THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502220107
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Indians are among those who have called D. J. Dozier to see about his interest in joining their replacement teams while the major league baseball players are on strike.
Dozier told each he had another call earlier.
He plans to become a minister.
``My professional sports careers have finished and the Lord has told me he has other plans for me,'' said Dozier, who played both pro baseball and football at the highest levels.
Presently, the 29-year-old Dozier is athletic director at Rock Academy in Virginia Beach.
Headlining the second Alliance Church Men's Sports Breakfast Saturday, Dozier said he felt his current duties at the Rock Church-sponsored school ``are good training for me.''
``I intend to become a pastor or evangelist,'' he said. ``I want to devote my time to preaching and teaching the word of God.''
Dozier, a former football and baseball star at Kempsville High, went on to play college football at Penn State. He played four years with the Minnesota Vikings before being claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions in 1991.
During this time, he had an urge to return to baseball and signed with the New York Mets in 1990. He was a member of the Norfolk Tides in 1991 and 1992 and was called to the Mets during the '92 season.
``I had 25 big league games,'' he recalled.
In 1993, Dozier was in the San Diego Padres' organization in Las Vegas when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and finished the season at Louisville, where he hit six home runs in 45 games.
The past year Dozier had his agent send a letter to the Cardinals, informing them he had another career interest - the ministry. He said he received no reply from the ball club.
Raised in the church as a youngster, Dozier notes an occurrence while he was on his way to being the Tidewater Player of the Year in high school football as a turning point in his life.
``We were playing a game against Kellam and I heard that somebody had put a bounty of $100 on knocking me out of the game,'' said Dozier. ``I was so emotionally geared up I couldn't talk.
``I was leaving after practice one day and a girl handed me a card. It had scripture on it from Philippians 4:13 - `I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'
``That was the message I needed. I put it in my sock and I wore it in every game I played after that.''
Active in Christian functions for athletes throughout his college and pro careers, Dozier said he has found nothing more fulfilling than talking about the Lord.
``There is nothing that I can boast about that I did,'' he said, remembering when he scored the winning touchdown and knelt in the end zone as his Penn State team defeated Miami, 14-10, in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to become national champion. ``I'm held accountable to use the talents God gave me.
``He told me, `do you think I care what uniform you wear?
``Now I'm giving my career to Him.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
D.J. Dozier
Former football and baseball star
by CNB