He didn't have the arm of Vinny Testaverde, nor did he play for two national title teams like Gino Torretta. And both of those former University of Miami quarterbacks have a Heisman Trophy on their mantel, too.
Put side by side, Ken Dorsey might not have had the same skills as Steve Walsh or Craig Erickson, two other accomplished UM quarterbacks. And, of course, Dorsey didn't come along 20 years ago, when Bernie Kosar became the first quarterback to lead the Hurricanes to a national championship.
But Dorsey was a winner - and why he was chosen UM's top offensive player of the past 20 years.
He started 40 games, and UM won 38 of them. Between losses, the Hurricanes won 34 in a row, a streak that snapped when UM lost a 31-24 double-overtime thriller against Ohio State in the Jan. 3 Fiesta Bowl - a game in which Dorsey completed 28 of 43 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
"I've been lucky to be around some great quarterbacks," quarterbacks coach Dan Werner said. "But when it comes to knowing the game of football, I'd be very surprised if I ever work with another guy who even comes close to Kenny."
Dorsey arrived at UM in 1999 as a tall, skinny kid from Orinda, Calif., who blossomed into one of the program's all-time best while taking the Hurricanes from post-probation doubts to powerhouse status. He was picked in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
The most valuable player at the 2001 Sugar Bowl and 2002 Rose Bowl, Dorsey set UM career records for total offense, passing yards, passing touchdowns, pass completions, pass attempts, winning percentage and 200-yard games. He twice was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing third in 2001 and fifth in 2002.
During his senior season, Dorsey completed 222 of 393 passes (56.5 percent) for 3,369 yards, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 13 games.
Dorsey was the Big East Conference offensive player of the year in 2001 and 2002 and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas and Davey O'Brien awards in each of those seasons.
"He makes a lot of us look better than we really are," center Brett Romberg said last season. "The stuff on top of his shoulders is the investment in the future. It's definitely not his body. His brain is definitely the hot commodity with our offense. He keeps himself safe. . . .
"People see him on the street. "That's Ken Dorsey?' He looks frail. He looks like a kid. (But) as long as that kid can play football the way he's been playing football, I don't have any problem with what he's doing."
And yet, Dorsey had his doubters all through last season, even as he was leading the Hurricanes to another shot at the national title. Some questioned his arm strength and wondered if he was a product of the system. And what about all those great players surrounding him?
"I don't know anybody who has done more for a program than Ken has," said UM coach Larry Coker, who helped recruit Dorsey when he was the school's offensive coordinator under Butch Davis. "He's a great leader and a guy who studies the game. He's a guy who will make plays when the game is on the line. I don't care how strong your arm is, if you don't make plays when the game is on the line, your strong arm is not a great benefit.
"People make their decisions from what they see and what they believe, just like what reporters write, which is what's out there. I don't know what else Ken Dorsey could have done in his career. You can say he could have won the last game against Ohio State, but that wouldn't have made a difference."
