Dorbor off to Bryant
PAWTUCKET – Under head coach Marty Fine’s watch, a few Rhode Island born-and-bred running backs have gone on to enjoy productive careers as members of the Bryant University football program.
During his two seasons as a Bulldog, Providence native Lorenzo Perry registered backto-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and scored 20 touchdowns as a senior in 2006.
As a senior this past fall, Middletown product Rico McCray bulldozed his way to 1,270 yards and nine touchdowns.
Time will tell if Pawtucket’s own Alfred Dorbor will go on to achieve similar success at Bryant. At the very least, he’s being afforded the opportunity to stake a claim as the next great Bulldog running back with Ocean State blood running through him.
A 2015 graduate of St. Raphael Academy, Dorbor officially became a member of the Bulldog football family Wednesday. With Blair (N.J.) Academy football head coach Jim Stone looking on, Dorbor took a pen and applied his signature to a document that signifies where he’ll be playing college football come the fall.
“I know that Rico and another one of their running backs are graduating so I would have a chance to be in the mix and make an impact this coming year,” said Dorbor when reached Wednesday night. “They have a great tradition of running backs and love to run the ball.”
Dorbor visited Bryant this past weekend after having issued a verbal pledge to the Bulldog coaching staff. SRA football head coach Mike Sassi mentioned that his former standout received a scholarship package that features both athletic and academic considerations – he’s a member of the National Honor Society and took PreCalculus during his senior year at St. Raphael.
As for the football aspect, Dorbor is one of 24 players Bryant signed as part of its Class of 2020. The release distributed by the Smithfield-based school lists Dorbor as a 5-foot-9, 200-pound running back.
The possibility also exists that Dorbor could step onto the field as a member of the Bulldogs’ secondary. As an underclassman at SRA, Dorbor lined up at cornerback before moving to strong safety as a senior. During his postgraduate year at Blair Academy this past fall, Dorbor returned to corner and recorded four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
“I think they recruited him more as a well-rounded athlete and they’re going to make a decision down the road as to his position,” said Sassi, recently named RIIL Division II-A Coach of the Year by the Providence Gridiron Club.
Why Dorbor didn’t catch the fancy of college recruiters coming out of St. Raphael could be traced back to the less-than-stellar time he posted in the 40-yard dash at a June 2014 football camp at Penn State. It didn’t matter that he went on to enjoy a memorable senior year that saw him win 2014 R.I. Gatorade Football Player of the Year and rumble his way to 1,305 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.
“Things were hectic for a while because I didn’t know what my next move was going to be,” said Dorbor, who was also hearing from UMass, Sacred Heart and Wagner. “Now that I know where I’m going to be, it’s a good feeling.”
By electing to do a postgraduate year, Dorbor tested his mettle against a higher degree of competition. Offensively at Blair Academy, Dorbor rushed for 608 yards on 73 carries – that shakes out to 8.3 yards per handoff – and 12 touchdowns.
“He was able to show what he can do against a top level of competition in New Jersey and get his 40 time tested again,” said Sassi. “Overall it was a good experience for him at Blair.”