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Stefon Diggs: A True GC Legend

Izzy Graham ‘23, Staff Writer|February 25, 2021

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School has a remarkable sports program that has produced some top-notch athletes. NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Class of 2012, is no different. The Bills wide receiver is considered by many to be one of the best receivers in the NFL.

Stefon Mar’sean Diggs was born on November 29, 1993, in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He attended Our Lady of Good Counsel from 2008-2012, where he played football and ran track, going on to have an awe-inspiring career in the NFL. His single mother raised Diggs after his father died, but he overcame these obstacles and eventually attended the University of Maryland (UMD). From the time he was a teenager, he has had talent, and coaches always knew he had a bright future ahead of him.

Fast Facts (High School and College)

Had 770 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, and 277 rushing yards in his senior year
Selected to the All-Metro first team by The Washington Post; was also named the US Army All-American Junior Combine MVP
Was a 5 star recruit coming out of high school and was the No. 8 ranked player and the No. 2 wide receiver when in the Class of 2012
Played at UMD on a football scholarship
Drafted by Minnesota Vikings in the 5th round of the 2015 NFL Draft (146th overall)

As a junior in high school, Diggs had 23 touchdowns and 810 receiving yards and was runner-up for the Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year. As a senior, he continued his dominance, with 770 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, and 277 rushing yards. Stefon also played defense, and during his final year, he had 31.5 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss (TFL), and one sack. Diggs was selected to the All-Metro first team by The Washington Post, and he was also named the US Army All-American Junior Combine MVP. Diggs was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school, and he was the No. 8 ranked player and the No. 2 wide receiver in the Class of 2012, according to the 247 Sports Composite. He committed to the University of Maryland, where he attended school on a football scholarship from 2012-2014. In college, Diggs was Second-Team All-Big Ten (2014), amongst other awards. After his junior season at UMD, Diggs declared for the NFL Draft. In 2015, the Minnesota Vikings took him in the 5th round as the 146th pick.

In his rookie season (2015), Diggs did not play the first three games; he got his first career start against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, and he became the first Viking receiver since Week 14 of the previous season to have a 100-yard game, finishing with seven catches for 129 yards. With that impressive performance, and an injury to a teammate, Diggs received the starting wide receiver position in Week 7 and had his second straight 100-yard game (6 catches for 108 yards); Diggs was the first Vikings rookie since Randy Moss in 1998 to have consecutive 100-yard games, and 80+ yards in his first three games.

In 2016, Diggs became the 3rd player in Vikings history to have back-to-back 100+ yard games in the first two-season games. Diggs and his teammate Adam Thielen became the first pair of Vikings with 900 receiving yards each since Randy Moss, and Cris Carter did it in 2000.

In the 2017 NFC Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, Diggs had 137 receiving yards and one touchdown; with only 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Diggs made what many say is the most remarkable, most important catch of his career — dubbed the “Minneapolis Miracle.” He made the winning play with a 61-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 29-24 win and sending them to the NFC Championship. Unfortunately, they lost to the Eagles in that game.

Fast Facts (NFL Career)

First Vikings rookie since Randy Moss in 1998 to have consecutive 100 yard games and 80+ yards in his first 3 games
Became the 3rd player in Vikings history to have back-to-back 100+ yard games in the first two games of the season (2016)
Made the “Minneapolis Miracle” catch, where he made the winning play with a 61-yard touchdown and sent the Vikings to the NFC Championship
Holds the Buffalo Bills’ franchise record for most receiving yards in a season
Led the NFL in receptions and yards in the 2020 season, with 127 receptions and 1,535 yards.

Diggs played a few more seasons for the Minnesota Vikings before being traded to the Buffalo Bills. In his debut with the team, Diggs caught eight passes for 86 yards in the Bill’s 27-17 win. During the team’s Week 13 game against the 49ers, Diggs caught ten passes for 92 yards — surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the 3rd consecutive season during the Bills’ 34-24 victory. The next week, Diggs caught ten passes (his 4th such game for the year) for 130 yards and one touchdown; in the process, he tied Eric Moulds for the franchise record in receptions during a single season, with exactly 100. A couple of weeks later (Week 16), Diggs broke Mould’s franchise record for most receiving yards in a season, when he had nine catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–9 win over the New England Patriots. The Bills made it to the playoffs, and they advanced as far as the AFC Championship game, where they ultimately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs; in that game, Diggs had six catches for 77 yards. For the 2020 season, Diggs led the NFL in receptions and yards — with 127 receptions and 1,535 yards.

As you can see from his stats and awards, Diggs has had a very impressive career so far — and he’s only 27! I can see Stefon Diggs becoming even more dominant in the coming years and possibly leading the improved Bills team to a Super Bowl. I also know that anyone who has coached Stefon is incredibly proud of where he is now, and they are all rooting for him. Hopefully, in the years to come, GC will produce many more athletes of the same caliber as Stefon Diggs.