Best NFL Players of All Time: Tony Dorsett. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.
Best NFL Players of All Time: Tony Dorsett
During the 1970s, the Dallas Cowboys were the most dominant team in the NFL. They won two Super Bowls and qualified for the playoffs every year up until 1974. Nevertheless, prior to the drama that took place in 1977, there was something that was lacking from their point of view.
In spite of their success, the Cowboys had developed a somewhat predictable style of play. Despite the fact that Drew Pearson was one of the best receivers in the game and Roger Staubach was still capable of throwing the ball, Tom Landry did not have a running back who was particularly explosive. Tex Schramm, the general manager of the Cowboys, and Landry both recognized the need for the Cowboys to acquire a new player and were able to identify a player who could be of assistance to them in the 1977 selection.
Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett provided the speed and explosiveness that the Cowboy onslaught needed. Dorsett was the quarterback for the Cowboys. The problem was that the Cowboys selected the University of Pittsburgh outstanding player with the 24th overall choice in the first round, which prevented them from bringing him into the draft.
Despite this, Schramm and Landry made the decision to pay the price in order to advance. In exchange for the second overall pick, they moved up with Seattle, the Seahawks receiving a first-round pick and three second-round picks in exchange for the second overall pick. Following the selection of USC running back Ricky Bell with the first overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys chose to take Dorsett and have not looked back since.
There was no doubt that Dallas’s pre-draft appraisal was accurate. Dorsett possessed all of the attributes that were lacking, and after playing for the Pitt team that won the national championship in 1976, Dorsett played a significant role in the Cowboys’ Super Bowl win in his first season with the team. After accumulating 1,007 yards on the ground, Dorsett was recognized as the highest-scoring offensive rookie of the year. At the beginning of his career and throughout his first season, it was necessary for him to possess tremendous speed and to be able to exploit it to his advantage.
“After winning the national championship at Pitt in my senior year and then moving to the Cowboys as a rookie, I just felt good things were going to happen,” Dorsett explained to the local newspaper. “Before I arrived to camp, I was under the impression that we had a good chance of winning the world championship. All things considered, this was the Cowboys, with Roger Staubach and Tom Landry serving as the leaders of the “Doomsday Defense.” I am now in their possession. At first glance, it seemed as though we had a good opportunity.
There was more to it than accidental occurrence. The Dallas Cowboys of 1977 finished with a record of 12-2, won the National Football Conference playoffs against the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings, and won Super Bowl XII in New Orleans by a score of 27-0 against the Denver Broncos.
“It was the best feeling I’ve ever experienced in my professional football career,” Dorsett said earlier. “It is an incredible feeling to win the Super Bowl as a rookie,” said the winning quarterback. It is not that you anticipate winning every year, but when you are a member of that team, you are aware that you are going to have a decent shot.
Staubach found that the presence of Dorsett made things a great deal simpler. The year 1976 saw Staubach throw for 14 touchdowns while also committing 11 interceptions. The fact that Dorsett was able to run for an average of 4.8 yards and score 12 touchdowns on the ground in 1977 led Staubach to uncover more open passing routes. 18:9 is the new ratio of touchdowns to interceptions that he has achieved. For a combined total of 94 receptions and six touchdowns, Drew Pearson and Preston Pearson, who is not related to him, were the backup running backs.
One of Dorsett’s few victories in the Super Bowl throughout his professional career came during his rookie season; nevertheless, he also won a number of other medals and awards throughout his career. Before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993, he had a career that spanned eleven years and resulted in a total of 12,739 yards of rushing. He appeared in the Pro Bowl four times, was selected to the All-NFC team three times, and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times.
The decision to select Dorsett was one that Staubach was satisfied with, and he had no misgivings about the $1.1 million contract that Dorsett signed, despite the fact that the quarterback was only making $250,000 at the time. “We needed Tony Dorsett when we drafted him,” Staubach remarked. “We were interested in him.” Before he arrived, we didn’t have much of a running game against each other. As soon as he arrived, it seemed as though we did not have any significant gaps.
