Hall of Fame football running back who is among the all-time
NFL leaders in several categories.
Tony Dorsett (DOB: 4/7/1954; Rochester, Pennsylvania) won the Heisman Trophy as college football's top player in 1976, while at University of Pittsburgh. In his 4 seasons (1973-6) at Pitt, he ran for a Division I record 6082 yards (that record stood until Ricky Williams broke it in 1998)
The Dallas Cowboys drafted Dorsett 2nd overall in 1977, and he would terrorize opposing defenses as a Cowboy for the next decade.
In his rookie season (1977), Dorsett rushed for 1007 yards and 12 touchdowns, winning the league Rookie of the Year award. He also scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XII, as the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10 to become champions.
The next season, he chalked up 1325 yards on the ground, but his Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII.
1981 was Dorsett's best season, when he rushed for 1646 yards.
On January 2, 1983, versus the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Dorsett set a record that will never be broken. The Cowboys had the ball inside their own 1 yard line and handed off to Dorsett, who scampered 99 yards for a touchdown.
A few years later, in 1988, with the emergence of Herschel Walker, Dallas traded Dorsett to the Denver Broncos. He played in Denver for only one season, before injuries forced his retirement.
Dorsett played in 4 Pro Bowls and had 8 1000 yard rushing seasons. His career stats included 12739 yards rushing (2nd at the time of his retirement to only Walter Payton), 3544 receiving yards and 90 touchdowns (77 rushing, 13 receiving).
Tony Dorsett was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.