| No. 50 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1962-12-01)December 1, 1962 (age 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 251 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Glendale (Glendale, California) | ||||||||||||
| College | USC | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1985: 1st round, 5th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Duane Clair Bickett (born December 1, 1962) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with theIndianapolis Colts,Seattle Seahawks, andCarolina Panthers. Bickett playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans.
Duane Bickett was born on December 1, 1962, inLos Angeles, California. He attendedGlendale High School where he playedhigh school football,basketball, andbaseball.[1] Bickett was a standout player in basketball and football. As a senior on the basketball team, he helped lead Glendale to a 2-ACIF state title. He was named the CIF 2-A Co-Player of the Year and earned All-CIF First-team honors while averaging 18.0 points per game.[2] TheLos Angeles Times also named Bickett as their player of the year.[3]
In football, Bickett played on both offense and defense as atight end anddefensive end.[4] As a senior, Bickett caught 47 passes for 581 yards and seven touchdowns.[1] He was named to theLos Angeles Times All-Star team as an offensive selection, where his Glendale team finished in first in the Foothill League.[5] Bickett received a football scholarship to attend theUniversity of Southern California (USC).[6]
Bickett playedcollege football at USC from 1982 to 1984. Bickett was first recruited as a tight end before being converted to a linebacker prior to his sophomore year.
As a sophomore in 1982, Bickett was used as a backup linebacker. He recorded 31 tackles and three interceptions for the Trojans as they finished 8–3 on the season with a final #15 ranking in theAP poll.[7][8]
In 1983, Bickett earned a starting role as a defensive end, although he did not play in a traditional three-point lineman stance. Bickett played as a third outside linebacker alongside fellow juniorJack Del Rio and seniorKeith Browner.[1] Bickett had a productive year, leading USC with 105 tackles and adding two interceptions.[9][10] Despite spraining is knee in a mid-season loss againstArizona State, Bickett came back the following week against rivalsNotre Dame.[11] Bickett earned both academic and athletic honors, being named to the 1983Pac-10 Conference All-Academic Football Team, 1983 Pac-10 All-Conference Honorable Mention, and 1983Academic All-America Second-Team.[12][13][14] The season was disappointing for USC, who finished at 4–6–1.[10]
In 1984, Bickett returned to his traditional linebacker spot as a senior and USC returned to form. Bickett had his best collegiate season, with 151 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 13 pass deflections, and one interception.[15] USC went 9–3 on the year, winning the Pac-10 Conference Title with a key upset over #1-rankedWashington late in the season. Bickett was named the 1984Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and earnedAll-America First-Team,All-Pac-10 First-Team, and Academic All-America First-Team honors.[15] The #18-ranked Trojans faced #6Ohio State in the1985 Rose Bowl, upsetting the Buckeyes 20–17.
Bickett was selected by theIndianapolis Colts in the first round of the1985 NFL draft with the fifth overall pick.[16] He had a 12-year NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, and Carolina Panthers.