There were a lot of individuals who thought that the money he signed for would be problematic, but I had no such concerns. They had the ability to offer him twice as much as long as we won the Super Bowl, which is precisely what happened.
Throughout the majority of his career, Dorsett appeared to have a chip on his shoulder. Even although he was making progress in his profession, he was aware of allegations concerning his size. These rumors began before he was picked. Skeptics believed that he was too small and thin to succeed in this endeavor.
“That really got to me,” Dorsett, who measured 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds, recounted. “It inspired me further. It was when I found out that I was not big enough to be a successful running back in the NFL that I decided to make them pay for their mistake. The issue was not one of size. The only thing that mattered was your battling spirit and your talent. I was just aware of the fact that I was going to make the most of the resources that I had.
It was Landry’s personal fears that he had over Dorsett’s magnitude. Although he was aware that he had a fantastic back, he was aware that Dorsett did not possess the same stature and strength as Houston’s Earl Campbell. “I was not going to use Tony in the same way the Oilers used Campbell,” Landry stated in an interview. It was my hope that he would have a long and successful career without being affected by the trauma. The way things turned out, both for him and for us, was quite satisfying.
The most famous play that Dorsett ever made was on a Monday night in 1982, when the team was playing Minnesota in the final game of the regular season. After receiving a handoff from Cowboys quarterback Danny White at the Dallas 1-yard line, Dorsett scored a touchdown that covered 99 yards. The fact that the Cowboys only had ten players on the field is even more significant. This is due to the fact that running back Ron Springs did not comprehend that he was meant to be on the field for that third-down play and instead watched from the sideline.
During the course of his career, Dorsett made the observation that “that is the play that I am asked about more than any other one.” It was just a matter of my grabbing the ball, running the play, and there it was. Although I wouldn’t say it was my best run, it was without a doubt the most memorable one I’ve ever had.
Best NFL Players of All Time: Tony Dorsett Stats
Regular Season
Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV |
1977 | 23 | DAL | RB | 33 | 14 | 4 | 208 | 1007 | 12 | 84 | 4.8 | 71.9 | 14.9 | 29 | 273 | 9.4 | 1 | 23 | 2.1 | 19.5 | 237 | 5.4 | 1280 | 13 | 7 | 16 |
1978 | 24 | DAL | RB | 33 | 16 | 15 | 290 | 1325 | 7 | 63 | 4.6 | 82.8 | 18.1 | 37 | 378 | 10.2 | 2 | 91 | 2.3 | 23.6 | 327 | 5.2 | 1703 | 9 | 12 | 17 |
1979 | 25 | DAL | RB | 33 | 14 | 14 | 250 | 1107 | 6 | 41 | 4.4 | 79.1 | 17.9 | 45 | 375 | 8.3 | 1 | 32 | 3.2 | 26.8 | 295 | 5 | 1482 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
1980 | 26 | DAL | RB | 33 | 15 | 15 | 278 | 1185 | 11 | 56 | 4.3 | 79 | 18.5 | 34 | 263 | 7.7 | 0 | 27 | 2.3 | 17.5 | 312 | 4.6 | 1448 | 11 | 8 | 13 |
