Dani Rhodes is the wife of TJ Watt, the NFL player. The professional soccer star started dating Watts in college when they were both sports standouts. They took their relationship out of college and continued going steady until they married in 2022.
Fans and former schoolmates of the college sweethearts who had been expecting them to end up together were excited with the news of their wedding, which wasted no time in going viral on social media platforms. Their nuptials marks a new beginning for the duo as husband and wife, but we must also acknowledge the fact that their relationship has endured for over six years and counting.
Summary of Dani Rhodes’ Biography
- Full Name: Dani Marie Rhodes
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: 8th of April 1998
- Dani Rhodes’ Age: 26 years old
- Ethnicity: White
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married
- Dani Rhodes’ Husband: TJ Watt
- Dani Rhodes’ Parents: Dan Deann Rhodes
- Siblings: Drew and Dylan Rhodes
- Dani Rhodes’ Height in Inches: 5 feet 5 inches
- Dani Rhodes’ Height in Centimetres: 165 cm
- Dani Rhodes’ Weight: 51 kg
- Body measurements in Inches: 35-25-35
- Body measurements in Centimetres: 88-63-88
- Dani Rhodes’ Net Worth: $5 million
- Famous For: Being the wife of TJ Watt
- Dani Rhodes’ Instagram: @danimariewatt
- Twitter: @danirhodes04
How Old is Dani Rhodes?
Dani Rhodes is a 26 year-old as she was born on the 8th of April, 1998. She was given the full name Dani Marie Rhodes at birth and hails from Waukesha, in the Milwaukee metropolitan area of Wisconsin in the United States. It goes without saying that she is an American by nationality. However, her ethnicity is captured as White.
Dani’s parents have been identified as Dan Rhodes (father) and Deann Rhodes (mother). The only fact that is known about Deann is that she marks her birth anniversary every 17th of May. Dan, on the other hand, is a Claire University alum that works and earns a living in paid employment. Dani’s dad is reportedly an employee of Pharmacyclics, where he is engaged as the company’s Regional Director of Business.
Dani is obviously very close to her parents. The soccer player has shared several images of her mum and dad via her Instagram handle. In one special post where she was seen riding high on her papa’s shoulder, Rhodes considered herself Lucy to have Dan as her father.
The female soccer star is an alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied life sciences communication and acquired a qualification in Entrepreneurship and Digital studies. Before going to the university, the player attended Waukesha West High School
The Female Soccer Player Has Two Brothers
Far from being the only child born to Dan and Deann, Dani Rhodes built wonderful childhood memories with two brothers, Drew and Dylan Rhodes. One notable fact about the members of the Rhodes family is the fact that they all have the letter “D” as the initial of their first name – from Dan to Deann, to Dylan, Drew, and of course, Dani.
The female football star only has good things to say about her brothers. Describing her big brother Drew in a heartwarming IG post, Dani said he is a brother and best friend all in one.
Dylan, her younger brother, was not left out, as Dani described him as the best younger brother any sister could ask for. In one of the captions on her Insta Stories, Dani said Dylan is blessed with the biggest heart, and she is very proud of who he is.
The Rhodes siblings appear to be one cute bunch of affectionate people as baby brother Dylan waited for Dani’s wedding day to reciprocate the praise. In his IG post, he thanked the bride and groom for being magnanimous enough to allow him to be the “prettiest bridesmaid.”
Dani Rhodes was a Two Sports Standout During her Academic Journey
As a Waukesha West High School student, Dani Rhodes was a soccer and basketball standout and earned many prestigious accolades and mentions. The feats she recorded in both sports earned the up-and-coming female soccer star far-reaching popularity in her locality.
Her junior year in Waukesha West High saw the youngster make the records with 11 assists and 44 goals. In 2015, she was named NSCAA All-American, and within the same period, the school awarded her with the “Wisconsin Girls Soccer Gatorade Player of the Year.”
In the ensuing year, 2016, the budding soccer star played in 22 matches, the NCCA tournament inclusive. Several strong Wisconsin teams conceded many goals due to Dani’s stellar soccer skills.
Dani made history in high school as she was named among America’s best prep players. They also named her to Waukesha West High School’s prom court.
As a basketball player in high school, Dani Rhodes put up impressive statistics as the captain of her team in both her junior and senior years. The female player’s final season saw her score above 1000 points and she held the all-time-scoring record during that period. 2017 was when she recorded her career-high seven shots against Creighton, becoming her team’s highest scorer in no time.
Proceeding to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study life sciences communication, the rising star joined her academic institution’s soccer team. In 2019, she was bestowed with an All-America Second Team honor, including the title of Big Ten Forward of the Year. Before her graduation in December 2020, the promising female soccer player became a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
She Became a Professional Soccer Player in 2020
Dani Rhodes became a professional soccer player on the 12th of September 2020 after she made her debut with the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL (the National Women’s Soccer League). During her time with the Red star, she played in a forward position. However, Dani was only able to record three appearances before the Corona Virus pandemic led to the cancellation of the league.
