David Overstreet

This article is about the American football player. For Associate Justice–elect of the Illinois Supreme Court, see David K. Overstreet.

David Overstreet
No. 20
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born:(1958-09-20)September 20, 1958
Big Sandy, Texas, U.S.
Died:June 24, 1984(1984-06-24) (aged 25)
Winona, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:Big Sandy
College:Oklahoma
NFL draft:1981 / round: 1 / pick: 13
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Carries:85
Rushing yards:392
Touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

David Arthur Overstreet (September 20, 1958 – June 24, 1984) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for coach Barry Switzer and the Oklahoma Sooners as a halfback out of the wishbone offense.

Biography

A native of Big Sandy, Texas, David Overstreet prepped at Big Sandy High School and played his college football at the University of Oklahoma.

One of Overstreet's great moments as a Sooner happened on October 4, 1980 when the senior halfback ran for 258 yards on 18 carries against the Colorado Buffaloes as Oklahoma won big, 82-42. He had long runs of 84 and 53 yards in the contest.[1]

For Overstreet's senior season, the 5-11, 180-pound running back led the University of Oklahoma to a 10-2 record, a No. 3 ranking nationally, and the Big Eight Conference Championship while rushing for a team-leading 678 yards on 96 carries with six touchdowns.

He was drafted in the 1981 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins in the first round, 13th pick overall. A contract dispute with the Dolphins led him to sign with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, who, under the ownership of Nelson Skalbania, tried to buy a big money winning team.

His first season (1981) was successful, as he rushed for 952 yards and was the Alouettes rookie of the year. His second season, with the newly renamed and dreadful Montreal Concordes, was plagued by injury, and he only gained 190 yards rushing.

He agreed to return to the Dolphins in 1983, and showed much promise, rushing for 392 yards in 14 games with a 4.6 yards per carry average.

Overstreet was killed in a car accident in June 1984. He was driving northbound in his 1980 Mercedes on Texas State Highway 155, when his car swerved off the road about 10 miles northeast of Tyler into gasoline pumps at a service station and exploded.[2] The Dolphins wore a helmet decal with the number 20 in his memory during their 1984 season in which they reached Super Bowl XIX.

He was survived by his wife, Johnnie, and son, David Overstreet II, who is currently an NFL assistant coach, first with Indianapolis and later Chicago,[3] and grand-nephew Jalen Overstreet.[4]

Statistics

Overstreet's stats with the Oklahoma Sooners
Rushing Receiving
YEAR ATT YDS AVG LNG TD NO. YDS AVG LNG TD
1977 80 354 4.4 — 3 — — — — —
1978 63 408 6.5 64 2 — — — — —
1979 56 277 5.0 21 2 2 82 41.0 72 1
1980 96 678 7.1 84 6 3 80 26.7 39 1
Totals 295 1,717 5.8 84 13 5 162 32.4 72 2
Overstreet's stats in the CFL
Rushing Receiving
YEAR ATT YDS AVG LNG TD NO. YDS AVG LNG TD
1981 182 952 5.2 54 3 48 356 7.4 26 1
1982 39 190 4.9 35 0 17 89 5.2 13 0
Totals 221 1,142 5.2 54 3 65 445 6.8 26 1
Overstreet's stats in the NFL
Rushing Receiving
YEAR TEAM ATT YDS AVG LNG TD NO. YDS AVG LNG TD
1983 MIA 85 392 4.6 44 1 8 59 7.4 20 2
Totals — 85 392 4.6 44 1 8 59 7.4 20 2

References

  1. ^ "Oklahoma scores 82 in win over Colorado". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. October 5, 1980. p. 5D. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  2. ^ "David Overstreet Killed in Car Crash", New York Times, p. C2, June 25, 1984, retrieved September 28, 2022
  3. ^ "Chicago Bears Assistant Coaches David Overstreet II". nfl.com.
  4. ^ "Jalen Overstreet carries family legacy, small-town hopes into big". Austin American-Statesman. March 31, 2012. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.