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By Calvin Watkins Jul 2, 2019
19 in ’19 highlights the 19 most impactful Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks and Stars throughout the history of each franchise. Our staff voted on the top 19 from all four combined lists to create these overall rankings. You can find all of our team lists and profiles here.
The beauty and enormity of Tony Dorsett’s career is measured in numbers and highlights. The Hall of Fame running back finished his 12-year career second to Walton Payton in career rushing yards. Dorsett was the first NFL player to gain 1,000 yards in each of his first five seasons, ultimately finishing his career with eight total 1,000-yard seasons. He is still 10th all-time in rushing yards and 12th in yards from scrimmage. Dorsett was the 1977 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, a four-time Pro Bowler and during a five-year stretch (1981-1985), he scored 30 touchdowns and rushed for 6,208 yards in 73 games.
They alone, however, do not do him justice: Dorsett is more than the sum of those numbers. He played in an era of legendary running backs, and along with Payton, had the longevity to be included among the greats. Dorsett outlasted George Rogers, who gained success early in his career. Billy Sims and Earl Campbell, both legendary runners, didn’t have Dorsett’s staying power. Rogers and Campbell were the big, physical runners. Payton also was a tough running back who went between the tackles. Dorsett ran outside, but when he went up the middle, he slipped tackles and took on tough blocks, too.
“I’m not a bulldog-type runner,” Dorsett said in an interview with NFL Films. “I didn’t come into this business being a bulldog-type runner. I’m a runner usually your grandmother or someone else will enjoy watching because something exciting is going to happen on the field.”
Pro Football Reference is not managed by your grandmother. But their statistical model showed a great deal of appreciation for Dorsett’s career, listing Curtis Martin, Warrick Dunn, Franco Harris, Ricky Watters and Adrian Peterson as comparable players. Harris and Martin are Hall of Famers, and Peterson will get there once he retires.
Beyond the numbers, Dorsett’s ability to make people miss was special. In 2010, NFL Films ranked the 100 greatest players of all time. Dorsett resided at No. 77. The highlight reel showed Dorsett spinning past defenders into the end zone. He made two St. Louis Cardinals defenders run into each other on another run. He caught a tipped ball near the goal line and just glided down the field. There were numerous highlights of Dorsett getting close to the end zone with wide receivers Drew Pearson or Tony Hill providing the downfield blocking. You couldn’t tell because their faces were covered, but it seemed Pearson and Dorsett were laughing at how easily Dorsett crossed hte goal line. On one play, there was no defender within five yards of Dorsett, so he slowed down to slap five with Pearson.
Dorsett was different than Rogers and Campbell, two other mainstays of the 1970s and ’80s. They were big, physical runners who took on two or three defenders before going to the ground. That’s what running backs did back then. It didn’t matter how big you were; taking a hit while running between the tackles, or behind a pulling guard, proved your toughness. Dorsett made it cool to be fast, quick, tough and smooth. Dorsett’s speed, toughness and confidence made him not only a great Cowboy, but a star across the NFL. Dorsett went by Tony D and TD. He changed how we pronounced his last name (from dore-SETT to DOR-sit). He became the spark the Cowboys were missing in their 1970s offense. When you think of the famed Triplets of Troy, Michael and Emmitt, don’t forget the originals; Roger, Tony D. and Drew Pearson were the Triplets before the Triplets. Staubach only played three seasons with Dorsett, but it was enough to win a Super Bowl and vault them into legend.
“Tony had moves, so he made a lot of big plays, but he had exceptional speed,” Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach told NFL Films in 2010. “It wasn’t just running outside and running away from people. He was very tough inside. Whoever said he wasn’t big enough? What are they talking about? The guy got good size. Tony could run inside with speed, he had on the outside. He could do everything.”
At some point in every legend’s life, he must overcome someone or something in his path to greatness. For Emmitt Smith, that someone was Dorsett. For Dorsett, Calvin Hill and Don Perkins were the running backs he needed to surpass. Perkins, in particular, was a talented running back, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who was inducted in the Cowboys Ring of Honor. But neither Hill nor Perkins were Tony Dorsett.
The Cowboys were looking for the missing piece to a championship in the late 1970s when they drafted Dorsett. He was picked second overall in the 1977 NFL Draft and solved all sorts of problems. Winning a championship in any city means you’re revered; after winning a title in his rookie season, Dorsett reached legendary status. He maintained it for the majority of his career. The man who once held the NFL record for the longest touchdown run from scrimmage – 99 yards – turned short gains into big ones. There was no mistaking how great Tony D was.
“If you ever watch me play, when I get the ball, my eyes light up like silver dollars and I’m just like looking at everything and I do see a lot out there,” Dorsett said. “Running the football is all instinctive, it’s all creative, it’s all impromptu and things are happening very, very quick and it’s my vision I think helps me survive in the NFL.”
