D. J. Dozier facts for kids

William Henry "D.J." Dozier Jr. was born on September 21, 1965. He is a former American athlete who played two major sports. D.J. Dozier was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He also played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB).

He played football for the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. This was from 1987 to 1991. In 1992, he played baseball for the New York Mets. Today, he lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

D.J. Dozier's Early Life

D.J. Dozier was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He went to Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Later, he studied at Penn State University.

When D.J. was 12 years old, he played on a youth basketball team. His team made it to the Virginia Beach city championship game. They played against a team called the Green Run Suns. That team had a future NBA star, David Robinson.

Kempsville won the game. David Robinson missed the game because he was sick. D.J. Dozier was already very tall for his age. He was about 5 feet 9 or 10 inches tall. He used his size and skill to help his team win the championship.

D.J. Dozier's Football Career

D.J. Dozier was a star player at Penn State. He scored the winning touchdown in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. This game helped Penn State win the National Championship.

After college, he was chosen early in the 1987 NFL draft. He was the 14th player picked overall. This showed how talented he was.

In 1985, D.J. Dozier was on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. He shared the cover with another college football player.

As a professional running back, he gained 4.0 yards for every time he carried the ball. In his last season, 1991, he did even better. He averaged 5.3 yards per rush.

Dozier was very careful with the ball. He only fumbled it 4 times in his 5-year NFL career. A fumble is when a player drops the ball.

He also had a perfect 158.3 passer rating as a pro. This means he threw one pass for 19 yards and it was a touchdown.

Dozier also caught 33 passes during his career. He averaged 9.1 yards for each catch. He also returned kicks, averaging 19.4 yards per return.

D.J. Dozier's Baseball Career

D.J. Dozier was also a talented baseball player. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 202 pounds. He threw and batted right-handed.

The Detroit Tigers first chose him in the 1983 baseball draft. But he decided not to sign with them. Instead, he chose to go to college and play football.

In 1990, the New York Mets signed him. He joined them as an amateur free agent. This means he was not drafted but signed a contract.

He spent 1990 and 1991 playing in the minor leagues. These are leagues below the Major Leagues. He showed great speed, stealing 33 bases in 1990. He also hit 13 home runs that year. He played for the Williamsport Bills in 1991.

In 1992, D.J. Dozier was called up to the Major Leagues. He made his first MLB game on May 6, 1992. He was 26 years old.

He played in 25 games for the Mets. His batting average was .191. He stole 4 bases and struck out 19 times. He made only 1 error while playing in the outfield.

On October 26, 1992, Dozier was part of a trade. He was traded along with two other players to another team. In return, the Mets received a player named Tony Fernández.