Daniel Constantine “Dan” Marino, Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American Hall of Fame former quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. The last quarterback of the Quarterback Class of 1983 to be taken in the first round, Dan Marino became one of the most prolific quarterbacks in league history, holding or having held almost every major NFL passing record. Despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in American football history. Remembered particularly for having a quick release and a powerful arm, Marino led the Dolphins into the playoffs ten times in his seventeen season career.
Early years
Dan Marino’s childhood home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Marino was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of Italian and Polish ancestry, and his father delivered newspapers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.He was the oldest child of Daniel and Veronica Marino, and had two younger sisters, Cindi and Debbie.Miami Dolphins Dan grew up on Parkview Avenue in the South Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh and attended St. Regis Catholic Elementary School before going to Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where he also started in baseball, and won Parade All-American honors in football. As a high school baseball player, Marino hit high school highs by throwing pitches up to 95 mph.He was drafted in the 4th round by the Kansas City Royals baseball team in the 1979 amateur draft, but decided to play college football instead.
College career
Dan Marino quarterbacking the University of Pittsburgh as a freshman in 1979, the first of three straight 11-1 seasons for the Panthers
Marino played college football at the University of Pittsburgh from the 1979 to the 1982 season. As a freshman in 1979, Marino led the Panthers in a 24-17 triumph over West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. He led the Panthers to a last-minute triumph over the Georgia Bulldogs in the 1982 Sugar Bowl by throwing the game-winning pass to tight end John Brown with less than a minute remaining, a play that is considered among the greatest in Pittsburgh sports history. Miami Dolphins The next season (his senior year) was considered a disappointment with regard to the preseason Heisman Trophy and national championship hype. His team lost the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic 7-3 to Southern Methodist and their “Pony Express” of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Although he lost the Heisman Race, Marino’s Panthers triumphed once again over rival West Virginia with a late touchdown drive to win 16-13 in one of the best games in the rivalry.
Dan Marino’s selection status in the 1983 NFL Draft plummeted after a subpar senior season at Pitt, unsubstantiated rumors of drug use and that knee injuries (resulting in four knee surgeries) were hampering his mobility. Five other quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Elway and less successful players Ken O’Brien, Tony Eason and Todd Blackledge, were drafted ahead of him.
Professional career
On Jan. 4, 1983, the Los Angeles Express made Miami Dolphins Marino the first draft pick in the history of the United States Football League. Marino never signed a contract with this team.
His hometown NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, were also thought to be considering him for a replacement for the veteran Terry Bradshaw at quarterback, Miami Dolphins but the Steelers drafted the defensive tackle Gabriel Rivera from Texas Tech University, instead, considering at that time that either Cliff Stoudt or Mark Malone, both already on their roster, could someday replace Bradshaw.
The defending AFC Champions Miami Dolphins chose Marino with the 27th pick in the NFL draft. After starting the season as a backup to incumbent starter David Woodley and seeing action twice off the bench to relieve an ineffective Woodley, Marino was given his first NFL start in Week 6 versus the Buffalo Bills at the Orange Bowl. Marino and Miami lost that game 38–35 in OT. He posted a 96.0 passer rating- a rookie record until it was broken by Ben Roethlisberger’s 98.1. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in his rookie year and became the first rookie QB to start in a Pro Bowl game.However, Marino’s first NFL season ended in disappointment, as the Dolphins were upset by the Seattle Seahawks 27-20 in a rain-soaked game full of Miami turnovers. Marino looked shaky in that game, mostly due to a sprained knee he had suffered three weeks prior versus the Houston Oilers, an injury that caused him to miss the last two regular season games.Miami Dolphins Those two games were the last non-strike games that he missed, until he tore his Achilles tendon in 1993. Marino started a streak of 145 consecutive, non-strike, NFL games as the Dolphins quarterback.
The following year, Dan Marino produced one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. He broke six NFL full-season passing records, including the records for most touchdown passes, Miami Dolphins,48 (easily surpassing the old record of 36), in a season and most passing yards (5,084) in a season. Marino was also selected as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Miami’s passing attack propelled the Dolphins to a 14–2 regular season record, which clinched for them the home-field advantage in all the following playoff games. In the first round, the Dolphins avenged their playoff loss of the previous season to Seattle Seahawks 31–10, and then they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game 45–28. This win sent the Dolphins to the Super Bowl to play for the overall championship.