1981 | 27 | DAL | RB | 33 | 16 | 16 | 342 | 1646 | 4 | 75 | 4.8 | 102.9 | 21.4 | 32 | 325 | 10.2 | 2 | 73 | 2 | 20.3 | 374 | 5.3 | 1971 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
1982 | 28 | DAL | RB | 33 | 9 | 9 | 177 | 745 | 5 | 99 | 4.2 | 82.8 | 19.7 | 24 | 179 | 7.5 | 0 | 18 | 2.7 | 19.9 | 201 | 4.6 | 924 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
1983 | 29 | DAL | RB | 33 | 16 | 16 | 289 | 1321 | 8 | 77 | 4.6 | 82.6 | 18.1 | 40 | 287 | 7.2 | 1 | 24 | 2.5 | 17.9 | 329 | 4.9 | 1608 | 9 | 5 | 13 |
1984 | 30 | DAL | RB | 33 | 16 | 16 | 302 | 1189 | 6 | 31 | 3.9 | 74.3 | 18.9 | 51 | 459 | 9 | 1 | 68 | 3.2 | 28.7 | 353 | 4.7 | 1648 | 7 | 12 | 9 |
1985 | 31 | DAL | RB | 33 | 16 | 16 | 305 | 1307 | 7 | 60 | 4.3 | 81.7 | 19.1 | 46 | 449 | 9.8 | 3 | 56 | 2.9 | 28.1 | 351 | 5 | 1756 | 10 | 7 | 12 |
1986 | 32 | DAL | RB | 33 | 13 | 12 | 184 | 748 | 5 | 33 | 4.1 | 57.5 | 14.2 | 25 | 267 | 10.7 | 1 | 36 | 1.9 | 20.5 | 209 | 4.9 | 1015 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
1987 | 33 | DAL | RB | 33 | 12 | 6 | 130 | 456 | 1 | 24 | 3.5 | 38 | 10.8 | 19 | 177 | 9.3 | 1 | 33 | 1.6 | 14.8 | 149 | 4.2 | 633 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
1988 | 34 | DEN | RB | 33 | 16 | 13 | 181 | 703 | 5 | 26 | 3.9 | 43.9 | 11.3 | 16 | 122 | 7.6 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 7.6 | 197 | 4.2 | 825 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Career | 173 | 152 | 2936 | 12739 | 77 | 99 | 4.3 | 73.6 | 17 | 398 | 3554 | 8.9 | 13 | 91 | 2.3 | 20.5 | 3334 | 4.9 | 16293 | 90 | 90 | 137 | ||||
11 yrs | DAL | 157 | 139 | 2755 | 12036 | 72 | 99 | 4.4 | 76.7 | 17.5 | 382 | 3432 | 9 | 13 | 91 | 2.4 | 21.9 | 3137 | 4.9 | 15468 | 85 | 84 | 131 | |||
1 yr | DEN | 16 | 13 | 181 | 703 | 5 | 26 | 3.9 | 43.9 | 11.3 | 16 | 122 | 7.6 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 7.6 | 197 | 4.2 | 825 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Playoffs
Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | Att | Yds | TD | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb |
1977 | 23 | DAL | RB | 3 | 3 | 51 | 222 | 4 | 22 | 4.4 | 74 | 17 | 4 | 48 | 12 | 0 | 32 | 1.3 | 16 | 55 | 4.9 | 270 | 4 | 3 |
1978 | 24 | DAL | RB | 3 | 3 | 47 | 262 | 1 | 53 | 5.6 | 87.3 | 15.7 | 8 | 68 | 8.5 | 0 | 13 | 2.7 | 22.7 | 55 | 6 | 330 | 1 | 3 |
1979 | 25 | DAL | RB | 1 | 1 | 19 | 87 | 0 | 26 | 4.6 | 87 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 4.6 | 87 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
1980 | 26 | DAL | RB | 3 | 3 | 45 | 252 | 2 | 23 | 5.6 | 84 | 15 | 11 | 95 | 8.6 | 1 | 18 | 3.7 | 31.7 | 56 | 6.2 | 347 | 3 | 4 |
1981 | 27 | DAL | RB | 2 | 2 | 38 | 177 | 2 | 26 | 4.7 | 88.5 | 19 | 4 | 48 | 12 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 24 | 42 | 5.4 | 225 | 2 | 0 |
1982 | 28 | DAL | RB | 3 | 3 | 68 | 266 | 0 | 22 | 3.9 | 88.7 | 22.7 | 7 | 52 | 7.4 | 0 | 25 | 2.3 | 17.3 | 75 | 4.2 | 318 | 0 | 2 |
1983 | 29 | DAL | RB | 1 | 1 | 17 | 59 | 0 | 11 | 3.5 | 59 | 17 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 3.4 | 71 | 0 | 0 |
1985 | 31 | DAL | RB | 1 | 1 | 17 | 58 | 0 | 14 | 3.4 | 58 | 17 | 8 | 80 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 8 | 80 | 25 | 5.5 | 138 | 0 |
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