Age: 24
3rd
season in pro football & with Seahawks
College: UCLA
Height: 6’3” Weight: 205
Prelude:
Highly
regarded after an outstanding college career, Easley was taken by the Seahawks
in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1981 NFL draft. He immediately moved
into the starting lineup at strong safety and was selected to the Pro Bowl in
1982. In his first two years, he intercepted seven passes as he demonstrated
excellent ball-hawking skills to go along with his solid tackling.
1983 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Interceptions
– 7 [6, tied with eight others]
Most
interceptions, game – 1 on seven occasions
Int. return
yards – 106 [13]
Most int. return
yards, game – 48 (on 1 int.) vs. Dallas 12/4
Int. TDs – 0
Sacks – 3
Most sacks,
game – 1 at Cleveland 10/2, at LA Raiders 10/30, at Denver 11/20
Fumble
recoveries – 3
Punt Returns
Returns – 1
Yards – 6
TDs – 0
Postseason: 3 G
Sacks – 1
Interceptions
– 0
TDs – 0
Awards &
Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly
1st
team All-AFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Seahawks went
9-7 to finish second in the AFC West and qualify for the postseason as a Wild
Card entry. Won AFC Wild Card playoff over Denver Broncos (31-7) and AFC
Divisional playoff over Miami Dolphins (27-20). Lost AFC Championship to Los
Angeles Raiders (30-14).
Aftermath:
Easley
followed up with a 1984 season in which he led the league with 10 interceptions,
two of which were returned for touchdowns, and he was named NFL Defensive
Player of the Year by the Associated Press as well as receiving consensus
first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors. An injury suffered while returning a
kick cost Easley three games in 1985, but he was still an outstanding and
disruptive performer when healthy and was a consensus first-team All-NFL
selection for the third straight year as well as a Pro Bowl honoree for the
fourth straight. Continued ankle trouble hindered him further in ’86 and he had
surgery. Easley came back to gain a fifth Pro Bowl selection in the
strike-interrupted 1987 season but, due largely to acrimony related to his role
in the players’ strike, he was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason. He
never played for the Cards, however, when a physical revealed a kidney condition
that forced his retirement. In seven seasons, Easley intercepted 32 passes and
set the standard at his position, but his outstanding career came to a too-early
end.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues
include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL
(1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
