He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos, before being selected by the Dolphins with the 52nd pick of the 1986 NFL draft.
[2][3] After graduating from Fort Atkinson High School, Offerdahl received a partial football scholarship by Western Michigan University, the only Division I team to make him an offer.
[10] Western Michigan University retired his jersey number in 1995 and inducted Offerdahl into its Hall of Fame a year later.
[5] Originally considered a middle or late-round pick, Offerdahl's draft stock skyrocketed during the Senior Bowl, which saw him put on an impressive performance against Heisman Trophy-winning running back Bo Jackson.
[5][6] Offerdahl was taken to reinforce a struggling Dolphins defense, which held the 23rd-overall rank in the previous season.
He was selected for the Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press after recording 130 tackles, two sacks, and an interception in 15 games.
[13] In his second season, which was shortened by a players' strike, Offerdahl was limited to nine starts due to injury.
Veteran player Barry Krauss was brought into the Dolphins at the beginning of the season to play the right inside linebacker position while Offerdahl held out.
Offerdahl played 10 games and started 8, recording 1+1⁄2 sacks, and was invited to the Pro Bowl for a fourth time.
Continuing at left inside linebacker, Offerdahl started all sixteen regular-season games, leading the team in tackles and contributing a sack and an interception for a 28-yard return, the longest in his career.
He stayed with the company for just over a year as the Vice President of Operations for Florida, and was a member of the board until 1997.
[18] According to Katie Sharp and Louis Bien of SB Nation, Offerdahl – while not alone as an athlete-turned restaurateur – is one of only a few to focus on healthy food.
[25] He holds an annual charity event in Pompano Beach, Florida, called the Gridiron Grill-off Food, Wine, & Tailgate Festival.
After rescuing the passenger, Offerdahl dived into the pond repeatedly in an effort to free the driver, and was ultimately successful in doing so.