OU safety Hill hit it big with tackle of Dorsett

By John Rohde
The Oklahoman

It was 32 years ago when Tony Dorsett and Scott Hill collided on Owen Field.

On Tuesday, they were less than two miles apart.

Dorsett was in Oklahoma to promote Hall of Fame Mortgage ( www.hofmortgage.com) alongside business partner Mel Renfro, a fellow NFL and Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer.

Dorsett spoke at B.G. Bolton's Sports Grill in south Edmond.

Hill owns the Sports Performance Center on North Lincoln, directly to the west.

It was Hill who literally flew in from his safety position on Sept. 20, 1975, to flatten Dorsett with a ferocious hit that, to this day, has yet to lose its impact.

Since then, whenever someone asks Hill, "Guess who I just saw?” the answer almost always is Tony Dorsett. And Tuesday was no different.

"Scott Hill? You listening? I made you a lot of money. OK, man?” Dorsett said jokingly. "That was a good hit, though. I think Scotty surprised both of us when he went airborne. You know what? Oklahoma owes me a lot of money because of that hit. They need to grease my palms, man. They recruited a lot of players off that hit. Scott Hill has become a multi-millionaire off that hit.”

Hill laughed when told Dorsett's comment and said, "I know he's been good-natured about it, and I appreciate that.”

Hill said he and Dorsett have met only once since the hit, and that was during lunch with a mutual friend roughly 20 years ago.

Through an acquaintance, Hill recently sent Dorsett an autographed picture of the hit.

Hill said the inscription read: "Tony, Thank you for being an all-pro and an all-everything because you've given me a lifetime of recognition.”