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DALDORSETT33

Tony Dorsett

Retired

Denver Broncos · RB

Tony Dorsett recorded 173 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 12 rostered seasons with Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys.

▶Best highlights

73.6

rush yds/gm

20.5

rec yds/gm

17

playoff games

173

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Tony Dorsett's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tony Dorsett, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Tony Dorsett's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the Wild Card Round against Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys, Tony Dorsett recorded 160 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 28 receiving yards in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tony Dorsett
  2. #2. In the Divisional Round against Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, Tony Dorsett recorded 85 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 37 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tony Dorsett
  3. #3. In the Super Bowl against Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, Tony Dorsett recorded 96 rushing yards, 44 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tony Dorsett
  4. #4. Against Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, Tony Dorsett recorded 145 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 47 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tony Dorsett
  5. #5. Against Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, Tony Dorsett recorded 206 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 24 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tony Dorsett

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Wild Card
1980
LOS ANGELESRAMS
DALLASCOWBOYS
DEC 28, 1980

Los Angeles Rams vs Dallas Cowboys

Wild Card · Dec 28, 1980

160 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 3 rec

Divisional Round
1977
CHICAGOBEARS
DALLASCOWBOYS
DEC 26, 1977

Chicago Bears vs Dallas Cowboys

Divisional Round · Dec 26, 1977

85 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 2 rec

Super Bowl
XIII
DALLASCOWBOYS
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
JAN 21, 1979

Dallas Cowboys vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Super Bowl XIII · Jan 21, 1979

96 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 5 rec

Regular Season
1979
DALLASCOWBOYS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
OCT 7, 1979

Dallas Cowboys vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Oct 7, 1979

145 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 5 rec

Regular Season
1977
PHILADELPHIAEAGLES
DALLASCOWBOYS
DEC 4, 1977

Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys

Regular Season · Dec 4, 1977

206 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 3 rec

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Tony Dorsett's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 206 rushing yards

Regular Season
1977
PHILADELPHIAEAGLES
DALLASCOWBOYS
DEC 4, 1977

Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys

Regular Season · Dec 4, 1977

206 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 3 rec

Career high: 3 rushing touchdowns

Regular Season
1979
DALLASCOWBOYS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
OCT 7, 1979

Dallas Cowboys vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Oct 7, 1979

145 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 5 rec

Career high: 107 receiving yards

Regular Season
1978
INDIANAPOLISCOLTS
DALLASCOWBOYS
SEP 4, 1978

Indianapolis Colts vs Dallas Cowboys

Regular Season · Sep 4, 1978

147 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 3 rec

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Tony Dorsett's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1966–1979

01
DALDORSETT33Tony Dorsett
DALSTAUBACH12Roger Staubach
DALLILLY—Bob Lilly

Staubach and the Doomsday Defense

Dallas Cowboys · America's Team

The Cowboys posted twenty consecutive winning seasons, reached five Super Bowls in the decade and won two behind Landry's preparation and Staubach's late-game poise.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1980–1988

02
DALDORSETT33Tony Dorsett
DALWHITE11Danny White
DALJONES—Ed Jones

Repeated near misses precede a historic teardown

Dallas Cowboys · The final Landry teams

Dallas reached three straight NFC title games before an aging roster declined and new ownership ended Landry's 29-year tenure.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1983–1992

03
DENDORSETT33Tony Dorsett
DENELWAY7John Elway
DENMECKLENBURG—Karl Mecklenburg

Three AFC championships establish the standard

Denver Broncos · Elway carries Denver west

Elway's arm, movement and late-game nerve repeatedly pulled Denver through the AFC even when the Super Bowl exposed the roster's limits.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

Super Bowl champion · 197712 NFL seasons173 career games41 career passing yards1 career passing touchdowns12,739 career rushing yards77 career rushing touchdowns398 career receptions3,554 career receiving yards13 career receiving touchdownsJersey: 017 playoff appearances2 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 18, 1977Most recent: Dec 17, 1988

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history