John Arnold Offerdahl (born August 17, 1964) is a restaurateur and former professional American football player. An inside linebacker, he played college football at Western Michigan University before being selected by the Miami Dolphins in 52nd pick of the 1986 draft. Offerdahl played his entire eight-year professional career with the Dolphins.
While at WMU, Offerdahl set school records in tackles and recovered fumbles, making the All Mid-American Conference first team his last three years, the Associated Press All American third team his junior year, and the All American second team his senior year. In his professional career, Offerdahl was selected for the Pro Bowl in each of his first five years in the league, and was a two-time All-Pro; in 1986 as a second team selection and in 1990 as a first team selection.
Offerdahl was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round in the 1986 NFL Draft. The Dolphins did not have a first round pick, making Offerdahl their first selection of the draft, and the draft's 52nd overall. 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. His Senior Bowl highlights included two stops at the goal line during the same drive, one of which was an acrobatic move that stopped Jackson in mid-air. Offerdahl was taken to reinforce a struggling Dolphins defense, which held the 23rd overall rank in the previous season.
In his rookie year, Offerdahl was the Dolphin's starting right inside linebacker. As with his rookie year in college, he impressed the coaching staff early in the preseason; he was named the starter 10 days after joining training camp, and had twice as many tackles as any of his teammates after the first three preseason games. Although the Dolphins had an 8–8 season, Offerdahl impressed individually. 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. He also shared the Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award with the San Diego Chargers' Leslie O'Neal.
In 1990, while still playing for the Dolphins, Offerdahl opened a popular bagel store in Weston, Florida. It would become the first of 10 locations. In 1995, Offerdahl merged with three other bagel retailers to form a national chain. In 2000, he again entered the restaurant business, opening a chain of casual restaurants.