[2] Dorsett ended the year as an All-State selection after rushing for 1,034 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns, while leading the Vikings to a 9–1 season.

The NCAA had granted freshmen permission to play varsity football in 1972,[3] and in 1973 at the University of Pittsburgh, Dorsett became the first freshman in 29 years to be named All-American.

Doc Blanchard of Army was the previous one in 1944, the freshmen restriction having been temporarily suspended during World War II.

Dorsett finished second in the nation in rushing with 1,586 yards in 11 games and led the Pittsburgh Panthers to its first winning season in 10 years.

He was Pittsburgh's first All-American selection since the 1963 season, when both Paul Martha and Ernie Borghetti were named to the first team.

Although Dorsett was known as Anthony, the school's athletic department convinced him to go by Tony, to use the marketable initials TD as in touchdown.

Ahead of the 1977 NFL draft, scouts were skeptical about Dorsett's potential at the professional level, citing his small size as his primary liability in his long-term durability.

With the ball on the four-yard line against the St. Louis Cardinals, the right defensive end and linebacker had penetration, while the two cornerbacks were blitzing.

Dorsett suddenly pivoted on his right foot, turned 360 degrees, and ran wide around the left side, beating the safety and eluding a total of five defenders for a touchdown without being touched.

In the final regular-season game against the Minnesota Vikings, he set a record that can only be tied, with a 99-yard touchdown run.

In 1986, running back Herschel Walker was signed by the Cowboys and moved to fullback, so he could share backfield duties with Dorsett, becoming the second Heisman backfield tandem in NFL history, after George Rogers and Earl Campbell were teammates on the 1984 New Orleans Saints.

Although Dorsett was slowed by ankle and knee injuries that caused him to miss three games, he still led the Cowboys in rushing for the 10th consecutive season with 748 yards.

In 1987, Walker complained to Cowboys management that he was being moved around between three different positions (running back, fullback, wide receiver) and that Dorsett had more carries.

He took over as the team's main running back, with Dorsett playing in 12 games (six starts) and rushing for 456 yards on 130 carries.

He reunited with former Cowboys offensive coordinator Dan Reeves and at the age of 34, he reportedly could still run 40 yards in 4.3 seconds.

[17] With the retirement of Walter Payton the previous year, he was the career leader in rushing yards among active players.

He is also the uncle of NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots in the late '90s and early 2000s.

[citation needed] Dorsett has helped improve the health of current and former professional athletes through promoting awareness of sleep apnea across the United States.

He has teamed up with prize-winning orthodontic technician David Gergen and the Pro Player Health Alliance to hold free public-awareness events in local communities all over the nation.

[25] Dorsett specifically referred to memory loss and unexplained rage as major symptoms affecting him in retirement.