Candidate #5: Tony Dorsett
Running Back >>> 5-11, 192
(Pittsburgh)
1977-1987 Dallas Cowboys, 1988 Denver Broncos
Anthony Drew Dorsett, Sr. . .1976 Heisman Trophy winner. . .Draft-day trade made him Cowboys’ No. 1 pick, 1977. . .Played in two Super Bowls, five NFC championship games, four Pro Bowls. . . All-NFL, 1981. . . NFC rushing champion, 1982. . . Career totals: 12,739 yards rushing; 398 receptions for 3,554 yards, 16,347 combined net yards, 91 touchdowns. . . Ran record 99 yards for TD vs. Minnesota, 1983. . . Born April 7, 1954, in Rochester, Pennsylvania.
Tony Dorsett, a 5-11, 192-pound running back from the University of Pittsburgh, already was a celebrity by the time he joined the Dallas Cowboys as their first-round draft pick in 1977. A four-time All-America at Pittsburgh, Dorsett also won the 1976 Heisman Trophy.
Just as he had done at Pitt, he took the National Football League by storm in his rookie 1977 season. Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns and was a virtually unanimous choice for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Dorsett, who was born April 7, 1954, in Rochester, Pennsylvania, rushed for more than 1,000 yards eight of his first nine seasons – the only miss was the strike-shortened 1982 campaign which, ironically, saw him win his only NFC rushing championship.
His top production came in 1981, when he rushed for 1,646 yards and added 325 yards on 32 receptions. Dorsett spent the first 11 seasons of his 12-year, 173-game NFL career with the Cowboys before being traded to the Denver Broncos for a fifth-round draft pick in 1988. He led the Broncos in rushing with 703 yards in 1988 but injuries prevented him from playing after that first campaign in Denver.
For his career, Dorsett rushed for 12,739 yards. He totaled 16,326 yards from scrimmage. He scored 546 points on 91 touchdowns, 77 by rushing, 13 by receiving and one on a fumble return. Dorsett, a three-time All-NFC pick, who was All-Pro in 1981 and a veteran of four Pro Bowls, played in five NFC championship games and Super Bowls XII and XIII. He had impressive post-season statistical totals -- 1,383 rushing yards and 1,786 yards from scrimmage in 17 games. In 1982 during a Monday night game against the Minnesota Vikings, Dorsett set a record that may some day be tied but will never be broken – a 99-yard touchdown run.
Code:
+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Rushing | Receiving |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| Year TM | G | Att Yards Y/A TD | Rec Yards Y/R TD |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| 1977 dal | 14 | 208 1007 4.8 12 | 29 273 9.4 1 |
| 1978 dal | 16 | 290 1325 4.6 7 | 37 378 10.2 2 |
| 1979 dal | 14 | 250 1107 4.4 6 | 45 375 8.3 1 |
| 1980 dal | 15 | 278 1185 4.3 11 | 34 263 7.7 0 |
| 1981 dal | 16 | 342 1646 4.8 4 | 32 325 10.2 2 |
| 1982 dal | 9 | 177 745 4.2 5 | 24 179 7.5 0 |
| 1983 dal | 16 | 289 1321 4.6 8 | 40 287 7.2 1 |
| 1984 dal | 16 | 302 1189 3.9 6 | 51 459 9.0 1 |
| 1985 dal | 16 | 305 1307 4.3 7 | 46 449 9.8 3 |
| 1986 dal | 13 | 184 748 4.1 5 | 25 267 10.7 1 |
| 1987 dal | 12 | 130 456 3.5 1 | 19 177 9.3 1 |
| 1988 den | 16 | 181 703 3.9 5 | 16 122 7.6 0 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
| TOTAL | 173 | 2936 12739 4.3 77 | 398 3554 8.9 13 |
+----------+-----+--------------------------+-------------------------+
Seasons among the league's top 10
Rushes: 1978-4, 1979-9, 1980-6, 1981-3, 1982-1t, 1983-9, 1984-6, 1985-5
Rushing yards: 1977-9, 1978-3, 1980-6t, 1981-2, 1982-2, 1983-6, 1984-7, 1985-6
Rushing TDs: 1977-2, 1980-3t, 1982-10t
Yards from scrimmage: 1977-8, 1978-2, 1979-9, 1980-9, 1981-2, 1982-7, 1983-7, 1984-7, 1985-6
Rush/Receive TDs: 1977-2t, 1980-6
Among the league's all-time top 50
Rushes: 9
Rushing yards: 7
Rushing TDs: 19
Yards from scrimmage: 9
Rush/Receive TDs: 26t
Postseason data
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Year Opp Result | RSH YD TD | REC YD TD
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
1977 chi W,37-7 | 17 85 2 | 2 37 0
1977 min W,23-6 | 19 71 1 | 0 0 0
*1977 den W,27-10 | 15 66 1 | 2 11 0
1978 atl W,27-20 | 14 65 0 | 1 9 0
1978 ram W,28-0 | 17 101 1 | 2 15 0
*1978 pit L,31-35 | 16 96 0 | 5 44 0
1979 ram L,19-21 | 19 87 0 | 0 0 0
1980 ram W,34-13 | 22 160 1 | 3 28 1
1980 atl W,30-27 | 10 51 0 | 5 40 0
1980 phi L,7-20 | 13 41 1 | 3 27 0
1981 tam W,38-0 | 16 86 1 | 4 48 0
1981 sfo L,27-28 | 22 91 1 | 0 0 0
1982 tam W,30-17 | 26 110 0 | 2 14 0
1982 gnb W,37-26 | 27 99 0 | 3 9 0
1982 was L,17-31 | 15 57 0 | 2 29 0
1983 ram L,17-24 | 17 59 0 | 4 12 0
1985 ram L,0-20 | 17 58 0 | 8 80 0
---------------------+-----------------+-----------------
TOTAL | 302 1383 9 | 46 403 1
* - Super Bowl