A consensus All-American in 1975 and 1976 and winner of the 1976 Heisman Trophy as the nation's outstanding college player, Dorsett was the first player chosen in the 1977 NFL draft, by the Dallas Cowboys.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Dorsett was named rookie of the year after gaining 1,007 yards in 208 attempts in 1977. He led all Super Bowl rushers with 66 yards on 15 carries when Dallas beat Denver 27-10.

Ironically, the only time Dorsett led the league in rushing was the first time he failed to gain more than 1,000 yards, in the strike-shortened 1982 season, when he had 745 yards on 177 attempts in just 9 games. In post-season play, he set an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings.

In his 12 NFL seasons, Dorsett gained 12,379 yards, second only to Walter Payton, on 2,936 attempts, and he scored 77 rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He caught 382 passes for 3,432 yards, a 9.0 average, and 14 touchdowns. He played in four Pro-Bowls.