Travis Dorsch
Encyclopedia
Travis Dorsch is a PhD student in sport psychology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Dorsch is a former American football
placekicker
and punter of the National Football League
. He was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. After retiring from football in 2006, Dorsch has focused his competitive energies on the sport of triathlon. Dorsch is one of the top ranked clydesdale triathletes in central Indiana, and recently finished Ironman Cozumel (November 29, 2009) in 10:55:24.
and was a letterman in Football, Basketball, and Track & Field for the Hawks. He also Played four years of American Legion baseball for the Bozeman Bucks as a starting first baseman and pitcher. He holds many state records including the longest field goal in state history (fourth-longest in the national high school annals) at 63 yards.
in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he played both football and baseball and became the first Big Ten
athlete to be named first team all-conference as both a punter and a placekicker. While playing for the Boilermakers (1998–2001), Dorsch set many records including career scoring (355 points), Career field goals (69), and career punting average (48.4). He was named a first-team All-America
n placekicker and a consensus All-American punter and won the Ray Guy Award
for the nation's outstanding punter as a senior in 2001. He is also the only athlete in Purdue history to have kicked a field goal and thrown a touchdown in football and hit a home run and recorded a win as a pitcher in baseball.
As a writer, Dorsch has published two scholarly articles: (1) Dorsch, T.E., Smith, A.L., & McDonough, M.H. (2009) "Parents' perceptions of child-to-parent socialization in organized youth sport", and (2) Witt, J.K. & Dorsch, T.E. (2009) "Kicking to bigger uprights: Field goal kicking performance influences perceived size"
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
and punter of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. After retiring from football in 2006, Dorsch has focused his competitive energies on the sport of triathlon. Dorsch is one of the top ranked clydesdale triathletes in central Indiana, and recently finished Ironman Cozumel (November 29, 2009) in 10:55:24.
Early years
Dorsch attended Bozeman High School in Bozeman, MontanaBozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
and was a letterman in Football, Basketball, and Track & Field for the Hawks. He also Played four years of American Legion baseball for the Bozeman Bucks as a starting first baseman and pitcher. He holds many state records including the longest field goal in state history (fourth-longest in the national high school annals) at 63 yards.
College career
Dorsch attended Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in West Lafayette, Indiana, where he played both football and baseball and became the first Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
athlete to be named first team all-conference as both a punter and a placekicker. While playing for the Boilermakers (1998–2001), Dorsch set many records including career scoring (355 points), Career field goals (69), and career punting average (48.4). He was named a first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n placekicker and a consensus All-American punter and won the Ray Guy Award
Ray Guy Award
The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's top punter by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, a former All-American at Southern Mississippi and an all-pro player for the Oakland Raiders.-Criteria:...
for the nation's outstanding punter as a senior in 2001. He is also the only athlete in Purdue history to have kicked a field goal and thrown a touchdown in football and hit a home run and recorded a win as a pitcher in baseball.
Professional career
As a football player, Dorsch was drafted in the 4th round (111th overall pick) in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. His only NFL experience came with the Bengals in 2002. He had 5 punts, averaging just 32.4 as an injury replacement for starter Nick Harris. His net average of 1.8 yds/kick remains the lowest in NFL history (5 kick minimum). Dorsch was a member of the 2004 Green Bay Packers playoff roster and was a practice squad member with the Minnesota Vikings in 2004. He spent 2005 and 2006 competing in the now defunct NFL Europe as a punter for the Rhein Fire in Düsseldorf, Germany.As a writer, Dorsch has published two scholarly articles: (1) Dorsch, T.E., Smith, A.L., & McDonough, M.H. (2009) "Parents' perceptions of child-to-parent socialization in organized youth sport", and (2) Witt, J.K. & Dorsch, T.E. (2009) "Kicking to bigger uprights: Field goal kicking performance influences perceived size"