KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt and the Kansas City Chiefs announced on Monday that the club has named John Dorsey the sixth General Manager in franchise history.
"John's outstanding track record as a talent evaluator and his experience helping to build a successful organization make him an ideal choice for our next general manager," Hunt said. "He is a respected player personnel executive and a person of high integrity who I believe will work very well with Coach Reid. I'm excited to have both John and Andy on board to build our football team."
Dorsey enters his first season as an NFL general manager and his 23rd year as a player personnel member. He is responsible for overseeing all player personnel matters and reports directly to Hunt.
"This is a terrific opportunity for me and my family," Dorsey said. "The Chiefs are a remarkable franchise with a great fan base, and I'm excited to join the team and community. I want to thank Clark and the entire Hunt family for the chance to help lead this franchise. I'm looking forward to working with Coach Reid to put together a product that Chiefs fans can be proud of for years to come."
It was during his time as a college scout and eventually as Director of College Scouting that Dorsey began his association with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid, who served as the Packers' tight ends/assistant offensive line coach (1992-96) and quarterbacks coach (1997-98).
"I'm happy to be back working with John again," Reid said. "I've known John for a long time, and I have a lot of respect for him. He is a talented individual with a strong work ethic. He will be a great addition to the Chiefs organization."
Prior to joining the Chiefs, Dorsey most recently served as Director – Football Operations for the Green Bay Packers (2012). Before being promoted to that post, Dorsey served 12 years as the Packers' Director of College Scouting (2000-11).
A player for the Packers during the 1980s, Dorsey oversaw the college portion of Green Bay's scouting operations and was also actively involved in the area of pro personnel throughout his tenure.
The Packers re-hired Dorsey as Director of College Scouting on May 8, 2000, by then-Packers Executive Vice President/General Manager Ron Wolf, after Dorsey had served as a key component in Green Bay's personnel operations for nine years. He was first hired as a college scout in May 1991 with a focus on linebackers and was ultimately promoted to his first stint as Director of College Scouting on Feb. 27, 1997.
With Dorsey at the helm of the college scouting department, working closely with multiple general managers (Wolf, Mike Sherman and Ted Thompson) during his tenure, the Packers found success building depth on their team through the annual NFL Draft.
Most notably, the Packers selected QB Aaron Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, even with veteran QB Brett Favre still in the starting role, setting themselves up with a young quarterback to learn the system for the future. Prior to the 2008 season, Green Bay parted ways with Favre and ushered in the Aaron Rodgers era. Since that time, Rodgers has led the Packers to four postseason appearances (including 2012), and orchestrated a 31-25 victory in Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For his performance in that game, Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP. He went on to earn league MVP honors for his showing in the 2011 season the next year.
Along with Rodgers, the Packers have drafted a number of young players that have become mainstays on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball under Dorsey's direction in the college scouting department.
LB A.J. Hawk (one), WR Greg Jennings (two), NT B.J. Raji (one) and LB Clay Matthews (three) – all drafted under the watchful eye of Dorsey – have garnered Pro Bowl honors in their careers. Green Bay has accumulated a deep roster of contributors in the draft with key players such as WRs Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and TE Jermichael Finley in the passing game, offensive linemen G/T T.J. Lang and T Bryan Bulaga, as well as offensive threat and special teams ace WR Randall Cobb.
Hired as director of player personnel for the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 26, 1999, as he followed former Packers coach Mike Holmgren to the Pacific Northwest, Dorsey resigned from that position just over a year later, leaving shortly after the 2000 NFL Draft to rejoin the Packers organization.
Additionally, Dorsey is on the board of directors for National Football Scouting and is a former member of the NFL College Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the NFL Scouting Combine selection committee and is a voting member of the collegiate Butkus Award given to the nation's top linebacker. Dorsey is the only NFL voting member of the Harris Interactive College Football Poll.
Selected by Green Bay in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft, Dorsey played five seasons (1984-88) for the Packers at linebacker and on special teams before spending a final year on injured reserve in 1989. He totaled 130 tackles in his NFL career, in addition to two fumble recoveries and one pass defensed. Dorsey led Green Bay's special teams in solo tackles in three of his first four seasons, which helped him earn the nomination to be the Packers' special teams captain. His 35 special teams tackles in 1984 are still a single-season club record.
A four-year starter at the University of Connecticut (1980-83), Dorsey was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Yankee Conference during each of his final two collegiate seasons and is the all-time leading tackler in the now-defunct conference's history. He also earned Division I-AA All-America recognition as a senior and, in 1998, he was selected to the school's 100th Anniversary All-Time Football Team. In 2002, Dorsey was inducted into the Anne Arundel (Md.) County Sports Hall of Fame. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science.
Heavily involved in the community throughout his playing career, especially with the Wisconsin Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Dorsey currently serves on the board of "65 Roses." He was voted as the Packers' Man of the Year in 1987 for his civic contributions. Dorsey enjoys playing golf, reading and running – having completed two marathons.
Dorsey was born on Aug. 30, 1960, in Leonardtown, Md. He is married, wife, Patricia, and has three sons, Bryant, Austin, Jack, and a daughter, Catherine.
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