Gold Jacket Spotlight: How ‘Weapon X’ became more than nickname for Brian Dawkins

For many, the name “Weapon X” is synonymous with the Marvel Comics character Wolverine. But for football fans, and especially Philadelphia Eagles fans, that nickname is held for the ball-hawking free safety who donned the midnight green from 1996 until 2008. 

None other than Class of 2018 member BRIAN DAWKINS, who this week steps into the Gold Jacket Spotlight.

“ ’Weapon X’ was Wolverine before he became Wolverine,” Brian said. “He could do everything you needed him to do. That fit; it really did.”

Brian’s abilities on the field were never questioned; it wasn’t until his third season in the NFL, however, that he met the person who would allow him to unleash the beast. 

Before the 1999 season, Brian’s third in pro ball, the Philadelphia Eagles hired a new defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson. That summer, the two sat down and formed a strong bond that would allow Brian finally to unleash the beast that became known as “Weapon X.”

“I just know that with Jim and his imagination and his willingness to go away from some traditional thinking when it comes to the safety position, he allowed me and my gifts (to come out),” Brian said.

“Weapon X” first appeared in comics on Oct. 10, 1974, three days before Brian turned a year old. (He was born Oct. 13, 1973). The character Wolverine commonly is described as ferocious, tough, instinctive and tenacious, all of which fit his playing style on gamedays.

“Coming out of that tunnel, he transforms,” said TERRELL OWENS, a former teammate in Philadelphia and fellow Hall of Famer. “It goes from Brian Dawkins during the course of the week (to) gameday he’s Wolverine.”

In the “Uncanny X-Men #162” comic, Wolverine says “I’m the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn’t very nice.” It’s a line that fittingly describes how Brian made a name for himself in the NFL.

Brian’s alter-ego rubbed off onto the equipment staff in Philadelphia and how they had the locker room laid out. While with the Eagles and Denver Broncos, both teams had a separate locker beside his labeled “Weapon X.” His locker was full of miniature Wolverine action figures, comic book covers and plenty of other memorabilia related to his on-field persona, while the other had his shoulder pads, full jersey for that week’s cleats, powder, towels and everything else he needed to be ready for gameday. 

“I honestly think that to this day, Brian believes that that’s who he became when he went onto the field,” former Eagles assistant coach and current Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.

In 2022, after a storied career capped with Enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Brian collaborated with Marvel Comics. A variant cover of the comic book issue “Wolverine #22” (featuring artwork from  illustrator Carlos Pacheco) had both Brian and Wolverine coming through a tunnel of smoke onto a football field.

This marked the second instance in which he had an item made featuring the character Wolverine; the Eagles handed out a poster before their game Sept. 30, 2012, when they officially retired his jersey No. 20.

“Reading comic books, that’s what I like to do in my downtime,” Brian said. “I’m a sci-fi dude at heart. You dig it?”