Tony Dorsett

At 70 years old, Tony Dorsett has this physical status:

Anthony Drew "Tony" Dorsett (born April 7, 1954) is a former American football running back who competed in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Dorsett went to the University of Pittsburgh, where he led the Panthers to the national championship as a senior in 1976 and won the Heisman Trophy.

In 1977, he was the second overall pick (from Seattle) and ranked first in the first round draft.

Dorsett was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and spent eleven seasons with the team from 1987 to 1987.

He played for Denver for the next year but then had to cancel due to injuries.

He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1994) and the College Football Hall of Fame (1994).

Early years

Wes and Myrtle Dorsett's son grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, northwest of Pittsburgh. He attended Hopewell High School, where he competed football and basketball.

Dorsett, a high school freshman in 1970, was a cornerback as his coaches did not think the 147-pound Dorsett was strong enough to play running back, the position he occupied in junior high school. After Dorsett took a screen pass 75 yards for a touchdown against Ambridge in 1971, a competition between Dorsett and sophomore Michael Kimbrough for the starting running back position came to an end.

While leading the Vikings to a 9-1 season, Dorsett ended the year as an All-State pick after rushing for 1,034 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns. On the defensive front, he was also a starting point. Dorsett's basketball team advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Dorsett was a second-state selection in 1972, after a single-game rushing record with 2,272 yards and the career rushing record of 2,272 yards was established, while leading the Vikings to their ninth consecutive season. Dorsett, a key player on the offensive team as one of the starting linebacks, was also a key role.

For all the talent he had, Dorsett could never lead his team to the WPIAL Class AA playoffs because during those days, the teams had to have an undefeated record. The team's only loss in 1971 came against Sharon after Dorsett sustained a concussion and played less than a quarter, and the team's only loss in 1972 came against Butler, who was playing in a muddy field.

He appeared at the Big 33 Football Classic at the end of his senior season. This was the first time Johnny Majors, his future coach, saw him play live.

The school retired his 33 jerseys, and Hopewell's Stadium was renamed Tony Dorsett Stadium in 2001.

Personal life

Anthony, Jazmyn, Madison, and Mia (with current wife Janet) are among Dorsett's four children. Anthony's uncle, Anthony, played football at the University of Pittsburgh and played defensive back in the NFL from 1996 to 2003, and was a member of the Tennessee Titans and the Oakland Raiders (Super Bowl XXIV). Ty Law, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots in the late 90s and early 2000s, is also the uncle of NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Tony Dorsett Celebrity Golf Classic for McGuire Memorial is hosted by Dorsett. McGuire Memorial's appeal has raised over $5 million for the cause.

Dorsett has helped boost the wellbeing of current and former professional athletes by raising the issue of sleep apnea around the world. He has joined forces with award-winning orthodontic technician David Gergen and the Pro Player Health Alliance to host free public awareness events in local communities all around the country. Dorsett has helped get over 150 former players apnea's sleep disorder to apnea.

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College career

Dorsett became the first freshman in 29 years to be named All-American (Doc Blanchard of Army was the previous one in 1944). With 1,586 yards in 11 games, he came in second in the nation in rushing, and the Pittsburgh Panthers won their first winning season in ten years. He was Pittsburgh's first All-American pick since the 1963 season, when both Paul Martha and Ernie Borghetti were selected to the first team. He had 1,586 passing yards at the time, the most rushing yards by a freshman, beating the record set by Ron "Po" James in 1968. James, who was notably missing from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, was hailed from New Brighton, specifically Dorsett. Despite being identified as Anthony, the school's athletic department advised him to go by Tony in touchdown to use the marketable initials TD.

Anthony Dorsett's son Anthony Dorsett was born on September 14, 1973, during Dorsett's freshman year at Pitt. Dorsett's son was born out of wedlock, and several commentators suggested that he should drop out of school and marry his son's mother and financially support his family later this year. Dorsett thought that continuing to care for his son was the best way to care for his son, a strategy that has thrived due to his collegiate success.

He was Pitt's all-time rushing yards leader in career rushing yards, beating Marshall Goldberg's record of 1,957 yards, who helped Pitt win the national championship in 1937.

Dorsett had 303 yards rushing against Notre Dame in his junior year, breaking his own school single-game rush record. He had 290 yards against Notre Dame as a senior in 1976. He darted 61 yards on his first run of the season and put on 120 more by the time of the 31–10 victory.

He helped his school win the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Award for player of the year, and the United Press International Player of the Year Award went along with him in 1976, leading the country in rushing with 2,150 yards. He was a first-time All-American (1973, 1975, 1976), as well as a second-team All-American in 1974 by the UPI and Newspaper Enterprise Association. (NEA). Dorsett had 6,082 total rushing yards, which was followed by a NCAA record. This will be the highest record until it was surpassed by Ricky Williams in 1998.

