The 1987 Fiesta Bowl was a landmark game, not only for the young Fiesta Bowl, but for the college football landscape. Featuring No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Penn State on January 2, 1987, it marked the first time the college football season was extended beyond New Year's Day.
 
The national championship game – the first in the Fiesta Bowl's history – drew the largest television audience for a college football game at the time.
 
The list of future NFL stars and College Football Hall of Famers from both teams runs deep. Both teams were led by legendary head coaches in Joe Paterno (Penn State) and Jimmy Johnson (Miami). The Hurricanes featured an offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throwing to Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Michael Irvin. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions defense was anchored by All-American and future All-Pro linebacker Shane Conlan.
 
Not to be missed in a game of who's who was Penn State running back D.J. Dozier, whose 6-yard touchdown with eight minutes remaining in the game proved to be the game-winner, lifting the Nittany Lions to their second national championship.


Moments after crossing the goal line, Dozier got down on his knee and was instantaneously mobbed by his teammates in a moment he will never forget.
 
"Imagine what it's like to be in the most important college game in history. Being able to score that touchdown, that's a kid's dream, right? You dream of doing something special, being a part of something special," Dozier said. "With a game that had all the stakes on the table, you can't even explain the emotion."

Named the Offensive Player of the Game, Dozier rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries in an otherwise quiet game by the Penn State offense. The Nittany Lions were outgained, 445-162, in total offense and turned the ball over three times.
 
Penn State's defense filled in the gaps. The Nittany Lions held the Hurricanes, who had outscored their opponents 420-136 that season, to a season-low 10 points. Conlan, the Defensive Player of the Game, recorded two of Penn State's five interceptions of Testaverde, including the 38-yard return that set up Dozier's touchdown two plays later.
 
In all, Miami committed seven turnovers on that fateful night in the desert.
 
"No one would have ever expected what our defense did against one of the most explosive offenses in college football," Dozier said. "They went way above and beyond. Offensively, we didn't play our best game, but that defense was unbelievable and our punter, John Bruno, was prolific. I can't say enough about it."
 

The Fiesta Bowl capped a prolific career for Dozier, who remains the only Nittany Lions player to lead the team in rushing in four consecutive seasons. A 1986 First Team All-American, Dozier left Penn State as the program's second-leading rusher (3,227 yards) with 25 rushing touchdowns.
 
Dozier's time in Happy Valley carried him into the NFL, where he was drafted in the first round (#14 overall) to the Minnesota Vikings, in the 1987 Draft. It is there, in Minnesota, where he experienced an epiphany.
 
"I get drafted by the Vikings and the Minnesota Twins are playing in the World Series in the same season (1987)," Dozier said. "I had tickets for all four home games. In the second game, something hit me. I'm looking down at home plate, and for whatever reason, the thought in my mind was 'I can do that.' That's all it was, it was a thought."
 
A thought that would never go away.
 
Dozier was a regarded baseball prospect coming out of Kempsville High School in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Va. Although scouts regularly attended his games, it was widely known that his commitment to Penn State to play football – and possibly baseball – was strong. The Detroit Tigers still drafted him in the 18th round in 1983, hoping to retain his rights assuming he would choose the diamond over the gridiron after his time at Penn State.
 
Upon arriving on campus, Dozier agreed to focus on football exclusively his first season with the intention of playing both sports as a sophomore. But arthroscopic knee surgery in 1984 derailed his baseball plans and his junior season crystalized his football draft prospects.
 
That urge from the 1987 World Series continued throughout his first three NFL seasons.
 
"I called my agent and I said, 'I've got to play baseball,' and his phone went silent," Dozier said. "He knew people with the Phillies and he said we could call the Twins to see if they'll give me a tryout. I said I want you to call Dave Rosenfield."
 
Rosenfield, the general manager of the Tidewater Tides, the New York Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Dozier's hometown, pleaded to Dozier in high school to never stop thinking about baseball. The call led to a tryout, with only 30 days to prepare.
 
Traveling to the Mets' extended spring training in Florida, Dozier – at 24-years old and six years removed from organized baseball – impressed enough to earn a contract a year later after he was free of his contract with the Vikings. Between high-A and Double-A ball in 1990, Dozier hit a combined .303 with 15 home runs, 80 runs batted in and 36 stolen bases.
 
Dozier played one final NFL season in 1991 with the Detroit Lions, averaging a career-best 5.3 yards per carry, before turning his sole focus to baseball.
 
Ranked as the No. 44 prospect by Baseball America and placed on the Mets' 40-man roster during spring training in 1991, Dozier rose to Triple-A Tidewater. A year later, following an injury to Vince Coleman, Dozier received his long-awaited call-up to the major leagues.
 
"I really need to thank God for the opportunity. I planned to play both football and baseball at Penn State and that didn't happen, so at some point you realize baseball is gone; that childhood sport that I loved," Dozier said. "Every day on that field was a blessing. I was living a childhood dream and I truly appreciated every single moment."
 
Dozier's stint in the majors lasted 25 games, all during the 1992 season. He compiled nine hits and was successful on all four stolen base tries. Although it was short, Dozier joined a short list of athletes to play in both the NFL and MLB, including contemporaries Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Brian Jordan.
 
"I loved both sports for different reasons," Dozier said. "Football, for me, was more of a natural sport. Baseball, you've got to develop that skill. As I was going up from Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A and of course to the big leagues, I had to redevelop skill so that I could catch up to that level."

 
More than 30 years later, Dozier looks back at his life experiences fondly. He won a national championship and was a two-sport professional athlete at the highest levels.
 
Of course, he also remains an avid Penn State fan. He speaks highly of the Nittany Lions running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the latest in a string of Penn State running backs to dominate the Fiesta Bowl including Curt Warner, Curtis Enis and Saquon Barkley.
 
Dozier hopes history repeats itself as Penn State's national championship season in 1986-87 was preceded by an Orange Bowl loss (to Oklahoma) the previous season. Under Head Coach James Franklin, the reigning Vrbo Fiesta Bowl champions head into 2025 with championship aspirations after falling in the Orange Bowl, much like the 1985 team, in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.
 
Regardless of how the 2025 season plays out, the Fiesta Bowl holds a special place in Dozier's heart, where the Nittany Lions are 8-0 all-time.
 
"Thank you to the Fiesta Bowl folks. The Fiesta Bowl has always been great for Penn State and we absolutely love it, and not just because we won the championship back in the day. It's been a great time for Penn State folks," Dozier said. "I hear it all the time."