Nicholas Stephen Dinkel (born May 12, 1874 in Springfield, Ohio; died May 14, 1919 in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American football player and a starting quarterback for the University of Notre Dame. Dinkel played his first two years with the Notre Dame football team at the right end position. But during his senior season in 1894, new head coach James L. Morison installed an offense based upon speed running to the outside. Seeking to capitalize on this philosophy, Dinkel swapped positions with then-Irish quarterback Charles Zeitler and led the team from under center.