Andy Dorris (born August 11, 1951) is a retired American professional football player. He was born in

Bellaire, Ohio Bellaire is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Belmont County, Ohio, Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and Wheeling is across the Ohio ...

and attended college at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

. Dorris played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

and the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

. 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. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

drafted Andy Dorris with the 93rd pick in the 1973

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

. 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 (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in 1976, Dorris sacked Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski. 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

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 a former American football defensive end who played his entire career with the Houston Oilers. He played for North Carolina A&T State University and was the first person from that school to be elected t ...

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 franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

. 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 final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

. 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-circula ...

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 third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

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 (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

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 an independent. Although New Mexico State is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC ...

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