As we continue the series on Packer Receivers of History, we want to take some time to include the Packer running backs that have contributed heavily to the passing game. To read the articles you missed, go to the Packer Receivers of History category page.
Dorsey Levens was drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft. He played most of his college career at Georgia Tech where he still holds the record for yards per carry at a whopping 7.2!
Dorsey’s first couple years on the frozen tundra were very quiet. But he showed Packer fans a glimpse of the future in his sophomore season. In that 1995 season Levens only rushed for 120 yards but he had 434 yards receiving. That glimpse earned him a spot as the third down back in 1996.
Levens was a part of a 1996 Packer offense that frequently incorporated screen passes into their game plan and ran them with all the precision of the Packer power sweep of the 1960s. He averaged 7.3 yards every time he caught the ball that season.
Though only a third down back, he made it count every time he got a chance. En route to Super Bowl XXXI, Levens was the spark that ignited a sluggish Packer offense. The offense struggled mightily against a strong Carolina defense in the early going of the NFC Championship. Favre threw an interception that turned into Carolina points and the Packers missed a field goal after a drive stalled. Then Dorsey Levens caught a pass for 29 yards and a touchdown and the tide turned. Later he turned a screen pass into a 66 yard gain.
The Packers dominated the rest of the game and stepped onto the World Championship stage for the first time in 29 years.
When a torn achilles tendon put starter Edgar Bennett out for the entire 1997 season, Dorsey Levens seized his opportunity as the starting running back.
He generated 1798 all-purpose yards in a Packer juggernaut that almost couldn’t be stopped. The Packers went 13-3 that season and virtually sauntered into the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, despite Levens’ 90 yards rushing and 6 receptions for 56 yards, the Packers failed to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.
Levens had one more good season in 1999 (1034 yds rushing, 573 yds receiving) before closing out his career with the Eagles and Giants.
In 2009, Dorsey Levens was inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame where his contributions to the era that brought the long-lost Lombardi trophy back to Title Town will forever be immortalized.