Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett

Anthony “Tony” Drew Dorsett is a retired American Football Running Back who is mostly famous for his performances with the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos.

Tony Dorsett was born on April 7, 1954 in Rochester, Pennsylvania. Dorsett tried out for the football team at ‘Hopewell High School’ in his sophomore year; at that time, Dorsett was 5 feet, 10 inches, and 147 pounds; hence, he first played as cornerback. However, in junior year, he took a 75 yard screen pass against Ambridge in a match that cemented his place as the running back for the team’s offensive plays. Dorsett was included in the 1971 All-State Selection with a tally of 1034 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 1972, he was again selected in the All-State Category after he set a single game rushing record of 247 yards, and a single season rushing record of 1238 yards.

After graduating from high school, Dorsett enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh where he was the first freshman in twenty nine years to be included in the All-American Category. In rushing, Dorsett accumulated a tally of 1586 yards in only 11 games, hence, leading the Pittsburgh Panthers to their first triumphant season in over ten years. With Pittsburgh, Dorsett won the national title for his school in 1976, the Heisman Trophy, The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the United Press International Player of the Year Award, and the Maxwell Award. Dorsett’s college football career is considered by many to be one of the best of all time. In 1994, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2007, he was ranked No.7 on ESPN’s Top 25 Players in College Football History.

Tony Dorsett was the second pick of the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. According to some sources, Dorsett’s contract was worth over $1.1 Million. In retrospect, only Ricky Bell of the University of California had a better contract worth $1.2 Million. Dorsett went on to play for the Cowboys until 1987. With the Cowboys, Dorsett won the Super Bowl XII; hence becoming the first player to win the college football championship in one year, and the super bowl in the next. In 1981, Dorsett broke the Cowboys Rushing Record with a tally of 1646 yards.

In 1988, Dorsett was traded to the Denver Broncos in the fifth-round draft rounds. Dorsett only played for a year for the Broncos before retiring due to several injuries.

In his twelve year professional career, Dorsett rushed for a total of 12,739 yards and 77 touchdowns. He also scored thirteen receiving scores. Dorsett also broke the’ longest run from scrimmage’ record in NFL in 1983 against Minnesota with a staggering run of 99 yards. In 1994, Dorsett was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dorsett and Marcus Allen are also the only two players in history to have won the Heisman Trophy, Super Bowl, and College National Championships while having been inducted to both the College and the Pro Football Hall of Fames. He has also been awarded the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, and he is also the eight leading rusher of all-time.

Currently, Tony Dorsett works for the Pro Player Health Alliance to help promote awareness for the health of professional athletes, and also for promoting awareness for sleep apnea.


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