On Thursday, February 14, 2019, one of Kempsville’s alumni and a graduate of 1983 returned during One Lunch to speak to students about his time at Kempsville High School, his college recruitment and sports selection process, and his favorite personal experiences.

    William “D.J.” Dozier is a multi-sport athlete who played running back in college for Penn State and then continued on to play in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions. He also played professional baseball following his time in the NFL, as an outfielder for the MLB’s New York Mets.  

Dozier spent his time discussing his life and trials and tribulations from his time at Kempsville High School.

He explained how he overcame obstacles in both athletics and academics through the help of his coaches and teachers. He also discussed how difficult it was for him to choose which college he would like to attend. He was offered many scholarships to play Division 1 football. He explained how going to Penn State was not originally in his plans. He felt they were not interested in him as other schools were. He continued on to say that he would get letters and emails from other schools every day. In the end, Dozier was happy with his choice and grateful to the supportive people who got him to the place he was.

Dozier concluded his time with a question and answer session in which he highlighted his fondest memories of his time at Kempsville and beyond. He is proud to have been a Chief and can be seen as an inspiration to the Kempsville student body as a whole.