The speedy Orr was an unrecruited walk-on at the University of Georgia in 1955 and was touted along with a fellow sophomore halfback mate as "Zip Kids."

Orr played ten years in Baltimore and became a fan favorite, with the corner of the end zone of Memorial Stadium where he caught many of his passes nicknamed "Orrsville."

[1] He attended Seneca Senior High School where he was a star basketball player, averaging 19 points a game over his last two years and earning All-State Class A honors.

"I had lots of scholarship offers," Orr later claimed, "but I decided to go to school to study — I wasn't going to play football at all.

[9] College football reverted to the single platoon system for economic reasons in 1953 so at Georgia Orr saw game time both as a flanker on the offense and a defensive halfback on the other side of the ball.

Intrigued by his speed but aware of the physical limitations of his slender body type in the violent NFL game, head coach Sid Luckman and the Rams attempted to cast Orr as a defensive back at the pro level.

[11] On September 24, shortly ahead of start of the 1958 NFL season, Orr was traded along with defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith to the Steelers for a third round pick in the 1958 draft.

There was no doubt in the mind of head coach Buddy Parker that in Jimmy Orr his team was acquiring an offensive player, with the local press listing the newcomer variously as a "halfback," "flanker," and "end.

"[12] His ability as a punter was also noted in training camp and Orr would quickly take on that role, kicking the ball 51 times for an average of 39.7 yards per punt in 1958.

Spotted in the clear by Pittsburgh quarterback Earl Morrall, Orr hauled in a pass and sprinted towards an apparent 77-yard touchdown — only to have the ball slip from his hands and bounce out of bounds on the 14 yard line.

[13] Professional spurs were won in early November, when Orr caught a ball, only to be crushed between two onrushing Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs.

[17] Steeler head coach Buddy Parker was effusive, calling Orr "far and away the best rookie to play in our league last season.

"[16] "No other freshman in the league broke club records like Orr did and only two well-established receivers like Del Shofner of the Rams and Lenny Moore of the Colts gained more yards than he did throughout the season," Parker said.

[18] This was shortly followed by a knee injury in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears when he was cheap-shot 40 yards away from the play by defensive back Jack McClairen, sending him to the hospital again for x-rays.

[8] Although Orr started all but one of the 36 games played by the Steelers over the course of his tenure, the team began to wonder if perhaps the slightly built 25-year old had passed his athletic peak.

[20] The trade, in which the Colts sent veteran linemen Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb and Buzz Nutter to the Steelers, was touted by Colts head coach Weeb Ewback as part of a youth movement, with Baltimore also picking up two young and unproven linemen in the transaction, Joe Lewis and Dick Campbell.

[22] Back of this lowered output were nagging leg muscle injuries that hobbled the "slight but swift pass-snaring specialist,"[22] affecting his practice time[23] and limiting him to just 5 starts in the 13 games he played.

"[24] Concerns among Colts fans about the trade of starting center Buzz Nutter and the popular defensive lineman "Big Daddy" Lipscomb would be soon forgotten, however, as in 1962 Orr followed his worst season with his best.

[25] The ability to dodge defenders at the line and accelerate into pass routes on the same side of the field that quarterback Johnny Unitas rolled out had salutatory effect for the speedy-but-undersized Orr.

The result was dramatic: Orr finished 1962 with career highs in receptions (55), yards gained (974), and touchdowns (11), numbers topping those of his stellar rookie year.

[17] Following the season, Orr would be named a first team All-Pro by the Associated Press and would gain a spot in January to the 1966 Pro Bowl game.

In Super Bowl III, a memorable loss by the heavily favored Colts to the upstart New York Jets of the American Football League (AFL), Orr was involved in one play that subsequently gained legendary status.

[27] Orr was also a member of the 1970 Colts team that won the AFC championship and did battle with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Conference (NFC) in Super Bowl V. Orr was in uniform but was not inserted into the game, limited to giving words of confidence to Colts kicker Jim O'Brien, who hit a last second 32-yard field goal to ice a 16–13 Baltimore win.