Rozier, Mike
Football
b. March 1, 1961, Camden, NJ
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Rozier was a sprinter as well as a running back at the University of Nebraska. He won the 1983 Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college player after leading NCAA Division I rushers with 2,148 yards on 275 attempts and setting records with 7.81 yards per attempt and 29 rushing touchdowns. Rozier also won all the other major college football honors: the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards and college player of the year awards from the Sporting News and United Press International.
The Pittsburgh Maulers of the U. S. Football League in 1984 signed Rozier to a three-year contract worth more than $1 million a year. However, the team folded after just one season and Rozier went to the Jacksonville Bulls in 1985.
After the USFL season ended in July, Rozier joined the NFL's Houston Oilers. His best NFL season was 1988, when he rushed for 1002 yards on 251 carries and scored 10 touchdowns.
Houston traded him to the Atlanta Falcons early in the 1990 season. Because of a chronic foot injury, he played in only 11 games with the Falcons in 1991 and retired after that season.
In his NFL career, Rozier gained 4461 yards on 1159 rushing attempts, a 3.8 average, and scored 22 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 90 passes for 715 yards, a 7.9 average, and 1 touchdown. He was selected to two Pro Bowls, in 1987 and 1988.