Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett was a Heisman Trophy-winning running back at Pittsburgh who went on to star for the Dallas Cowboys, helping them win Super Bowl XII.

Born on 7 April 1954 in Rochester, Pennsylvania, Tony Dorsett rushed for over 1,000 yards in all four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, winning the 1976 Heisman Trophy and leading the Panthers to the national championship that same year. The Dallas Cowboys traded up to select him second overall in the 1977 NFL Draft. Dorsett made an immediate impact as a rookie, rushing for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and helped Dallas win Super Bowl XII in his first season — making him the first player in football history to win a college national championship, the Heisman Trophy and a Super Bowl. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight of his first nine NFL seasons, missing only during the strike-shortened 1982 campaign, when he nonetheless won his only NFC rushing title. Dorsett's signature moment came on 3 January 1983, when he broke off a 99-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings — remarkably, achieved with only ten men on the field for Dallas — a rushing distance record that still stands as it is the maximum possible on a standard field. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and finished his 11 seasons with the Cowboys with 12,036 rushing yards, then second in NFL history behind only Walter Payton. Dorsett was traded to the Denver Broncos for his final season in 1988 before retiring with 12,739 career rushing yards. He was inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Explosive breakaway speed with exceptional vision and elusiveness

One of the most explosive and electrifying running backs in NFL history

• Pro Football Hall of Fame (1994)
• Heisman Trophy (1976)
• College Football National Championship (1976, Pittsburgh)
• Super Bowl XII champion
• 4x Pro Bowl
• 1x First-team All-Pro