Dexter Bussey

{{Short description|American football player (born 1952)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Dexter Bussey

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| number = 24

| position = Running back

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1952|3|11}}

| birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lbs = 195

| high_school =John F. Kennedy (TX)

| college = Texas–Arlington

| draftyear = 1974

| draftround = 3

| draftpick = 65

| pastteams =

• Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1974}}–{{NFL Year|1984}})

|statlabel1=Rushing attempts

|statvalue1=1,203

|statlabel2=Rushing yards

|statvalue2=5,105

|statlabel3=Rushing TDs

|statvalue3=18

|pfr=BussDe00

}}

Dexter Manley Bussey (born March 11, 1952) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 11 years with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1984. He 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 team from 1971 to 1973, and totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in both 1972 and 1973.{{cite web|title=Dexter Bussey|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|access-date=February 18, 2016|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/dexter-bussey-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310123740/http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/dexter-bussey-1.html|archive-date=March 10, 2016|df=}}

Bussey was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round, 65th overall pick, of the 1974 NFL draft. 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.{{cite web|title=Dexter Bussey|publisher=Pro Football Reference|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BussDe00.htm|access-date=February 18, 2016}} 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'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 in 1983.{{cite news|title=Bussey will watch Sims pass him by|author=Curt Sylvester|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=October 21, 1984|page=3D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4355627/bussey_will_watch_sims_pass_him_by/}} Bussey announced his retirement from the NFL in April 1985 at age 33.{{cite news|title=Lions' class act, Dexter Bussey, retires with bad knees|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|date=April 18, 1985|page=6D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4355458/lions_class_act_dexter_bussey/}}

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.{{cite web|title="I Don't Want to Say I'm Losing It"|author=Jamie Lisanti|publisher=Columbia Sports Journalism|date=February 2, 2014|url=http://columbiasportsjournalism.com/2014/02/02/i-dont-want-to-say-im-losing-it/|access-date=February 18, 2016|archive-date=August 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824215948/http://columbiasportsjournalism.com/2014/02/02/i-dont-want-to-say-im-losing-it/|url-status=dead}}