One interesting fact about Rhodes’ brief stint with the Red Stars is that she was a teammate with Kealia Ohai, who later married her husband’s brother, JJ Watt, in 2020; the two ladies debuted the same year. Ohai was really happy for Dani when the news of her engagement to TJ hit the internet. She took to the comment section to register her profound happiness, “I’m so happy❤’ she said.
Luck smiled at Dani when she was signed on by the pro-Iceland team known as ThrĂłttur ReykjavĂk. The deal was like a dream come true for the female soccer player as she wasted no time sharing the good news with fans via her IG handle. In the Instagram post, Rhodes revealed how excited she was to finally continue pursuing her career as a professional soccer player.
Her debut for ThrĂłttur ReykjavĂk was witnessed during the “Icelandic Cup’s” semi-finals when she joined the match against FH in the 60th minute. Dani scored one goal to contribute to her team’s victory of 4-0
She obviously had a swell time in Iceland, as her IG handle was suffused with images of videos where she was seen exploring the beautiful country. There was also a cute picture of the soccer player with her family when they visited. Dani leveraged the post to thank them for a visit.
Rhodes Has Bagged a Plethora of Soccer Honors
Dani Rhodes started accumulating awards and accolades from her years in high school. Below is a list of the prominent ones.
- 2017 Top-drawer Soccer Offensive Player of the Week; Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week
- All-Big Ten Second Team; Midwest All-Region First Team in 2017
- 2018 Big Ten Preseason Honors List
- MAC Herman Trophy Watch List in 2018
- 2018 Big Ten Player of the Week
- First Team All-North Region in 2019
- 2019 Big Ten Preseason Honors List
- 2019 All-Big Ten First Team
- United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America First Team in 2019
- 2019 Second Team All-American
- Big-Ten Offensive player of the week in 2019
- 2019 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Regions First Team
How Did T.J. Watt and Dani Rhodes Meet?
Dani Rhodes and her love interest T.J. Watt first met during their days as students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they both excelled in sports. The date they met has never been disclosed, but they became college sweethearts around 2016.
There are sources that claim Watt was already an outgoing student during Dani’s first year, and after the NFL player left college, they continued with their dalliance. The lovebird’s relationship survived even after the female soccer player went to Iceland to take up her latest contract, and Watt played football with the Pittsburgh Steelers in America.
The Duo Officially Got Engaged in 2021
Dani and Watt were five years into their relationship when the Steelers’ outside linebacker popped the big question to his love interest. According to reports, the celebrity duo was out on a date on the 9th of July 2021 when Watt went down on one knee to ask for Dani’s hands in marriage, and needless to say, he got a yes in response.
One remarkable aspect of the duo’s official engagement was the ring Watt presented to Dani. It was revealed to be a 2.5-carat flawless and colorless triple EX-graded diamond sporting 1.33 carats of VVS-flawless diamonds and 18k white gold in the band.
The excited bride-to-be didn’t let the grass grow under her feet before rushing to break the good news on Instagram. She first shared Watt’s image with the resounding caption, “YES, YES, YES.”
A series of their engagement shots soon surfaced online, where the female soccer star likened her euphoria to someone in a dream. According to Dani Rhodes, she woke up with a feeling of incredible joy when she remembered that she would be getting married to her best friend. She ended the post with, “I can’t wait to love you FOREVER!”
On his own part, an ecstatically happy Watt also took to IG to upload an image of him on bended knee; he captioned the post, “I am the luckiest man in the world!!”
Even though they have always been open about their relationship, Dani and Watt’s official engagement set the internet ablaze. This may be because they were college sweethearts and many of their schoolmates have been waiting for years to hear the good news; they just had to run with it immediately it hit the newsstand.
It is quite true that Dani Rhodes had already achieved an admirable level of popularity as a soccer player. However, the announcement of her official engagement to the famed NFL star announced her to a wider audience.
The Lovebirds Tied the Nuptials in 2022
The 9th of July 2022 marked the wedding ceremony of Dani Rhodes and TJ Watt. The couple exchanged wedding vows at a Mexican private resort called Cabo San Lucas. According to reports, it was a star-studded event with a beautiful ocean view. One of the highlights of the venue was the couple’s initials which were visibly engraved onto a nearby cliff
The bustling dance floor revealed A-list celebrities like Watt’s teammates from Pittsburgh Steelers; this included the likes of Derek Watt, TJ’s big brother, who is currently the Steelers as a fullback. The groom’s other older brother, defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals, JJ Watts, also graced the occasion.
Other NFL stars that were present include Cameron Heyward from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Haden, free agent cornerback, and Ryan Shazier, former Steelers linebacker. Also in attendance were Dani’s soccer teammates, including family and close friends of the couple.
The bride was the major attraction at the wedding with her floor-length white lace gown.TJ kept it classy with his white dress shirt underneath a black tuxedo.
The beautiful ceremony was concluded amidst beautiful fireworks, with the latest couple displaying their dance moves on the terrace; this had the semblance of a picturesque scene from a Disney Movie.
Who is Dani Rhodes’ Husband, TJ Watt?
Dani Rhodes’ husband, TJ Watt, is a linebacker for the Pittsburg Steelers team of the NFL. He grew up in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, alongside two brothers, Derek and J.J Watt, also athletes. TJ’s football career has earned him many awards and accolades, including three Pro Bowls and an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
