Don Orr

Last updated

Don Orr
Vanderbilt Commodores–No. 10
Position Quarterback
ClassGraduate
Career history
College Vanderbilt (1955)
Bowl games
Career highlights and awards
  • Vanderbilt's first bowl victory

Donald C. Orr was an American football player and official. [1] He was born in Miami, Florida. [2]

Contents

Vanderbilt University

Orr was a prominent quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores football teams of Vanderbilt University. [1]

1955

Orr led Vanderbilt to its first bowl victory by defeating Auburn 25 to 13 in the 1955 Gator Bowl. He was selected Vanderbilt's MVP of the game, and received a standing ovation upon getting the award. [3] [4] Vandy's first two scores were a pass Orr to Joe Stephenson and a run by Orr respectively. [5]

NFL draft

He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 26th round of the 1956 NFL draft; but he never talked to the team. [1]

Official

Orr was a prominent National Football League (NFL) official for 25 seasons, from 1971 through 1995, [4] and a field judge in three Super Bowls. [1] He wore uniform number 77 for the majority of his NFL career. As a side judge in the 1979 AFC Championship Game between the Houston Oilers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Orr made a controversial incomplete pass call denying Oilers receiver Mike Renfro an apparent game-tying touchdown late in the third quarter. [6] The Oilers subsequently settled for a field goal and went on to lose 27–13. [6] The controversy prompted calls for the NFL to institute replay review. [7]

Contracting

Though officially retired in 2006, Orr is chairman of the board of Nashville Machine Co., a mechanical contracting company. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Traughber, Bill (November 9, 2011). "Don Orr: Vandy QB to NFL official". Vanderbilt University Athletics. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Don Orr: Vandy QB to NFL official". Vanderbilt University Commodores. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 96. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Bill Traughber (2011). Vanderbilt Football:Tales Of Commodore Gridiron History. p. 128. ISBN   9781609494230.
  5. ↑ "December 31st, 1955" (PDF).
  6. 1 2 Grimsley, Will (January 8, 1980). "NFL backing official". The Daily Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. Associated Press. p. 11.
  7. ↑ Wolf, Mark (January 11, 1980). "An NFL Coverup on Renfro Call? Refs' Mistakes Part of Game". The Charlotte Observer. p. 3B.
  8. ↑ "Where Are They Now?".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.