In Super Bowl XIX, Dan Marino and the Dolphins faced off against San Francisco 49ers and their star quarterback Joe Montana in Palo Alto, California. The Dolphins, who had 74 rushing attempts in the previous two weeks, ran the ball only eight times in this game, placing their chances of winning squarely on the passing of Marino. He finished with 29 completions out of 50 attempts for 318 yards, Miami Dolphins,throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions. This was not enough, because the 49ers outplayed the Dolphins on both sides of the ball. The 38–16 loss would prove to be Marino’s only Super Bowl appearance.
In the following football season, Dan Marino’s Dolphins collected a 12-4 record. On December 2, 1985 Marino completed 14 of 27 passes for 270 yards and three touchdown passes and triumphed 38–24 over the 12–0 Chicago Bears (thus ensuring that the 1972 Miami Dolphins remained the only team to go undefeated in a season) in the highest rated Monday Night Football telecast in history. He also brought the Dolphins back to the AFC Championship game that year, losing in Miami to New England in another game in which wet conditions made the Dolphins turnover prone. New England intercepted Marino twice and recovered four fumbles en route to a 31-14 win over the Dolphins, their first win in the Miami Orange Bowl since 1966.
With Dan Marino at the helm, the Dolphins were perennial playoff contenders, reaching the post-season in 10 of Marino’s 17 seasons. In 1992 he made his final appearance in an AFC Championship Game, losing to arch-rival Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills, 29-10. Kelly’s Bills knocked Marino out of the playoffs three times between 1990 and 1995.
The following year, 1993, Miami was strongly favored at the start of the year to make it back to the AFC championship game and possibly the Super Bowl. However, disaster struck Marino and the Dolphins in Cleveland. After throwing a swing pass, Dan Marino, who was untouched on the play, crumpled to the ground in pain with a torn Achilles tendon and was out for the season. Marino later said, “I felt like I’d been shot”. Complicating matters was that in Marino’s absence, backup quarterback Scott Mitchell had an impressive series of starts before suffering an injury of his own. As a result, for the first time in a decade, Miami had a quarterback controversy in the media and among its fans: to keep the younger Mitchell (who became a free agent after the season) or the proven veteran Marino, for whom it was feared he could not recover completely from the injury.
In the end, Miami, after losing the last five games of the season and missing the playoffs , decided to continue with Dan Marino as their primary quarterback. Mitchell signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions, and for a new back-up quarterback, Miami signed-up the veteran quarterback Bernie Kosar from the Cleveland Browns. Wearing a special shoe on one foot, and having a right calf that was visibly atrophied,Miami Dolphins Marino once again became the starting QB at the start of the 1994 season.
In 1994, a season where Marino’s viability was very much a question mark from the outset, two of his signature games took place. The first was the opener, a home game versus the New England Patriots and their upstart quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who drew more than a few comparisons to a young Marino. It had rained heavily that day, and the baseball infield used by the Florida Marlins was muddy as a result. Despite the conditions, the two quarterbacks put up a combined 894 yards and nine touchdowns through the air, with Miami winning a 39–35 shootout. The other was the comeback win on the road against the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins,a game famous for Marino’s execution of a fake spike for the winning touchdown pass, a stunt known simply as “The Clock Play”. The Dolphins amassed a 10–6 record that year, winning the division and defeating the Joe Montana-led Kansas City Chiefs at home (exacting some revenge on Montana for Super Bowl XIX) before losing a heart breaker at the San Diego Chargers 22–21 the following week after leading 21–6 at halftime. That season, Dan Marino passed for 4,435 yards and was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Dan Marino went no further than the divisional round of the playoffs through the remainder of his career. Longtime coach Don Shula resigned after the 1995 season. He was replaced by Jimmy Johnson, whose ball-control philosophy had worked to the tune of two championships with the Dallas Cowboys and who guaranteed a Super Bowl win in Miami. Johnson attempted to emphasize Miami’s ground game, but in his four seasons as coach of the Dolphins he never found a running back, despite trying several players at the position.
Now more injury prone and less consistent than he had been at the peak of his abilities, Miami Dolphins Marino’s decline became evident at a Thanksgiving game in 1999 versus the Cowboys. In his first game back after missing a month due to injury, Marino threw five interceptions in the Dolphins 20-0 loss. The Dolphins then proceeded to back into the playoffs by losing four out of their next five games to finish the season at 9–7.
