April 18, 2016

Highlighted Year: Al Dorow, 1960

Quarterback, New York Titans


Age: 31 (Nov. 15)
7th season in pro football, 1st in AFL & with Titans
College: Michigan State
Height: 6’0”   Weight: 195

Prelude:
Originally a halfback in college, Dorow shifted to quarterback as a sophomore and guided Michigan State to a 9-0 record as a senior in 1951. He was chosen by the Washington Redskins in the third round of the ’52 NFL draft but first had to fulfill a military commitment before joining the Redskins in 1954. Starting QB Eddie LeBaron having departed for the CFL, Dorow saw considerable action and threw for 997 yards and 8 touchdowns, although giving up 17 interceptions. With the return of LeBaron in ’55, Dorow saw scant action as a reserve but when LeBaron suffered a knee injury in 1956 he started seven games and played well enough to earn Pro Bowl recognition. However, an offseason contract dispute caused Dorow to be traded to Philadelphia where he was little used in ’57 and he moved on to Canada with Saskatchewan and British Columbia in 1958 and Toronto in ‘59. Overall in the CFL, Dorow passed for 2363 yards and 17 TDs, with 35 INTs, and, highly mobile, rushed for 214 yards. With the formation of the AFL in 1960, Dorow joined the New York Titans and proved to be a good fit in Head Coach Sammy Baugh’s pass-oriented offense, where he had outstanding receivers in flanker Don Maynard and split end Art Powell. While not having great arm strength, he was a daring play caller and possessed excellent leadership qualities. 

1960 Season Summary
Appeared in all 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 396 [3]
Most attempts, game – 48 at Oakland 12/11
Completions – 201 [3]
Most completions, game – 29 at Oakland 12/11
Yards – 2748 [3]
Most yards, game – 375 at Oakland 12/11
Completion percentage – 50.8 [4]
Yards per attempt – 6.9 [3]
TD passes – 26 [1]
Most TD passes, game – 4 at Dallas 10/2
Interceptions – 26 [2]
Most interceptions, game – 4 vs. Houston 10/23
Passer rating – 67.8 [3]
300-yard passing games – 2
200-yard passing games – 7

Rushing
Attempts – 90 [17]
Most attempts, game – 18 (for 72 yds.) at Buffalo 10/16
Yards – 453 [11]
Most yards, game – 72 yards (on 18 carries) at Buffalo 10/16
Average gain – 5.0 [4]
TDs – 7 [4, tied with Wray Carlton]

Punting
Punts – 6 [12, tied with Ken Hall]
Yards – 264 [12]
Average – 44.0
Punts blocked – 0
Longest punt – 56 yards

Scoring
TDs – 7 [13, tied with Billy Cannon, Al Carmichael & Dave Smith]
Points – 42

Awards & Honors:
2nd team All-AFL: League

Titans went 7-7 to finish second in the AFL Eastern Division while leading the league in touchdowns (51) and scoring (380 points).

Aftermath:
Dorow followed up in 1961 by leading the AFL in pass attempts (438) and completions (197), as well as rushing yards by a quarterback (317) for the second straight year, but also interceptions thrown (30) as the Titans again went 7-7. He was selected for the first AFL All-Star Game. Suffering from a sore shoulder, Dorow was traded to Buffalo and started four games before further damage to his arm ended his career. Overall in the AFL, Dorow passed for 5732 yards and 47 TDs while giving up 63 interceptions and rushed for 827 yards and 11 touchdowns. In four NFL seasons, he threw for 1976 yards and 17 TDs with 39 INTs and  ran for 323 yards and 5 scores. Dorow was selected to one Pro Bowl and one AFL All-Star Game. He went into coaching and was head coach of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1971.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose: Total Yards
Defense: Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff Returns: Average
Punt Returns: Average
Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970