subject: The Great Cowboy Runner: Tony Dorsett - Awesome! [print this page] Tony Dorsett was born April 7, 1954, in Rochester, Pennsylvania. Tony formed a bond with his mother at a very early age. She was the one responsible with sending Tony to church as well as running and maintaining a steady household. Dorsett's father is named West Dorsett. For 30 years his dad worked in a steel mill. Dorsett looks like a human Ferrari slashing through the secondary too fast for everyone. In high school he gained 1,034 yards rushing as a junior. His record of excellence continued unabated when he moved up a step to the University of Pittsburgh.
At the University of Pittsburgh he took the position as a running back. While in college, Dorsett helped Pittsburgh win a national title in 1976. He also won the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Award, which is the Player of the Year. Not to mention he won the Maxwell Award and the UPI Player of the Year along the way. He also led the nation in rushing with 1,948 yards. When his college career ended, he had established an NCAA record with over 6,000 yards rushing.
His success with Pittsburgh was awesome and incredible. He is arguably one of the greatest running backs in the history of college football. He is one of the few football players on the planet to win a collegiate NCAA Championship and then go on to win a Super Bowl in back to back years.
Dorsett was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft. He played with them through 1987. In eight regular seasons with Cowboys he ran for more than 1,000 yards. In 1981 he rushed for 1646 yards. This was his most productive season. Dorsett had a career total of 12,033 yards in Dallas before being traded to the Denver Broncos in 1988. In 1994 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was enshrined in the Texas Stadium Ring of Honor the same year.
