Former Dallas Cowboys lineman Char-ron Dorsey dies at 46 following complications from a stroke as tributes pour in for the high-school coach: ‘A great example as a man’

Former Dallas Cowboys lineman Char-ron Dorsey died Monday at the age of 46 from a stroke.

The Jacksonville Florida Times-Union were the first to break news of Dorsey’s passing, which marks just over a decade since his NFL career ended.

The Jacksonville native not only spent a year with the Cowboys, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft, but also won a national title during his time at Florida State University.

After retiring as a player, he had a long career as a youth coach.

“I’m just at a loss for words when I think about my brother,” said Parker High School coach Mike Holloway, who worked under Dorsey. ‘We’ve been doing this for a long time so far. We see that children we have coached now coach or have children themselves.

“We’ve built a legacy of working hard and doing it yourself, letting kids know that through hard work and dedication you can make it and be successful.”

Dorsey first showed his potential at the Bolles School in Florida, where he earned First-Team 4A All-State honors three times as a defensive tackle.

He went on to play for Florida State, with the tackle being a key member of their undefeated national championship-winning team in 1999.

After being drafted by Dallas two years later, Dorsey played nine games in his rookie season before being waived early in the 2002 season and picked up by the Houston Texans, where he made just three appearances in his debut campaign.

The former Florida State star was later released after being declared inactive in five games and subsequently signed as a free agent for the New York Giants, but his career was ended by knee surgery.

Dorsey then started coaching on the east side of Jacksonville before building a dynasty at Matthew Gilbert Middle School, where he went 87-5 over 10 seasons and won three championships.

He later went on to coach at the high schools at Jackson and Parker, leaving the latter job last summer.

‘He took care of the children. The children were his main priority. He fought tooth and nail for them. As a man he was a great example. He could really relate to the kids,” said Parker Athletic Director Brad Bernard. ‘No child could come to him and tell him something he didn’t understand. He could identify with them. I think he saved a few kids.

“If a kid came to him and said he was going through hard times, he would encourage him to fight through it because he was going through it.”