By Cordillia Marvine
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. (born April 7, 1954) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
Raised in western Pennsylvania, Dorsett played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, where he led the Panthers to the national championship as a senior in the 1976 season and won the Heisman Trophy. He was the first-round, second overall draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1977 NFL draft. Dorsett was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and played for the team for 11 seasons, through 1987. He won a Super Bowl title in his rookie season over the Denver Broncos, with whom he spent his final season before retiring due to injuries. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1994) and the College Football Hall of Fame (1994).
The son of Wes and Myrtle, Dorsett grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, northwest of Pittsburgh. He attended Hopewell High School, where he played football and basketball.
As a high school sophomore in 1970, Dorsett started at cornerback, as his coaches did not believe the 147-pound Dorsett was big enough to play running back, the position he played in junior high school. In 1971, a competition between Dorsett and sophomore Michael Kimbrough for the starting running back position ended after Dorsett took a screen pass 75 yards for a touchdown against Ambridge during the season opener.
Dorsett ended the year as an All-State selection after rushing for 1,034 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns, while leading the Vikings to a 9–1 season. He also remained a starting cornerback on the defensive side. In basketball Dorsett helped his team reach the WPIAL quarterfinals.
In 1972, Dorsett was again an All-state Selection, after setting a single-game rushing record with 247 yards against Sharon, a single-season rushing record with 1,238 yards and the career rushing record with 2,272 yards, while leading the Vikings to a 9–1 season. Dorsett was also a key player on the defensive side as one of the starting linebackers.
For all the ability he had, Dorsett could never lead his team to the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, because in those days the teams had to have an undefeated record. The team’s only loss in 1971 came against Sharon after Dorsett experienced a concussion and played less than a quarter, and the only loss in 1972 came against Butler while playing on a muddy field.
At the end of his senior season, he played at the Big 33 Football Classic. This was the first time that his future coach Johnny Majors saw him play live.
Later, the school retired his 33 jersey. In 2001, Hopewell’s Stadium was renamed Tony Dorsett Stadium.
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
Is there a region on Earth where the lengths of the days and the nights remain almost constant throughout the year?
Yes, on the equator. Every day of the year the Sun is up half the time, so there are always 12 hours of sunshine at the equator.
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- William Wordsworth (poet) –
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas (American conservationist) –
- Irene Castle (dancer) –
- Walter Winchell (columnist & broadcaster) –
- Billie Holiday (jazz singer) –
- Robert Pershing “Bobby” Doerr (baseball player) –
- James Garner (actor) –
- Francis Ford Coppola (director) –
- Tony Dorsett (football player) –
- Jackie Chan (actor & stuntman) –
- Russell Crowe (actor) –
- Tiki Barber (football player) –
Died
- Phineas Taylor (P. T.” Barnum circus owner”) –
- Dave Arneson (co-creator of the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons) –
- George Nissen (inventor of the trampoline) –
- Mike Wallace (broadcast journalist) –
Events
- Booker T. Washington became the first African American to be pictured on a U.S. postage stamp –
- The World Health Organization was established by the United Nations –
- Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific opened on Broadway, N.Y.C. –
- First distinguishable radar echo bounced off the Sun –
- Jack Nicklaus won Masters Golf Tournament –
- John Wayne won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in True Grit –
- The Toronto Blue Jays played their first American League baseball game –
- NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft launched –
- After an undefeated season, UConn’s women’s basketball team won the NCAA championship –
- A 4.9-magnitude aftershock registered in central Italy following the previous day’s 6.3-magnitude earthquake –
Weather
- Record early heat in New England, 90 degrees in Hartford, CT –
- A severe snowstorm closed highways in Iowa and left 19.2 inches of snow in Dubuque –
- Sahara Desert sand began falling in Switzerland –
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