University Southern California Trojans
Rich Dimler, Co-Captain of USC Football's 1978 National Champs, Dies
October 02, 2000 | Football
Sept. 30, 2000
RICH DIMLER, CO-CAPTAIN OF USC FOOTBALL'S 1978 NATIONAL CHAMPS, DIES
LOS ANGELES -- Rich Dimler, a two-year starting nose guard for USC in the mid-1970s who was co-captain of the Trojans 1978 national championship team, died of pancreatitis on Saturday (Sept. 30) in Torrance, Calif. He was 44.
Dimler was a four-year (1975-78) letterman at USC under head coaches John McKay and John Robinson. During his career, the Trojans went 39-10, were ranked in the Top 20 each season (the 1978 team finished first in the UPI poll and the 1976 squad was second in the AP and UPI polls), won four bowls (1975 Liberty, 1977 Rose, 1977 Bluebonnet and 1979 Rose), and beat rivals UCLA and Notre Dame three times each.
As a senior in 1978, he was an Academic All-American first team pick and an All-Pac-10 first teamer, as well as being USC's Defensive MVP. He played in the 1978 East-West Shrine Game.
A fifth round selection of the Cleveland Browns in 1979, he played a year each with the Browns (1979) and Green Bay Packers (1980), then was with the Philadelphia Stars and Los Angeles Express of the USFL.
A native of Bayonne, N.J., he owned a trucking and air freight delivery business in Inglewood, Calif., for the past 15 years.
He is survived by his wife, Tracy.
A viewing will be held on Friday (Oct. 6) from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Green Hills Mortuary in Rancho Palos Verdes (27501 So. Western Ave.), followed by a memorial service on Saturday (Oct. 7) at 1 p.m.
