|
PRINT
THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE
Thursday, November 26, 1998
A look back at Dorsett's record while he still
has it
By JAIME ARON AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN (AP) - Tony Dorsett's reign as the rushing king of major
college football began Oct. 23, 1976. It could end Friday.
But before Texas' Ricky Williams takes his last shot at breaking
the magic number of 6,082 career yards, take a moment to appreciate
Dorsett's mark as one of college football's greatest individual
achievements.
Think about it: The essence of football always has been and
will be running the ball, either doing so on offense or stopping
it on defense. Passing wasn't legal for a while and didn't become
a weapon until much later. Air-oriented offenses come along every
so often, but it's rare to find a championship team without a
solid ground game.
And going back over all the years of college football, spanning
all the teams and all the players, no one in Division I-A has
run for more yards than Dorsett.
Of course, college football has changed drastically over the
years. Probably the biggest changes were the end of the one-platoon
era, when running backs had to be darned good at defense too or
they'd be on the bench, and the migration of underclassmen to
the pros.
Players began giving up their senior years not long after Dorsett's
career at Pittsburgh ended in 1976. That factor more than any
other has probably kept Dorsett's record intact. Herschel Walker,
who gained 5,259 yards in three years, surely would've set a new
mark in 1983 had he been playing for the SEC's Georgia Bulldogs
instead of the USFL's New Jersey Generals.
So what? Like coaches insisting that a win is a win, a record
is a record. And, even if others have cashed in on their talent
instead of trying to catch Dorsett, the bottom line is that his
mark has been on the books for 22 years.
And that's as amazing as the record itself.
Dorsett's mark has received a lot of attention since Williams
announced in January that he was returning for his senior year.
But the record has mostly been treated as a raw number.
As the following indicates, there's a lot more to it than that.
Consider:
-The longevity of Dorsett's record.
Since the NCAA started keeping statistics in 1937, the Division
I-A career crushing record has been broken 12 times.
Four times the record lasted just one year, three times it
was on the books for two years, twice it held up for three years
and once for six years. Until Dorsett, the longest reign was a
dozen years (1956-68) by former Arizona star Art Luppino.
Now Dorsett has been on top an entire decade longer. Put another
way, he's held it about six months longer than Williams has been
alive.
Dorsett's I-A career rushing record also has been on the books
longer than the career record in the NCAA's other divisions. The
I-AA and II marks were broken this year and the III record fell
in 1994.
Another comparison Dorsett wins is against the I-A career marks
in other categories. The passing yardage record stood 15 years
for its longest stretch and the total-yard mark lasted 11 years.
-Dorsett didn't just break the record, he shattered it.
The first 12 times the record fell, it went up between 7 and
848 yards. Six times it rose 144 yards or less.
Dorsett stretched it by 905 yards and became the first 6,000-yard
rusher. He was the only one in the 6,000-yard club until Williams
joined him two weeks ago.
It's also worth noting how Dorsett's mark dwarfs the total
of previous record-holders.
The mark began at 1,961 yards in 1938 and had to be broken
five times before there was a 3,000-yard rusher in 1949. It took
another five record-breakers and 22 years more years before Ed
Marinaro of Cornell pushed it past 4,000.
Four years later, Archie Griffin of Ohio State took it to 5,177.
Dorsett was a junior at the time and he boldly said that if Griffin
could be the first to 5,000, then he'd be the first to 6,000.
"Fortunately for me," Dorsett said recently, "it
became a reality."
Appreciating Dorsett's feat in no way diminishes Williams'
accomplishments. If anything, it enhances what he's done.
There's no denying that Williams is worthy of taking over the
throne.
He's led the nation in rushing and scoring for two straight
years and he's already set 11 NCAA records.
He's reached his total of 6,020 yards on 967 carries, 107 fewer
than Dorsett. His career yards-per-carry average will be set after
Friday's game against Texas A&M and it's a lock to break Griffin's
record of 6.13. Less attention has been paid to that mark, which
is arguably a better record of a running back's ability.
Williams also is playing in an era when rushing numbers are
down.
Teams averaged 158.7 yards per game last year, the lowest since
1967; it's down to 158.5 this season. The top three seasons were
Dorsett's sophomore through senior years, with the record (204.5)
set when he was a junior.
But enough with the number-crunching. Let's just savor, respect
and remember them both.
Send a Letter to the Editor about This
Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address)
of This Story to A Friend:
|
