SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Jamel Dean Talks About His Journey to NFL

By  //  April 16, 2020

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ABOVE VIDEO: Former Cocoa Tiger, Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB Jamel Dean talks about his recent induction into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame and his journey to the NFL on Space Coast Daily TV with Juan Rodriguez.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Jamel Dean was among former Cocoa High School head coach John Wilkinson’s best two-way players during his Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame career for the Tigers.

Playing on back-to-back 11-2 state playoff teams for coach Wilkinson, Dean was a two-time Florida first-team Class 4A all-state pick at Cocoa High, totaling 975 offensive yards, including 22 receptions and 15 touchdowns in 2014 to earn all-state honors as a receiver.

He also had 38 tackles, two pass breakups and one interception in 2013  and also had seven pass breakups as a senior and scored nine touchdowns as a junior.

In 2013, Dean was named Friday Night Locker Room – Space Coast Daily Player of the Game for Week 9 as he had 135 return yards (68-yard kickoff return for a TD and 67-yard punt return) and 45 yards receiving.

In 2013, Jamel Dean was named Friday Night Locker Room – Space Coast Daily Player of the Game for Week 9 as he had 135 return yards (68-yard kickoff return for a TD and 67-yard punt return) and 45 yards receiving. (Space Coast Daily image)
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In 2014, Dean was selected as the Brevard County Player of the Year and the Florida Athletic Coaches Association’s District 12 MVP and was among the top prep cornerback prospects in the nation ranked No. 32 by 247Sports, No. 37 by Rivals and a Top 10 defensive back in the state of Florida.

Dean was a highly-recruited prospect despite knee injuries he suffered during his prep career. He spent a semester at Ohio State and was medically disqualified to play football by Ohio State due to his suffering multiple knee injuries in high school.

He sat out 2015 and transferred from Columbus to Auburn, which cleared him to play. Dean suffered yet another knee injury in the preseason 2016 camp, which sidelined him for the year.

Finally healthy in 2017, he started 11 of 14 games for the Auburn, collecting 43 stops, 2.5 for loss and eight pass breakups. He started 11 of 12 games played in 2018, recording 30 stops, two for loss, two interceptions and nine pass breakups.

Returning as a starter at cornerback during the 2018 season, Dean had 30 tackles and 11 pass breakups for the season – and earned SEC Academic Honor Roll and Academic Top Tiger honors, graduating with a weighted 3.8 GPA.

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The 6-foot-1-inch, 206-pound Dean turned pro as a redshirt junior after amassing 19 career pass breakups and two picks as a two-year starter. He raised his NFL stock at the Combine with 98th-percentile SPARQ results, including 4.3-flat jets and a 41-inch vertical.

Dean was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 109 National Football League draft with the 94th overall pick.

Dean made his regular-season debut in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks he recorded six tackles and four pass deflections. In Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, he recorded four pass deflections and his first career interception.

In Week 12 against the Atlanta Falcons, Dean recorded five pass deflections and in Week 16 Dean had one tackle, one pass deflection, and an interception.

Jame Dean is the son of Yolanda Kimbrough and James Dean and has four brothers including Derrick Jr., James Jr., Jamaine and Jayden. He received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Liberal Arts from Auburn University in May 2018. (AU image)
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Dean finished his rookie season with 21 tackles, 17 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble and solidified himself as a rookie on the rise.

While finishing tied for second among all rookie cornerbacks in interceptions, Dean finished first in pass deflections among rookies with 17 and that number was also good for Top 5 in the NFL among all corners.

Dean joined his former Cocoa High teammates, tackle Jawaan Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars and cornerback Chauncey Gardner-Johnson of the New Orleans Saints, on the 22-man 2019 Pro Football Focus NFL All-Rookie Team.

He is the son of Yolanda Kimbrough and James Dean and has four brothers including Derrick Jr., James Jr., Jamaine and Jayden. He received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Liberal Arts from Auburn University in May 2018.

Jamel Dean was among former Cocoa High School head coach John Wilkinson’s best two-way players during his Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame career for the Tigers. Dean recently joined his former Cocoa High teammates, tackle Jawaan Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars and cornerback Chauncey Gardner-Johnson of the New Orleans Saints, on the 22-man 2019 Pro Football Focus NFL All-Rookie Team. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers image)

THE 2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 8.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-323-4460 or 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame is located in the main athletic building on the Melbourne Campus of Eastern Florida State College. Portraits and biographies of the Hall of Famers are displayed on the wall in the building’s main hallway that runs parallel to the gym and outside the athletic department offices. Memorabilia items and related sports artifacts will be added to the display over time.

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame selection committee announced an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Sports Awards will be held Friday, May 8 at the Cocoa Beach Country Club.

The festivities include a meet and greet with the area’s sports royalty beginning at 6 p.m., and the dinner and induction proceeding will start at 6:45 p.m. and includes compelling video tributes of each of the inductees.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame induction event, and the 2020 High School Breakfast of Champions recognition awards, are sponsored by Health First, Erdman Automotive, All Points, Clear Choice Health Care, Savings Safari, Friday Night Locker Room and Rock Paper Simple.

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame includes an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

Dozens of nominees were considered in four categories including professional sports, college sports, high school sports and amateur sports.

Special honorary recognition will also be bestowed upon individuals and teams that have made significant contributions to sports on the Space Coast.

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Space Coast Daily created the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and has so far inducted more than 160 of Brevard County’s most outstanding athletes, coaches and sports personalities.

Serving on the committee are Space Coast Daily President & Publisher Tom Palermo, Vice President Giles Malone, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jim Palermo, Managing Editor Zach Clark, the Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson and Orville Susong, former Health First COO Larry Garrison and Amateur Athletic Union Vice President Rusty Buchanan.

“The list of inductees for 2020 induction include athletes and coaches everybody knows – and some that may have been forgotten with the passing of time,” said Tom Palermo.

FOR INFORMATION about the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame, or to make a reservation, e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com or call 321-615-8111.

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SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020

• PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Jamel Dean, Football; Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Wrestling; Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Football; Mark Lake, Skateboarding; Juwaan Taylor, Football

• COLLEGE CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Derek Hamm, Football; Paulette King, Basketball; Dylan Lewis, Soccer; Melanie Murphy, Softball

• PREP CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Lexy Denaburg, Volleyball; Apryl Bigham Nickson, Swimming; Andi Sellers, Soccer

• AMATEUR/RECREATION CATEGORY INDUCTEE: Peter Blount, Track & Field; Karina Villegas, Sled Hockey; Caylor Williams, Wrestling

• COACHING CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Sean Ballard, Wrestling; Doug Butler, Cross County and Track; Aubin Goporo, Basketball; Gerald Hodgin, Football; Bill Sinclair, Softball; Don Smith, Basketball

• SPORTS DEVELOPMENT INDUCTEE: Loren McClanahan

• LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT INDUCTEE: Clint Hurdle

• SPORTS OFFICIAL INDUCTEES: Ted Ruta

• SPORTS JOURNALISM INDUCTEES: Steve Vaughn

• SPORTS AMBASSADOR AWARD INDUCTEE: Congressman Bill Posey

• CHALLENGER AWARDS INDUCTEES: Brevard Special Olympics

• TEAM OF THE YEAR: 2019 Satellite High Cross Country

• LEGACY CHAMPIONS: TBA

• SPECIAL TRIBUTE: TBA

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS