USD Football 1992

YOU SAY DOR-SETT, ISAY DOR-SETT... However you pronounce it, it still means the same thing, greatness.

BY CHARLIE MCCARTHY If ever asked to present his case for being college football 's greatest all-time running back, Tony Dorseu wouldn't have to uller a peep. All the former Pim burgh Panther great would have to do is point to his stats, such as the major college record of 6,082 career yards... his accomplishments, both person– a I (He isman Trophy) and team-wise (national championship)...and the plethora of video highlights exhibiting a style remi– niscent of NFL Ha ll of Famer Gale Sayers. If Dorse11 needs more evidence-(after all, other runners will claim they were the best)- he can rely on the opin ions of many respected foo tball minds. Some examples: • "People asked me to compare Dorsell with other great backs when they came out of college," said Gil Brandt, former vice president of personnel of the Dallas Cowboys, "and I thought a comparison with Gale Sayers was good. Sayers had that vision." • "Tony Dorse11 is the greatest football player we've ever played against, and that includes Jimmy Brown o f Syracuse, Archie Griffin of Ohio State, George Webster and Bubba Smith of Michigan State and Greg Pruilt of Oklahoma," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said at the '76 Heisman Trophy dinner. • "Dorsell runs like water," said Jack Butler, a former NFL scout who kept a close eye on the Pitt rusher. " Before Dorsett, the last college back with as much potential was O.J. Simpson." • "He has some of the styles of O.J. and Gayle Sayers, and two of the best I' ve

seen are Johnny Rodgers and Greg Pruiu. I feel Tony is a combination of all of them. He may not have the size, but he has the strength," said former Pill, and current Tennessee coach Johnny Majors. While there have been great college run– ners before Dorsell and since (i.e. Georgia's Herschel Walker, South Carolina's George Rogers and Auburn's Bo Jackson), many people in and around the Steel City believe No. 33 earned per– manent superman status in '76, when he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Panthers to their first national title in 39 years. "Football being a team spon , and real– izing as a freshman how good we could be, wi nning a nat io nal championsh ip "People asked me to compare Dorsett with other great backs when they came out of college... I thought a comparison with Gale Sayers was good. Sayers had that vision." -Gil Brandt quickly became the No. I goal," Dorsett said. "And the Heisman, that's the ulti– mate goal- in many ways it supercedes the Hall of Fame." A native of Aliquippa, Pa., Dorse11 became more determined to succeed after being rejected at the age of 12 by a midget

Charlie McCarthy is a sponswriterfor the New York Post, who covers mostly college football and basketball.

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