ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale . -- Brian Dawkins says his head told him to retire, not his neck. The veteran safety called Denver Broncos coach John Fox on Monday morning to tell him that after plenty of prayer and reflection, hed decided that 16 seasons in the NFL was enough. Then, Dawkins announced his retirement on Twitter, where he quickly began trending as fans worldwide expressed their admiration for the mild-mannered family man who transformed himself into a ferocious football player on Sundays. Well-known by his alter-ego "Wolverine," and for his passionate, energetic play for 13 years in Philadelphia and three in Denver, Dawkins was one of the greatest to ever play his position, and nobody played safety in the NFL longer than he did. Dawkins, 38, said he felt he had another year left in him after recovering from a serious neck injury that sidelined him for the stretch run and playoffs last season. But he instead fulfilled one final wish from his NFL bucket list: walking away from the game he loves before being betrayed by a battered body or one too many trips around the sun. "Its probably going to sound crazy, but you know the fact that I could play another year gave me a lot of peace to say that this is it," Dawkins said. Broncos boss John Elway said he wanted Dawkins to play in 2012 but never pressured him to return. "Its always tough to take that final step," Elway said. "Hell be missed. He did so many tremendous things for the Broncos, not only on the field, but his leadership off the field was something that well always be grateful for." Dawkins said the off-season additions of quarterback Peyton Manning and defensive co-ordinator Jack Del Rio forced him to pray a little longer on his future. He insisted his neck didnt enter the equation, though. He said the nerve had regenerated and he was fine. "My body feels good. It really does. My neck, that nerve area is cool, nothings wrong with it," he said. "My strength is back where it was and my knees, things dont ache like they do during the season when Im walking up and down the steps." Dawkins said he felt great peace over his decision. Dawkins said he wasnt sure whether hed sign a one-day deal with his old team to ceremoniously retire from the team that drafted him in the second round out of Clemson in 1996, but one things for sure: hes staying in Denver, where he hopes to help coach high school football in the fall. "Ill raise my kids here," he said. "This is a beautiful spot." He also has a soft spot in his heart for Philly, where he plans to meet with the media on Saturday. For 13 years, he was the heart and soul of the Eagles defence. "The NFL will miss a player as talented, ferocious, and determined as Brian Dawkins," Eagles 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." Dawkins finished his career in Philadelphia in 2008 as the franchises leader in games played (183) and interceptions (34) while spearheading a defence that made the Eagles perennial championship contenders. "Brian Dawkins is one of my all-time favourite players and one of the best to ever put on an Eagles uniform," team owner Jeffrey Lurie said. "On the field, in many ways, Brian re-invented the safety position. He had the speed and athleticism to line up against the games best receivers, and was equally effective in the run game. His love for the game was infectious and he poured his entire heart and soul into everything he was doing from the moment he entered the stadium until he left. "Everyone who ever watched Brian play saw that and it was impossible not to love that about him." The Eagles announced they would honour Dawkins at their Sept. 30 game against the New York Giants, and the Broncos have plans to do the same at a later date. Longevity isnt normally associated with the position where the hardest hits are both received and delivered -- the only other safeties to log 16 seasons in the pros were Hall of Famer Paul Krause and Eugene Robinson. Dawkins was named to several All-Pro teams and the NFLs All-Decade team of the 2000s and he made nine Pro Bowls, including last season as an alternate. Dawkins finished his career with 17 fumble recoveries, 26 sacks, 37 interceptions, 42 forced fumbles and 98 pass breakups. His 42 forced fumbles are the most ever by a defensive back in the NFL. "Brian Dawkins is one of the best to ever play the game, a future Hall of Famer who changed the way his position is played," Fox said. "In many ways, he helped my job as a coach with his great leadership and preparation. He brought so much to the table and was such an enormous asset to our football team." As a member of the NFLPA executive committee, Dawkins pushed for new league rules that limited full contact during camp and also in the regular season. He credited those changes in the 10-year labour pact reached last summer with keeping him fresh at the beginning of what turned out to be his final season, which he played a year after labouring through sprains to both knees. What he was really fighting for, he said, was the next generation of players who will one day walk away from the game in better shape than he could. It was one last piece of his long legacy. "I just hope that people will remember me as someone that went out and gave everything that he could every week," Dawkins said. "Not just the weekend or the day of the game, but every week ... and that my teammates could count on me to be there all of the time. Not some of the times, not most of the times." One tweet in response to Dawkins retirement announcement came from Elway himself, who wrote, "Congratulations on a Hall of Fame career, Dawk!!!" Hell be eligible for enshrinement in 2017. "If thats something that happens, that will be a blessing," Dawkins said. "I never entered into the NFL saying that, you know, Im going to be a Hall of Famer. I know some guys do that; I just wasnt one of them. I mean, that wasnt my mindset. I did not enter the league saying I want to play 16 years. None of these things were in my mind." Cheap Jerseys NFL . Nadal broke the Slovak twice in a first set that lasted 50 minutes, before finally overpowering Lacko to take the second in just over half an hour and wrap up the match. 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But as he is quickly finding out going into the London 2012 Olympic Games, his chase of history this time around has potential pitfalls all around it.ANTIGONISH, N.S. -- The St. FX X-Women avenged their shutout loss to Guelph in last years national final with a convincing 37-0 victory over the Gryphons in the gold-medal match of the 2012 Canadian university womens rugby championship Sunday. Playing in front of a partisan home crowd of over 5,000 blue-and-white-clad fans, the X-Women led 5-0 at halftime but exploding for 32 points after the break en route to the third CIS title in school history. The 15-time AUS conference champions were playing in a remarkable fifth straight CIS final, and their sixth in the last seven years. The X-Women were defeated 28-0 by Guelph in the 2011 title match. St. FX captain Asya Bartley scored the lone try of the first half in the 17th minute before Tyson Beukeboom, Lisa Gauthier, with two, Tina Haansen, Amanda Thornborough and Allie Munroe added second-half tries, while Magali Harvey contributed a convert. Cheap Jerseys. Beukeboom, a three-time AUS player of the year and three-time all-Canadian from Uxbridge, Ont., was named tournament MVP, while Thornborough earned game-MVP honours. St. FX head coach Mike Cavanagh, named CIS coach of the year before the tournament, said the final score was deceiving. "It was tough. I dont think the score shows how good Guelph really played. The first half was touch-and-go right until the break," said Cavanagh, whose team finished the season a perfect 13-0. "Guelph played like the champions they are, so it was a tough game." In the bronze-medal game, the Alberta Pandas defeated the Concordia Stingers 34-15. ' ' '