Dillon intended to retire at the end of the 1958 season, but the Packers' new head coach, Vince Lombardi, convinced him to return for 1959.
After his football career, Dillon earned a bachelor's degree and worked for Wilsonart for 36 years, eventually becoming president and chief executive.
Five months after his death, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the NFL's centennial class and inducted in August 2020.
[1][2] His family moved to Temple, Texas, where he grew up and his father was employed as a police officer.
"[6] According to one story, during a game in his professional career, Dillon's glass eye fell out onto the field.
[8] In his senior season, Dillon led Temple to a 6-2-1 record, losing in the 10AA district title game to the eventual state champions, Waco High School.
[10] Dillon was a co-captain on the 1951 Southwest Conference (SWC)-champion Longhorns team which reached a ranking of no.
[18][21] Over Dillon's professional career, he played under four full-time[note 1] coaches: Gene Ronzani (1952–53), Lisle Blackbourn (1954–57), Scooter McLean (1958), and Vince Lombardi (1959).
[5] Dillon returned for the 1959 NFL season, playing in the first eight games before being sidelined with a leg injury and losing his starting job to John Symank.
[23] After retiring from the NFL, Dillon earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and went on to work for Wilsonart, a manufacturer of high-pressure decorative laminates.
[1] Although Dillon consistently played at a high level throughout his career, his tenure coincided with one of the least successful time periods in Packers' history.
[17] Dillon was well respected though for the personal success he attained in the NFL, especially considering he played his entire career with just one eye.
However, due to the poor play of the Packers during his tenure, Dillon had to wait many years of his accolades.
[3] However, he was consistently overlooked for the penultimate honor of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
[24] However, after over 50 years of eligibility, it was announced in January 2020 that Dillon would be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the NFL's centennial class, a special expanded class of inductees to celebrate the 100th season of the NFL.
[16] Raymond Berry, a Hall of Fame receiver who played for the Baltimore Colts from 1955 to 1967, praised Dillon in 2013, calling him "one of the most superior athletes you’ll ever find in the NFL".
[25] In 2004, teammate Dave Hanner summed up Dillon's reputation: He and Willie Wood were the two best safeties we ever had [in Green Bay].