Marino’s final win was his first playoff road win and his 36th comeback win, as the Dolphins defeated the Seattle Seahawks 20–17 in January 2000 in the final football game ever in the Kingdome. In the next round, also on the road, Marino and the Dolphins were demolished 62–7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Miami Dolphins Marino was replaced by backup Damon Huard in the second half, an ignominious end to a spectacular career. However, he did leave the game on a high note, leading the Dolphins on an 80-yard scoring drive and throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to receiver Oronde Gadsden with 20 seconds left in the half.
The Jacksonville loss thus put Marino’s playoff record at a mediocre 8–10.
Before the 2000 season, Dan Marino decided to retire,after declining offers from Minnesota, Tampa Bay and his hometown of Pittsburgh when the Dolphins declined his option on his contract. When asked at his retirement press conference why he decided to retire, he responded:
That is a good question. Boy, I really struggled with this. This has been the toughest month of my life as far as dealing with playing football or retiring. After the season, I pretty much thought that I was not going to play anymore and I felt that way for a while and I think it was because of the physical aspects of the game. It kept coming back to how my legs felt during last season, going through the neck injury; not knowing whether I was going to be able to throw the football, Miami Dolphins and family reasons also, but Claire and the kids, they were great. They wanted me to play, be honest with you. Really, it was my decision, a family decision and a health decision.
Marino later admitted that he seriously considered the offer from the Vikings, but that he turned it down not because of his arm, but because he wasn’t sure that his legs could take another season. He also appreciated the fact that unlike many of his contemporaries, he got to play his entire career with one team.
During Dan Marino’s professional career (1983–1999) in Miami, he was one of the most skilled and revered quarterbacks in the game. Marino’s release was incredibly quick,Miami Dolphins one of his most important weapons. Also, despite the fact that he was not known for his scrambling ability (he averaged less than 1 yard per carry on his 301 career rushing attempts), Marino possessed an uncanny awareness in the pocket, often sliding a step or two to avoid the pass rush. He has the most fourth quarter comebacks (36) in the history of the NFL, and the third most wins by a starting quarterback (147). John Elway and Brett Favre are ahead in overall wins.
The last game that Marino had won was a 1999 Wild Card Playoff against the Seattle Seahawks in the Kingdome in 2000
Marino was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls (1983-87, 1991-92, 1994-95), seven times as a starter, but due to injuries he only played in two of the games (1984, 1992).Miami Dolphins (Marino usually had knee surgery following every season.) He was named first- or second-team All-Pro eight times and earned All-AFC honors six times.
In 1999, Dan Marino was ranked number 27 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, making him the highest-ranking Dolphins player.
Life outside football
A life-size bronze statue of Marino at Sun Life Stadium.
On Sunday, September 17, 2000, at halftime of the Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens game at Pro Player Stadium, Dan Marino’s jersey number of 13 was retired. The only other Dolphins jersey number retired at the time was Bob Griese’s #12. Since then #39, Larry Csonka, has been retired as well. Marino joined the Dolphins Honor Roll the same day. In a year of accolades from the franchise he led for many years, the Dolphins also installed a life-size bronze statue of Marino at Pro Player Stadium Miami Dolphins (now Sun Life Stadium) and renamed Stadium Street, Dan Marino Boulevard.
In 2003, Marino was honored for his outstanding NCAA career at Pitt with an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In early 2004, Dan Marino briefly returned to the Miami Dolphins as Senior Vice President of Football Operations, but resigned from the newly-created position only three weeks later, saying that the role was not in the best interest of either his family or the Dolphin organization.
Marino was a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 7, 2005 and was introduced by his oldest son, Daniel. During his induction speech, Dan threw “one last pass” to former teammate Mark Clayton, who was sitting in the audience (Marino had intended to throw the ball to Clayton as the two had planned the action prior to the event).
Marino lives with his wife, Claire, and their six children, Daniel Charles (b. 4 September 1986), Michael Joseph (b. 18 May 1988), Joseph Donald (b. 26 July 1989), Alexandra Claire (b. 13 May 1992), Lia (b. 12 July 1995 in China) and Niki Lin (b. 15 December 1996 in China) in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Dolphins Florida. He also has vacation homes in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
During the football season Marino is a commentator for CBS’s The NFL Today show. He was formerly a studio analyst on HBO’s Inside the NFL.
Marino also acted in the 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective alongside Jim Carrey and Courteney Cox (he played himself) and made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler film Little Nicky where he asked Satan for a Super Bowl ring. He even guest-starred as himself in The Simpsons episode Sunday, Cruddy Sunday (first aired January 31, 1999). Marino also had cameo roles in Holy Man and Bad Boys II. He also worked as a project consultant on Any Given Sunday, and some observers noticed a resemblance between him and Dennis Quaid’s character, Jack Rooney.In fact, Rooney’s house in the film is Miami Dolphins Marino’s house in real life.The music world marked another appearance for Marino, when he was featured in a video by Hootie and the Blowfish.
Marino opened two restaurants in South Florida called Dan Marino’s Town Tavern, with one location in Coral Springs and one on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The name changed around 2005 to Dan Marino’s Fine Food and Spirits. By 2006, both original locations had closed, but, as of January, 2007, the restaurant had opened other locations in Miami, St. Petersburg, Las Vegas and Orlando. The Orlando location was closed and scheduled to re-open sometime in early 2007.
Marino is currently featured in advertisement campaigns for Hooters, NutriSystem weight loss programs,Maroone, Papa John’s, Viagra, and Empi Select (a TENS device).Previously, Marino endorsed Isotoner gloves and FirstPlus Mortgage who he later filed suit against.
Marino is an Advisory Board Member for 3Cinteractive. 3Cinteractive is a Florida based Mobile Marketing Development company.
Marino’s #13 NASCAR racecar
In 1997, Marino became involved in a marketing role with Team Cheever of the Indy Racing League through FirstPlus Mortgage, the sponsor of the car. In 1998,Miami Dolphins Marino co-owned a NASCAR Winston Cup racing team with driver Bill Elliott. The team’s car number was #13, Marino’s uniform number, and had primary sponsorship from FirstPlus Mortgage, whose company colors, coincidentally, were turquoise, orange, and white, the same as the Miami Dolphins. The team chose rookie driver Jerry Nadeau to pilot the car at the start of the season; he was later released and the team went through a rotation of drivers. The team failed to qualify for several races, but did post a top-5 finish at Phoenix International Raceway late in the season with Ted Musgrave driving. The team only lasted the 1998 season and closed afterwards.
On April 27, 2008, Marino received an honorary doctorate degree in broadcast journalism from his Alma Mater, The University of Pittsburgh. Marino also delivered the Class of 2008 commencement speech.
Dan Marino Foundation
The Dan Marino Foundation, was established in 1992 by Marino and his wife, Claire, after their son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism.The foundation has distributed over $22 million to research, services and treatment programs serving children with neurodevelopment disabilities. The Dan Marino Center, which opened in 1995 along with the Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami Dolphins is an integrated neurodevelopmental center specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children at risk for developmental and psychological problems. The center saw more than 48,000 children last year alone.
Marino has teamed with other celebrities to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorders, including fellow NFL great Doug Flutie, whose son also has an autism diagnosis.
On November 7, 2005, the National Basketball Association’s Miami Heat honored Marino’s charitable works and recognized his service to South Florida with a halftime tribute, including a large donation to the Marino Foundation. Though a Heat jersey with his name and #13 was unveiled, this did not constitute retirement of his number by the Heat.
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Ronnie Gene Brown (born December 12, 1981 in Rome, Georgia) is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins second overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.
High school career
Ronnie Brown attended Cartersville High School in Georgia, where he was a three-year starter and rushed for 4,936 yards, 12 touchdowns. In his senior year, he earned the Georgia Class 2A Player of the Year award when he gained 1,931 yards on 206 carries and scored 25 touchdowns. That year, 1999, Brown led Cartersville to a state championship over Hart County – their first since 1991. During his high school career, he was selected to the PrepStar All-America team. He also played free safety and had three interceptions in his senior year. Brown was also an accomplished baseball player and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of high school.
College career
Ronnie Brown moved on to Auburn University to play NCAA football and major in communications. He teamed up with speed running back Carnell Williams to create a premier running threat of speed and power. He Redshirted after playing in the first two games of the 2000 season as he only gained 10 yards on six carries. In 2001, he played in 10 games and ranked third on the team with 330 yards on 84 carries and two touchdowns while catching seven passes for 109 yards.
Ronnie Brown enjoyed his best season in 2002 when he gained a career-high 1,008 yards on 175 carries (5.8 avg.) with 13 touchdowns while subbing for the injured Williams. He also had nine receptions for 166 yards (18.4 avg.) and a touchdown. However in 2003, with Williams healthy and starting, Brown’s statistics dropped as he carried the ball only 95 times for 446 yards (4.7 avg.), recorded five touchdowns, and had eight receptions for 80 yards.Brown on the sideline at the 2004 AU-UGA game.
In 2004, Ronnie Brown shared duties with Williams and started seven games. Together with Jason Campbell, Coach Tommy Tubberville called them the best backfield in the past 30 years as the lead the team to a 13-0 record. He totaled 913 yards on 153 carries and scored eight times. He also displayed his receiving capabilities as he ranked second on the team with 34 catches for 313 yards and a touchdown.
Although he started only 21 of 47 games for Auburn he finished his career ranked seventh in school history with 2,707 yards rushing on 513 carries while ranking fifth with 28 rushing touchdowns. Brown also had 58 receptions for 668 yards and two touchdowns.
Professional career
2005
Ronnie Brown entered the 2005 NFL Draft and was drafted with the 2nd pick of the 1st round by the Miami Dolphins. Fellow Auburn University HB Carnell Williams was also in the draft and was selected with the fifth pick in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown held out of training camp due to a contract dispute and as a result was not successful running the ball in the first two weeks of the season as he rushed for only 93 yards on 34 carries (2.7 avg.) and no touchdowns. However, he got on track in Week 3 as he rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries (5.7 avg.) and his first career touchdown. He followed this up with a successful Week 4 performance rushing for 97 yards on 17 carries (5.7 avg.). But during Week 5, he had to again share rushing duties with another premier running back, this time Ricky Williams who was returning from a four-game suspension. Brown ended up having only about forty more rushes than Williams during the 2005 season, and was well on pace for a 1,000 yard campaign if it wasn’t for them sharing the football. Ronnie ended up with 207 rushes for 907 yards (4.4 avg.) and 4 touchdowns while having 32 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown.
2006
With Ricky Williams suspended for the entire season, Brown entered 2006 as the feature back for the Miami Dolphins. The offensive line and offense in general struggled for the Miami Dolphins, making it difficult for Brown to consistently produce at a high level. He had a breakout game on October 15 loss to the New York Jets, rushing for 127 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Three weeks later he rushed for a career high 157 yards against a stingy Chicago Bears defense, helping the Dolphins to an upset victory of the previously undefeated Bears. On a Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions, Brown suffered a broken left hand from a hit by a defender’s helmet. While he missed the next three contests, Brown returned for the final two games of the season and posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances against the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets. In 13 games played, Brown finished with 1,008 rushing yards, 276 receiving yards, five touchdowns and a solid 4.2 average.
2007
During the team’s minicamp in May, Ronnie Brown revealed that he is eight pounds over his listed playing weight of 232, and would like to cut his body fat from 12 percent to 8 or 9 percent. During week 7, Ronnie Brown injured his knee making a tackle during an interception return and was lost for the season. At the time of his injury he was leading the league in yards from scrimmage and was on pace for over 2,200 total yards on the season.
2008
Brown maneuvers past 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis at the 2009 Pro Bowl.
Before the regular season started, Tony Sparano, announced Ricky Williams would be the starting running back. During the first two games Brown carried the ball 17 times for a total of 48 yards and one touchdown. Before the New England Patriots game Ronnie Brown was made the starting running back and has been featured in the Miami Dolphins‘ popular Wildcat formation, which borrows from current Auburn University OC Gus Malzahn’s college spread offense.Since then, Brown rushed the ball 127 times for 557 yards and eight touchdowns. Brown also threw for a touchdown in week 3 against the Patriots.
Although he split carries with teammate Ricky Williams, Brown still had a solid 2008 season rushing for 916 yards on 214 carries, an average of 4.3 ypc.
Brown with the Miami Dolphins in 2009.
Brown was also selected to the 2009 Pro Bowl as a reserve running back.
2009
For the 2009-10 NFL season Brown played and started in nine of the sixteen games of the regular season. During these nine games Brown managed to carry the ball 148 times for a total of 648 yards averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Brown also managed to rush for eight touchdowns. Brown in addition to rushing the ball managed to complete 14 passes for a total of 98 yards. During the 11th week of the regular season; Brown suffered a right foot injury against Tampa Bay and was placed on injured reserve. Brown’s injury caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
2010
In 2010 Ronnie Brown became a restricted free agent but signed with the Miami Dolphins again.In march of 2010 Brown was pulled over and charged with a DUI. As of July Head Coach Tony Sparano has declared Brown a 100% healthy.
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