March 15, 2013

Rookie of the Year: Santana Dotson, 1992

Defensive Tackle, Tampa Bay Buccaneers



Age: 23 (Dec. 19)
College: Baylor
Height: 6’5”   Weight: 270

Prelude:
Dotson received All-American recognition in 1991 and was chosen by the Bucs in the fifth round of the ’92 NFL draft. Both he and another rookie, Mark Wheeler, moved into the starting lineup at defensive tackle.

1992 Season Summary
Appeared in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Sacks – 10
Most sacks, game – 2 vs. Phoenix 9/6, vs. Green Bay 9/13, vs. Minnesota 11/8
Interceptions – 0
Fumble recoveries – 2
Forced fumbles – 2
Tackles – 71

Scoring
TDs – 1
Points – 6

Awards & Honors:
NFL Rookie of the Year: Sporting News

Buccaneers went 5-11 to finish third in the NFC Central.

Aftermath:
Dotson was less consistent in 1993 and ’94 as the defense struggled as a whole. He left the Bucs as a free agent after the 1995 season and moved on to Green Bay. With the Packers, Dotson revived his career, showing greater intensity and pass rushing ability and starting for a Super Bowl-winning squad in 1997. His performance level began to drop off due to injuries and his time in Green Bay ended following the 2001 season. Signed as a free agent by the Redskins for ‘02, he underwent surgery for an Achilles injury and never played for them. Over the course of ten years, Dotson appeared in 152 games, 129 of which he started, and accumulated 49 sacks.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL (including NFC/AFC), AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year). 

[Updated 2/4/14]

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