like it. You want to do聽good and you want to help people鈥� And it is聽an incredible feeling not only to do it, 聽but to聽do it with your friends and work as a team to聽accomplish something greater than yourself.鈥澛�

The next step, Dizon decided, was聽becoming a Colorado firefighter.聽

鈥淲hen I went to college in Boulder, I聽felt like that鈥檚 where I grew as a man and聽as a person, and it kind of became home
to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I had to come back to聽Colorado. I missed everything about it.鈥澛�

As in California, the competition for聽Colorado firefighting jobs was fierce. He聽spent a year applying to departments聽around the state before he was offered a聽job in Greeley 鈥� after seven rounds of聽interviews there.聽

He liked firefighting. Then the Broncos called.聽

鈥淚t was probably one of the most聽eye-opening experiences I had in my life,鈥澛燚izon said of joining Greeley鈥檚 department聽in 2014, after two years in Kauai.聽鈥淲hen I was in Hawaii as a firefighter, it聽wasn鈥檛 a busy department, so there weren鈥檛聽a lot of calls. When I got to Greeley, it was
somewhat overwhelming, the amount of聽calls that we had.鈥澛�

There were house fires, car fires, oil聽fires, medical calls 鈥� 鈥渆very type of incident聽known to man,鈥� he said.聽

Dizon loved it.聽

But it turned out the NFL wasn鈥檛聽finished with him.聽

Dizon had been in Greeley less than聽a year when the Denver Broncos came聽calling in the form of Matt Russell聽(Comm鈥�96), another former CU defensive聽star. Russell was the Broncos鈥� director of聽player personnel, and the Broncos had an聽opening for a scout. Was Dizon interested?聽

Curious but conflicted, Dizon agreed聽to meet with the team. When he did, he聽found himself face to face with John Elway.聽

鈥淚 kind of had to take the job,鈥� said聽Dizon, now a Broncos scout focused聽on evaluating current NFL players聽and free agents.聽

A benefit of joining the Broncos was聽that Dizon could return to the NFL聽without going too far from his new firefighting聽chums in Greeley. He鈥檇 still be聽in Colorado 鈥� a fine place to be for the聽2015-16 season.聽

Said Dizon, 鈥淭here鈥檚 no better way to聽put it than, 鈥業鈥檓 part of football and we聽just won a Super Bowl.鈥欌�澛�

Photo by Glenn Asakawa