Dorsett was the first Pitt player to have his jersey retired after being a four-time 1,000-yard rusher and a four-time All-American. He is regarded as one of the best running backs in college football history. In 2007, he was ranked #7 on ESPN's Top 25 Players in College Football History. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Professional career

Scouts were skeptical of Dorsett's long-term durability ahead of the 1977 NFL Draft, citing his small size as his biggest concern in his long-term longevity. The Dallas Cowboys selected him with the second overall pick (tom Lynch), 41st overall (Terry Beeson), and 54th overall (Glenn Carano) picks after being passed over by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the first overall pick; Dorsett had previously told the Seahawks that he did not play for them; but Dorsett had previously told the Seahawks that he would not play for them. Dorsett signed a five-year deal worth over $1.1 million, the first contract for a rookie in the Cowboys' history; it was the second-largest contract signed for a rookie this season, with first overall pick Ricky Bell defeating Dorsett with a $1.2 million deal.

Dorsett and head coach Tom Landry had differing viewpoints about how he should play the ball right from the start. Landry developed precise running plays, but after being convinced that Dorsett was a different kind of running back and ordered the offensive line to block and hold their man, Dorsett was eventually convinced, while Dorsett opted for the running lane with his gifted vision and intuition.

Dorsett made an immediate impression in 1977, rushing for 1,007 yards (including a 206-yard effort against the Philadelphia Eagles), scoring 12 touchdowns and winning rookie of the year awards. He set a new Cowboys rookie record and was also the first Cowboy to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his rookie season. He held the record for 39 years until 2016, when Ezekiel Elliott surpassed 1,000 yards in his 9th game and tied Dorsett's record for 1,102 yards in game ten.

He was named the starter in the tenth game of the season and went on to win the college football championship before winning the Super Bowl the next year after the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27–10 in Super Bowl XII. Dorsett's second season was his best in his second season, with the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl for the second time in their second season, although the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII.

He had one of his best runs in 1980. The right defensive end and linebacker had penetration against the St. Louis Cardinals, while the two cornerbacks were blitzing. Dorsett screamed on his right foot, turned 360 degrees, and blasted wide across the left side, defeating the safety and eluding a total of five defenders for a touchdown without being touched.

His most productive season came in 1981, when he led the Cowboys to 1,646 yards, smashing the Cowboys franchise record.

The strike-shortened season ended his streak of at least 1,000 rushing yards in 1982. Dallas only played nine games, with Dorsett rushing 745 yards and 5 touchdowns. With a 99-yard touchdown run, he tied for the final regular-season game against the Minnesota Vikings. In 2018, Derrick Henry tied for his best touchdown run with a 99-yard touchdown run.

He stayed out until the 1985 season, requesting that his deal be renegotiated. Randy White, a defensive tackle for the Cowboys, had a bigger contract.

Since George Rogers and Earl Campbell were teammates on the 1984 New Orleans Saints, running back Herschel Walker was signed by the Cowboys and moved to fullback, so he could share backfield with Dorsett. This move caused a lot of tensions, particularly because it would limit Dorsett's playing time, and because Walker's $5 million five-year deal was more than his $4.5 million five-year deal. Despite Dorsett's ankle and knee injuries that had him to miss three games, the Cowboys nevertheless led the Cowboys in rushing for the 10th straight season, total, with 748 yards.

Walker pleaded with the Cowboys' administration in 1987 that he was being moved around between three different positions (running back, fullback, wide receiver) and that Dorsett had more carries. With Dorsett playing in 12 games (6 starts) and rushing for 456 yards on 130 carries, he took over as the team's top running back. Despite being fit, Dorsett did not participate in two games, prompting him to request a trade.

Dorsett was traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a conditional fifth-round draft pick on June 2, 1988. He was named as the franchise's rushing leader (12,036 yards) and second in league history in postseason rushing yards (1,383).

Dorsett was acquired by the Denver Broncos because they were keen to improve their running game. He reunited with former Cowboys offensive coordinator Dan Reeves, and it was announced that he could still run 40 yards in 4.3 seconds at the age of 34. Walter Payton's retirement last year made him the career leader in running yards among active players. He also had a positive influence on the team until being limited with injuries late in the season, playing in 16 games (13 starts), while leading the team with 703 passing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. Dorsett threw his only touchdown pass of his career against the Los Angeles Rams on November 27, 1988 (only the second pass completion in eight career attempts, with one interception).

Dorsett led the all-time rush list with 12,306 yards on September 26, 1988, finishing his career with 12,739 yards, second behind Walter Payton. He resigned after suffering a torn left knee ligament injury in training camp the following season.

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