Fansided

Miami football: 25 greatest Hurricanes of all time

By Joe Romano

MIAMI - JANUARY 1: Defensive back Sean Taylor #26 of the Miami Hurricanes attempts to elude wide receiver P.K. Sam #4 of the Florida State Seminoles during the 2004 Orange Bowl game on January 1, 2004 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Hurricanes won 16-14. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
MIAMI - JANUARY 1: Defensive back Sean Taylor #26 of the Miami Hurricanes attempts to elude wide receiver P.K. Sam #4 of the Florida State Seminoles during the 2004 Orange Bowl game on January 1, 2004 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Hurricanes won 16-14. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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7 Oct 2000: Ken Dorsey #11 of the Miami Hurricanes looks to pass the ball during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The Hurricanes defeated the Seminoles 27-24.Mandatory Credit: Eliot J. Schechter /Allsport
7 Oct 2000: Ken Dorsey #11 of the Miami Hurricanes looks to pass the ball during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The Hurricanes defeated the Seminoles 27-24.Mandatory Credit: Eliot J. Schechter /Allsport /

4. Ken Dorsey

Quarterback, 1999-2002

Two Heisman winning trophy quarterbacks and a four-time Super Bowl appearing quarterback were not enough to knock Ken Dorsey out of the top-ranked quarterback position for this list. Dorsey enrolled in Miami prior to the 1999 season out of California. As a freshman, he appeared in six games throwing ten touchdowns to only two interceptions.

2000 was the first time Dorsey had full control of the offense and the bevy of playmakers the team boasted helped elevate him. His sophomore season had Dorsey and the team play like National Champions but be denied by the BCS computers. Dorsey’s 25 touchdowns that season rank sixth all-time for the Hurricanes and got him named to the All Big-East team for the first time.

By this point in the list, you know what happened in 2001. Dorsey led the highest powered offense in the country to a dismantling of the college football landscape. He would win the Maxwell Award for the nation’s best player, the Archie Griffin award and the Chic Harley Award but lose out on the Heisman to Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch. This was also his second straight season of being named All-Big East.

Dorsey returned for his final season in 2002. For the second straight season, he led the Hurricanes to an undefeated season. This time, however, the team lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Ohio State Buckeyes on a controversial call in the end zone. Dorsey would again win the Maxwell Award, the Archie Griffin award and the Chic Harley Award but lose out on the Heisman. He was named first-team All-American as well. His 28 touchdowns rank second all-time for a single season for the team and his 3369 ranks third in a single season.

When his career was over Dorsey had basically rewritten the record books at Miami. Only losing two games in his career as a starter gave him the moniker of “college football’s winningest quarterback”. His 86 career passing touchdowns still sits atop the record book despite the game’s evolution to a pass-happy attack.

Success in the NFL did not follow the success he had in college. Dorsey was a seventh-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers. He was never really able to stick anywhere, and he was a career back-up before retiring in 2011. He now works as a quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills and has been on the sideline since his retirement.

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