By Calvin Watkins Jul 2, 2019
19 in ’19 highlights the 19 most impactful Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks and Stars throughout the history of each franchise. Our staff voted on the top 19 from all four combined lists to create these overall rankings. You can find all of our team lists and profiles here.
The beauty and enormity of Tony Dorsett’s career is measured in numbers and highlights. The Hall of Fame running back finished his 12-year career second to Walton Payton in career rushing yards. Dorsett was the first NFL player to gain 1,000 yards in each of his first five seasons, ultimately finishing his career with eight total 1,000-yard seasons. He is still 10th all-time in rushing yards and 12th in yards from scrimmage. Dorsett was the 1977 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, a four-time Pro Bowler and during a five-year stretch (1981-1985), he scored 30 touchdowns and rushed for 6,208 yards in 73 games.
They alone, however, do not do him justice: Dorsett is more than the sum of those numbers. He played in an era of legendary running backs, and along with Payton, had the longevity to be included among the greats. Dorsett outlasted George Rogers, who gained success early in his career. Billy Sims and Earl Campbell, both legendary runners, didn’t have Dorsett’s staying power. Rogers and Campbell were the big, physical runners. Payton also was a tough running back who went between the tackles. Dorsett ran outside, but when he went up the middle, he slipped tackles and took on tough blocks, too.
“I’m not a bulldog-type runner,” Dorsett said in an interview with NFL Films. “I didn’t come into this business being a bulldog-type runner. I’m a runner usually your grandmother or someone else will enjoy watching because something exciting is going to happen on the field.”
Pro Football Reference is not managed by your grandmother. But their statistical model showed a great deal of appreciation for Dorsett’s career, listing Curtis Martin, Warrick Dunn, Franco Harris, Ricky Watters and Adrian Peterson as comparable players. Harris and Martin are Hall of Famers, and Peterson will get there once he retires.
Beyond the numbers, Dorsett’s ability to make people miss was special. In 2010, NFL Films ranked the 100 greatest players of all time. Dorsett resided at No. 77. The highlight reel showed Dorsett spinning past defenders into the end zone. He made two St. Louis Cardinals defenders run into each other on another run. He caught a tipped ball near the goal line and just glided down the field. There were numerous highlights of Dorsett getting close to the end zone with wide receivers Drew Pearson or Tony Hill providing the downfield blocking. You couldn’t tell because their faces were covered, but it seemed Pearson and Dorsett were laughing at how easily Dorsett crossed hte goal line. On one play, there was no defender within five yards of Dorsett, so he slowed down to slap five with Pearson.
Dorsett was different than Rogers and Campbell, two other mainstays of the 1970s and ’80s. They were big, physical runners who took on two or three defenders before going to the ground. That’s what running backs did back then. It didn’t matter how big you were; taking a hit while running between the tackles, or behind a pulling guard, proved your toughness. Dorsett made it cool to be fast, quick, tough and smooth. Dorsett’s speed, toughness and confidence made him not only a great Cowboy, but a star across the NFL. Dorsett went by Tony D and TD. He changed how we pronounced his last name (from dore-SETT to DOR-sit). He became the spark the Cowboys were missing in their 1970s offense. When you think of the famed Triplets of Troy, Michael and Emmitt, don’t forget the originals; Roger, Tony D. and Drew Pearson were the Triplets before the Triplets. Staubach only played three seasons with Dorsett, but it was enough to win a Super Bowl and vault them into legend.
“Tony had moves, so he made a lot of big plays, but he had exceptional speed,” Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach told NFL Films in 2010. “It wasn’t just running outside and running away from people. He was very tough inside. Whoever said he wasn’t big enough? What are they talking about? The guy got good size. Tony could run inside with speed, he had on the outside. He could do everything.”
At some point in every legend’s life, he must overcome someone or something in his path to greatness. For Emmitt Smith, that someone was Dorsett. For Dorsett, Calvin Hill and Don Perkins were the running backs he needed to surpass. Perkins, in particular, was a talented running back, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who was inducted in the Cowboys Ring of Honor. But neither Hill nor Perkins were Tony Dorsett.
The Cowboys were looking for the missing piece to a championship in the late 1970s when they drafted Dorsett. He was picked second overall in the 1977 NFL Draft and solved all sorts of problems. Winning a championship in any city means you’re revered; after winning a title in his rookie season, Dorsett reached legendary status. He maintained it for the majority of his career. The man who once held the NFL record for the longest touchdown run from scrimmage – 99 yards – turned short gains into big ones. There was no mistaking how great Tony D was.
“If you ever watch me play, when I get the ball, my eyes light up like silver dollars and I’m just like looking at everything and I do see a lot out there,” Dorsett said. “Running the football is all instinctive, it’s all creative, it’s all impromptu and things are happening very, very quick and it’s my vision I think helps me survive in the NFL.”
