Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 30, 1994 TAG: 9401300134
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
Running back Tony Dorsett led six NFL greats into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, celebrating his election with a shout.
"To the Hall, y'all," Dorsett said. "Here I come!"
He goes to Canton, Ohio, in some impressive company, including longtime Dallas Cowboys teammate Randy White, who anchored the defense while Dorsett was leading the offense.
Also elected were Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jimmy Johnson, St. Louis Cardinals tight end Jackie Smith and Cleveland Browns running back Leroy Kelly.
Dorsett finished his career with 12,739 rushing yards and 77 touchdowns. That followed a Heisman Trophy-winning career at Pittsburgh, where he set an NCAA record with 6,082 yards rushing and became the first college player with three 1,500-yard rushing seasons.
"This is the best call I've had in a long time," Dorsett said when Hall of Fame director Pete Elliott telephoned him with the news. "It's quite an honor to be elected the first time around.
"In my mind, this is the best fraternity there is."
Dorsett arrived in Dallas in 1977, two years after White. Together, they played in five NFC championship games and two Super Bowls.
Dorsett finished his career as the league's second-leading rusher and set a record that will not be broken with a 99-yard touchdown run against Minnesota on Jan. 3, 1983. For him, though, winning the Super Bowl in 1978 overshadowed his other accomplishments.
"You can't duplicate a Super Bowl championship," he said. "Just being a part of that, that's a feeling you never forget."
Dorsett said he hoped longtime Cowboys coach Tom Landry would give his induction speech.
"He's the reason I had the career I had," he said. "At times, I criticized him because he didn't use me more. It did prolong my career, and I made the Hall of Fame. This is the way I'd like to thank him."
Like Dorsett, White was elected in his first year on the ballot. He shared MVP honors in the 1978 Super Bowl with teammate Harvey Martin and played in nine consecutive Pro Bowls from 1978 through 1986. He finished with 1,104 tackles, second in Cowboys history.
Dorsett and Kelly are the 20th and 21st modern era running backs elected to the Hall of Fame. Kelly, who played from 1964-1973 with the Browns, was chosen as a senior candidate, a player who completed 60 percent of his career 25 years ago.
"Beautiful!" he said upon hearing the news. "I feel great, not only for myself but for the Browns organization and my teammates. One guy can't do it by himself. I had a great team."
Kelly backed up Jim Brown for his first two seasons, then replaced Brown in 1966 and rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the next three years. He finished with 7,274 yards rushing.
"Playing with Jim Brown was great," Kelly said. "I'm grateful he retired early so I could get a chance to play."
Johnson, the brother of 1960 Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson, played 16 seasons for the 49ers and had 47 interceptions, second in club history. He was a four-time All-Pro.
"I'm in a state of disbelief," he said. "Nothing in my athletic career came easy. I knew this was a long shot. I never take anything for granted. You go looking at a dream, looking at the rainbow and you hope to get to the pot of gold."
Smith played from 1963-77 with the Cardinals and finished his career with Dorsett and White on Dallas' 1978 NFC championship team. He played in five consecutive Pro Bowls and finished his career with 480 catches for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was the all-time leading receiver among tight ends when he retired.
Grant coached the Vikings for 18 years, compiling a record of 158-96-5. He also won 10 games in the postseason and guided Minnesota to 11 division championships. His teams lost four Super Bowls. He won four Grey Cups while coaching Winnipeg of the Canadian Football League.
"It's a great honor, but it's not like something you have any control over," Grant said. "It's like the weather, or officials. It just happens."
Grant didn't think being 0-4 in Super Bowls made the wait to enter the Hall any longer.
"Nobody said to me, `You haven't been in because you lost four Super Bowls,' " he said. "I've gotten all the rewards out of professional athletics. I've never been fired, I've never been released as a player. This tops it all off."
The Hall of Fame class of 1994 will assemble for the first time at the Pro Bowl on Feb. 6 in Honolulu and will be inducted in Canton on July 30.
by CNB