Andy Dorris (born August 11, 1951) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player. He was born in

Bellaire, Ohio Bellaire is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,870 at the 2020 census, having peaked in 1920. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. The Bellaire Brid ...

and attended college at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution of higher education, and was the original land-g ...

. Dorris played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for 10 seasons. He spent most of his professional career with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

and the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

. Dorris is currently a sales representative for Forterra in Houston, Texas.

Professional career

The

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

drafted Andy Dorris with the 93rd pick in the 1973

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

. He initially signed a three-year contract with the team. Before the season began, Cleveland traded Dorris to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. He played in four games for St. Louis in his first season as a professional. In October 1973, St. Louis traded Dorris to the

in exchange for a draft choice. Dorris spent three full seasons with the Saints. In a game against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

in 1976, Dorris sacked Falcons quarterback

Steve Bartkowski Steven Joseph Bartkowski (born November 12, 1952) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons (1975–1985), Washington Redskins (1985) and the Los Ange ...

. Bartkowski left the game with a knee injury. At the beginning of the 1977 NFL season, the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

acquired Dorris from New Orleans. Dorris played four games for the Seahawks. The Seahawks placed him on waivers in October 1977. As a free agent, Dorris participated in tryouts for two teams, but he was rejected both times. In November 1977, the Houston Oilers'

Elvin Bethea Elvin Lamont Bethea (born March 1, 1946) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a defensive end with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He play ...

broke his arm during a game. Coach "Bum" Philips replaced him with Andy Dorris. In Houston, Dorris was part of a team that came to be known as "Bum's boys.""Highlights of the Luv Ya Blue era" (June 21, 1991). Houston Chronicle, 2. Under Bum's relaxed leadership style, Dorris bulked up and became a formidable defensive lineman. In 1979, Dorris was the starting left defensive end for the Oilers. He recorded three sacks in a December matchup against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. Dorris signed a new contract with the Oilers in 1980. 1979 and 1980 were two of the most successful seasons for the Houston Oilers franchise. In both seasons, the team finished the season with 11 wins and 5 losses but failed to make the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

. Dorris was known as a locker-room prankster. He and a teammate once put blue dye in a shower head, turning a teammate's skin blue. Houston placed Dorris on the injured reserve list at the beginning of the 1982 season, but he had already played his last game as a professional. In 1990, he attended a reunion luncheon of many former Oilers players at the Southern Plantation Restaurant.McClain, John and Rich Burk (October 26, 1990). "Oilers/Jets notes". Houston Chronicle, 9. Dorris also had a pet lion cub.

Later career

Dorris works as a sales representative for Thompson Pipe Group in Dallas, TX. The company produces

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circu ...

and

precast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable molding (process), mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples i ...

forms for a variety of commercial and industrial purposes.

Awards and recognition

In his last year at New Mexico State, Dorris was named outstanding senior athlete. In 2006, the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

announced its football "All-Centennial Team." Conference officials selected Andy Dorris as one of the 14 players representing the decade of the 1970s. Dorris was all-MVC at New Mexico State in 1972. In 2007, Coach Philips and many of his former players, including Dorris, held a reunion during halftime of a

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

game.McClain, John (December 10, 2007). "Reunited, and it feels so good; Elated Oilers saluted at half, so happy together. Houston Chronicle, 7. Dorris attended a

New Mexico State Aggies football The New Mexico State Aggies football team represents New Mexico State University in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football as a member of Conference USA. New Mexico State spent the 2013 season as an independent and from ...

reunion in April 2012."Aggies reunion BBQ rounding into form" (April 19, 2012). Las Cruces Sun-News."Former Aggies gather following spring game" (April 28, 2012). Las Cruces Sun-News. The event consisted of a gathering of former players on Friday, April 27.

Personal life

Dorris and his wife, Mary, have three children: Meredith, Sam, and Zach. He has nine grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorris, Andy 1951 births Living people American football defensive linemen New Mexico State Aggies football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players New Orleans Saints players Seattle Seahawks players Houston Oilers players