NFL · Biography
Dede Westbrook
Wide receiver / return specialist · No club · retired · OU 2015-2016
Biletnikoff winner whose comeback story started in a hospital bed
Dede Westbrook grew up in Cameron, Texas, and starred at C.H. Yoe High School as a receiver and defensive back, catching 116 passes for 1,670 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also excelled in basketball and track. Then a ruptured intestine early in his senior season put him in the hospital for over a month, and many recruiters walked away.
Westbrook didn't quit. He went to Blinn College, where he broke out with 1,471 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, then transferred to Oklahoma. In 2015 he started all 13 games. In 2016 he became a superstar, leading the Big 12 with 1,524 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns, setting a school record with 232 receiving yards against Texas, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver, and finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft, and he played in Jacksonville through 2020 as a receiver and return man. He then played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and spent time on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad in 2022.
Westbrook is now a former NFL player, and his journey remains one of the great comeback stories in Sooner history.