Dante Rosario Dante Santiago Rosario ( born October 25 , 1984 in Beaverton , Oregon ) is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft . He played college football for Oregon . He has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos . Early years . Rosario attended Dayton High School in Dayton , Oregon . His father is Dominican and his mother is from Oregon . In his senior season , Rosario was named the 2002 Oregon 2A state defensive player of the year , and earned first - team all - state honors on both offense and defense in 2002 while leading the Pirates to the state 2A title . In a 45 - 20 victory against Amity in the 2002 2A state title game , Rosario rushed for 126 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries . He was ranked as the No . 6 linebacker on the West Coast by SuperPrep after posting 144 tackles ( 75 unassisted ) , three quarterback sacks , and five interceptions as a free safety / middle linebacker . He returned three of those interceptions for touchdowns . On offense , Rosario racked up 1 , 238 yards and 27 touchdowns rushing , and two more touchdowns on punt returns . The 6 - foot - 4 Rosario also played center for the school ’ s two - time defending state basketball champions . As a junior , he was named first - team all - tournament after averaging 13 . 5 points and 8 . 8 rebounds in leading Dayton to its second straight state championship . Rosario was also a competitor in his high school track and field team . College career . In 49 games at the University of Oregon , Rosario recorded 94 receptions for 1 , 003 yards and 11 touchdowns . He also rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries . Rosario played four different positions for the Ducks - halfback , H - back , fullback and tight end - and also was a special teams star for Oregon . As a senior in 2006 , Rosario was named as an All - Pac - 10 honorable mention selection after making 42 receptions , a school single - season record for tight ends , for 426 yards and one touchdown . He was the co - recipient of the Gordon Wilson Award , given to Oregon ' s top special teams player , after recording ten tackles and one forced fumble . In 2005 , Rosario ' s junior season , he moved to tight end from fullback , and caught 15 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns . He also record 11 tackles , one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on special teams . In his sophomore season ( 2004 ) , Rosario was shifted to fullback from H - back , and caught 25 passes for 278 yards and six touchdowns . He also rushed for 29 yards and a touchdown in 10 carries . Rosario began his collegiate career at Oregon in 2003 and played H - back after being recruited primarily as a linebacker . He started three games as a freshman and made 12 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns , and rushed for 55 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries . Professional career . Carolina Panthers . Rosario was chosen by Carolina Panthers in the fifth round ( 155th overall ) of the 2007 NFL Draft . As a rookie in 2007 , Rosario caught six passes for 108 yards ( an 18 . 0 per - catch average ) and two touchdowns . Rosario became just the third player in Carolina history to score a touchdown on first career NFL reception when he caught a five - yard pass from quarterback , Vinny Testaverde against the San Francisco 49ers on December 2 , 2007 . Rosario also returned two kickoffs for 39 yards ( a 19 . 5 average ) . In the Panthers ' 2008 season opener against the Chargers on September 7 , Rosario overcame double coverage to catch a 14 - yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone as time expired , to give Carolina a 26 - 24 victory against the heavily favored San Diego Chargers . It is considered to be one of the most memorable catches in Carolina Panther history . When the game ended , Fox ' s final statistics leaderboard for the game mistakenly displayed the name of actress Rosario Dawson . He finished the 2008 season with 18 catches for 209 yards and 1 touchdown . He started 22 games for the Panthers over four seasons , but only 6 in 2010 . He was felt to be expendable after the signing of free agent Jeremy Shockey in March 2011 . Miami Dolphins . The Miami Dolphins signed Rosario on September 5 , 2011 . He was released on September 20 . Denver Broncos . Rosario was reunited with his former coach John Fox when he signed with the Denver Broncos in July 2011 . He was released after the 2011 preseason due to the emergence of rookie tight ends Julius Thomas and Virgil Green . Rosario was re - signed by the Broncos on September 22 , 2011 . San Diego Chargers . On March 19 , 2012 , Rosario was signed by the San Diego Chargers . Personal . Rosario ' s mother Yvonne ( who died from cancer when Dante was a junior in high school ) was a volleyball player at Oregon State University , and his father , Pedro , formerly pitched in the Atlanta Braves ' organization . His younger brother , Sergio , is a basketball player at Linfield College in Oregon . He also has sister Angela , who lives in Oregon .