Dakota Hampton is looking for attention at dakotahampton99.com — at least the attention of college coaches.
The Sandburg volleyball player and daughter of former Chicago Bears great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, promotes her volleyball skills on her site and wears the same number — 99 — pops wore while making a name for himself.
“All the kids see him on TV and they enjoy it when he comes to the games,” said the 6-foot-1 Dakota Hampton, who wears her dad’s number in the summer but No. 16 for the Eagles because there is no No. 99 jersey. “I think I have his aggression and I take it out on the ball and I play as hard as I can, which is what I think my dad did.”
Dan Hampton, in the meantime, is a proud parent who attends most of his daughter’s home matches and who happens to own a Super Bowl ring.
“Volleyball is the sport she has gravitated to, but she can do it all,” he said. “She has a lot of determination and I have to give her a lot of credit,
“I am not one of these parents that forces sports on their kids. I told her she has to be passionate about it, and she wants to be good. She tries hard and prepares well and I am very proud of her.”
The elder Hampton said he didn’t encourage his daughter to wear his number and told her it was important for her to have her own identity. She saw it differently.
“I just really like it because it is the biggest number,” Dakota said. “Every team I have been on I have been the tallest, so I feel I should have the biggest number.”
Dakota’s mother, Julie Craig, was an athlete at Shepard and sees some similarities between her daughter and her ex-husband.
“She is definitely self-motivated and very hard on herself,” Craig said. “She really wants to be the best, and when she is not I can see it in her face, she gets discouraged. She obviously has his build, his meanness but my determination. She has some good genes going for her.”