Bickett missed much of his rookie offseason due to a contract dispute.[17] However, when he joined the team prior to the regular season opener he was an immediate starter and appeared in all 16 games at outside linebacker. Bickett had 30 tackles within the first four games, proving his worth as a top draft selection.[18] Bickett's first NFL interception came in a week 5 thrashing of theBuffalo Bills. Bickett ran into the backfield and nearly sacked BuffaloquarterbackVince Ferragamo before throwing up his hands and catching an errant throw.[19] His high production continued throughout the season, finishing the year with 141 total tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.[20] Bickett led the Colts in tackles and sacks and was selected to the1985 PWFA NFL All-Rookie Team and was named the1985 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.[21]
In 1986, Bickett had his highest career tackle total with 144 combined tackles and added five sacks, one forced fumble, and two interceptions.[20] Bickett again had a quick start to the season, totalling 62 tackles and two sacks in first six games.[17] Bickett was named the Colts' most valuable player by the team and was an alternate at the1986 Pro Bowl.[22] Despite Bickett's positive play, the Colts started the season at 0-13 and finished at 3–13 after firing head coachRod Dowhower and replacing him withRon Meyer.[23]
The 1987 season was interrupted by aplayer's strike. All week three games were cancelled and games during weeks four through six were contested using "replacement players." In his first game back after the strike ended, Bickett helped seal the win against theNew England Patriots. In the third quarter, he sackedTony Eason who fumbled. The ball was recovered by Colts defensive endDonnell Thompson who returned it for atouchdown. Bickett played in all 12 games not affected by the strike, posting 113 total tackles, a career-high eight sacks, and two forced fumbles.[20] He was named to the1987 Pro Bowl and earned a1987 All-Pro Second-Team selection. The Colts won theAFC East Division with a 9–6 record, making their first playoff appearance since moving to Indianapolis. They lost in the Divisional Round to theCleveland Browns.[24]
From 1988 to 1991, Bickett never recorded less than 100 combined tackles in a season. In the 1989 season, Bickett matched his career-high with eight sacks in addition to his 100 total tackles. Bickett and linebackerJeff Herrod shared the Colts' team tackling lead throughout this era. In 1992, Bickett recorded 89 tackles and 6.5 sacks.[20]
In 1993, Bickett's final season with the Colts, he was given thefranchise tag increasing his salary to the average of the top five linebackers in the NFL. He posted 97 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Three of those sacks came in week four against the Cleveland Browns, where Bickett and the Colts stifled quarterbacksBernie Kosar andVinny Testaverde on the way to a 23–10 victory.[25] Bickett was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[26]
Following a disappointing 4–12 season, the Colts sought to rebuild. The team cut several veteran players, including Bickett, on February 17, 1994.[27]
Bickett signed a two-year, $1.4 million contract with theSeattle Seahawks on June 22, 1994.[28]
During his time with the Seahawks, Bickett served as a backup linebacker and special teams player.[29] In 1994, he appeared in seven games with one start with eight tackles on the season. In 1995, he appeared in 15 games and recorded seven tackles.[20]
On April 25, 1996, Bickett signed a one-year contract with theCarolina Panthers.[30] Bickett continued as a backup linebacker and special teamer, but contributed in all 16 games of the regular season. He finished the year with 12 tackles and two sacks.[20]
In only their second year in the NFL, the Panthers went 12–4 in 1996. They won theNFC West Division and defeated the defending Super Bowl championDallas Cowboys in theDivisional Round. Bickett had one assisted tackle against the Cowboys. In the1996 NFC Championship Game, the Panthers lost to the eventual Super Bowl winningGreen Bay Packers.[31]
Bickett left the Panthers as an unrestricted free agent following the 1996 season, effectively ending his career.
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tot | Solo | Ast | Sk | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | TD | ||
| 1985 | IND | 16 | 16 | 141 | – | – | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | IND | 16 | 16 | 144 | – | – | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| 1987 | IND | 12 | 12 | 113 | – | – | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | IND | 16 | 16 | 126 | – | – | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 1989 | IND | 16 | 16 | 100 | – | – | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 1990 | IND | 15 | 15 | 117 | – | – | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| 1991 | IND | 16 | 16 | 125 | – | – | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | IND | 15 | 15 | 89 | – | – | 6.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| 1993 | IND | 15 | 15 | 97 | 63 | 21 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | SEA | 7 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | SEA | 15 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | CAR | 16 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 175 | 138 | 1,079 | 81 | 29 | 53.0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 46 | 0 | |
Note: Solo and assisted tackles were not consistently tracked prior to the 1994 season.
Bickett returned to California following his retirement from the NFL. He served as an assistant coach atTorrey Pines High School inSan Diego, California.[32]
Bickett's son, Louie Bickett, was a linebacker for theUniversity of California.[33]
Following his graduation from high school, Bickett's parents moved toAustralia. Bickett's brother, Don, played professional basketball in Australia in theNational Basketball League.[34]