Age: 27
6th season in pro
football & with Dolphins
College: Nevada-Reno
Height: 6’7” Weight: 260
Prelude:
A lightly-regarded
sixth-round pick in the 1978 NFL draft, Betters started six games in place of injured
star DE A.J. Duhe as a rookie and performed well. He became a regular starter
in ’79 (Duhe was eventually moved to linebacker) and a stalwart part of a
defense known as the “Killer Bees” due to the significant number of its members
with last names that started with the letter B.
1983 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16
games
[Bracketed numbers indicate
league rank in Top 20]
Sacks – 16 [3, tied with Curtis Greer & Jacob Green]
Most sacks, game – 4 at Buffalo 9/4
Multi-sack games – 4
Interceptions – 0
Fumble recoveries – 4
Forced fumbles – 0
Postseason (1 G – AFC
Divisional playoff vs. Seattle )
Sacks – 0
Interceptions – 0
Fumble recoveries – 0
Awards & Honors:
NFL Defensive Player of the
Year: AP
1st team All-NFL:
AP, NEA, PFWA, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
1st team All-AFC:
UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Dolphins went 12-4 to finish
first in the AFC East while leading the NFL in fewest points surrendered (250).
Lost AFC Divisional playoff to Seattle Seahawks (27-20).
Aftermath:
Betters was less
consistently outstanding in 1984, but still accounted for 14 sacks. He declined
significantly in ’85, lost his starting job in 1986, and was finished after the
’87 season. Officially, he accumulated 43.5 sacks (added as an official
statistical category in 1982) while playing for 10 seasons in all. While a
starting member of the defensive line for most of that time, the 1983 season
was clearly his peak.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL,
AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper
Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell
Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself). Also includes Associated Press
NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
[Updated 2/6/14]
[Updated 2/6/14]
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