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Sunday FEBRUARY 1, 2009 :: Last modified: Sunday, February 1, 2009 12:00 AM EST
T.D. says Cowboys still 'America's Team'
By Mike Bires
Times Sports Staff
TAMPA, Fla. — Tony Dorsett loves the Steelers. At least he does today.
Even though the Steelers can pull away from the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in most Super Bowl wins, Dorsett doesn’t care. He’s OK — for the time being, at least — if the Steelers win their sixth Super Bowl.
“Why not root for the Steelers? Pittsburgh will always be home for me,” said Dorsett, the Hall of Fame running back who graduated from Hopewell High School in 1973.
“As a kid, I wanted to wear the black and gold. You never lose that.”
But after Dorsett finished his career at Pitt, the Steelers didn’t need a running back. They already had Franco Harris, who’s also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Cowboys did need a running back, so they took Dorsett with the second overall pick of the 1977 NFL Draft.
Dorsett quickly points out that even if Pittsburgh beats Arizona today, the Cowboys still have an 8-7 edge over the Steelers in Super Bowl appearances.
“Dallas is still America’s Team,” Dorsett said. “We’re 1A. The Steelers are 1B.”
Dorsett went on to say that history may have treated both the Cowboys and Steelers a little differently had Dallas beaten Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIII instead of losing 35-31.
In the third quarter of that game, tight end Jackie Smith dropped a would-be touchdown pass that would have tied the score 21-21 in the third quarter.
“Yes, I do think things would be different for both teams,” Dorsett said. “If you remember, we won the Super Bowl the previous year when I was a rookie. So that would have given us back-to-back (Super Bowl wins). If we would have won that game, maybe we would have gotten a few more guys into the Hall of Fame. But because they won four Super Bowls in the ’70s, it was the Steelers who got so many of their players into the Hall of the Fame.”
Even if the Steelers do get their sixth Lombardi Trophy today, Dorsett believes the Cowboys will soon get their sixth soon, too.
“Give the Dallas Cowboys some time,” Dorsett said. “They have a lot of talent. They just have to get some better leadership and chemistry in place. If they do, they’ll have an opportunity to catch up with the Steelers.
“I’m a big fan of the NFL,” Dorsett added. “But I’m a big Cowboys fan and a big Steelers fans. Those are my two favorite teams. If one of my two favorite teams continues to win championships, I’ll be happy.”
