How Did This Buffalo Bill Get The Most Buffalo Nickname Of All?

There are a ton of great nicknames for Buffalo Bills players.  But there is one who without a doubt has the "Most Buffalo" nickname of them all.

Dion Dawkins is The Shnowman

The other day, I was telling one of the guys at work about a charity event that was coming up and it was called "the Talent Shnow."  When i said it, my co-worker said, "Why is it called the talent shnow?  Why isn't it just the talent show?"

I hesitated for a second waiting for him to pick it up and when he kept looking at me, I explained, "It's the talent shnow, because they call him the Shnowman.  It's Dion Dawkins.  The Shnowman. He's had a beer and some ice cream named after him.  The Shnowman."

Suddenly it was turning into a question, "You know, like the shnowman?  Dion Dawkins?"  He had never heard of it.  Then he asked, "Why do they call him that??"

Where did Dion Dawkins get his nickname from?

Many would assume that Dion Dawkins got his nickname when he came to Buffalo.  Being in Buffalo where there's a lot of snow and people make snowmen out of snow, it makes sense.  To say someone is cold can mean that they're mean and that would make sense.

But many would be wrong.  It's a nickname that he's had for years now and he actually gave it to himself.  He adopted it long before Buffalo, long before he was in college.  He actually started calling himself that back in prep school.  He says that it was a good way to draw attention to himself (something he's never been shy about).

"I was in prep school and I said it one time and the guys kept questioning it. [They would say] 'What's shnow?' I was like, if they're questioning it, then everyone else will question it and then means it will draw a little bit more attention to myself as a big guy. So, I just kept it going." - Dion Dawkins on where the "Shnowman" moniker came from

There is another theory of where the nickname came from

There are a couple of websites that claim the nickname was given to Dawkins because he was a good kid growing up.  He would help out his neighbors by shoveling snow for them when he was in school in New Jersey.

Either way, the nickname fits and it's perfect for a Buffalo Bill.