Dexter Manley Bussey (born March 11, 1952) is a former American football running back. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

for 11 years from 1974 to 1984 and became the Lions' all-time career rushing leader in 1981. Bussey was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1952. He began his college career at the University of Oklahoma, but he transferred to the University of Texas–Arlington. He played for the

Texas–Arlington Mavericks football The Texas–Arlington Mavericks football team represented the University of Texas at Arlington from the 1959 through 1985 season. Between 1919 through 1958, UTA competed as a junior college prior to moving to the NCAA College Division in 1959 and ...

team from 1971 to 1973 and totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in both 1972 and 1973. Bussey was selected by the

in the third round, 65th overall pick, of the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...

. He played for the Lions from 1974 to 1984. While with the Lions, he gained more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 1976, 1978, and 1980. In his 10-year career in the NFL, Bussey totaled 5,105 rushing yards and 6,721 yards from scrimmage. He was the Lions' starting halfback from 1975 to 1979 and the team's leading rusher in 1975, 1976, 1978, and 1979. He moved to fullback in 1980 after the Lions drafted Billy Sims. Bussey broke

Altie Taylor Altie Taylor (September 29, 1947 – March 14, 2010) was an American football running back. He played eight seasons in the National Football League, including seven with the Detroit Lions. He led the Lions in rushing for three consecutive years ...

's Lions' career rushing record in 1981, but his record was surpassed by Sims in 1984 and he became a backup after the Lions drafted

James Jones James Jones may refer to: Sports Association football *James Jones (footballer, born 1873) (1873–1955), British Olympic footballer * James Jones (footballer, born 1996), Scottish footballer for Wrexham *James Jones (footballer, born 1997), Wel ...

in 1983. Bussey announced his retirement from the NFL in April 1985 at age 33. After retiring as a player, Bussey worked for at least 20 years as a uniform inspector for the NFL. He also operated a medical staffing agency.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bussey, Dexter 1952 births Living people American football running backs Texas–Arlington Mavericks football players Detroit Lions players Oklahoma Sooners football players