The Miami Dolphins were once one of the most dominant franchises in the NFL, though recent history wouldn't prove such a theory to be very true nowadays. Even though the Dolphins have been forced to take a major backseat to the heralded New England Patriots in the AFC East for the last 20 years or so, Miami remains one of the most successful teams from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Because of the team's more than three decades of stellar play and quality football, one does not have to look far to pinpoint a few Dolphins legends, most of which also happen to be NFL legends as well.
With this organization producing some of the key figures of NFL history over the years, the Dolphins franchise lays claim to some of the most notable names that the sport has ever been able to offer.
1. Dan Marino, Quarterback (1983 – 1999)
Although one of the first names mentioned when the conversation of best players — or quarterbacks — to never win a Super Bowl arises, longtime Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino remains the face of this franchise even more than 20 years after his retirement from the NFL.
Spending his entire NFL playing career in Miami, Marino still serves as the team's all-time leader in passing attempts, completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns with the Pro Football Hall of Fame signal-caller accounting for 61,361 passing yards, 420 passing touchdowns, 252 interceptions, 33 comebacks, and 47 game-winning drives over the course of 242 career games.
Marino also has nine Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections, a Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and Offensive Player of the Year Award, a Comeback Player of the Year Award, and an NFL MVP to his credit. Leading the Dolphins to one Super Bowl appearance and 10 trips to the postseason despite never winning it all, Marino, whose name is synonymous with the Dolphins organization, was rightfully named to the “NFL 100 All-Time Team” as well.
2. Don Shula, Head Coach (1970 – 1995)
A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to his legacy as a leader along the sideline, former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula is not only a legend in South Florida but he is surely a member of the hypothetical “Mount Rushmore” of all-time NFL head coaches as well.
The second head coach and longest-tenured head coach in franchise history, Shula's success in Miami can only be replicated by very few others throughout the history of the NFL. With the Dolphins originating in 1966 as Shula ultimately took over in 1970, he wasted absolutely no time upon signing on in Miami after a successful stint as the head coach the Baltimore Colts. Shula immediately led the Dolphins to the team's first-ever playoff appearance in 1970 before leading Miami to three consecutive AFC Championships between 1971 and 1973.
Shula's Dolphins would win back-to-back titles during that time with the 1972 Super Bowl Championship team going on to become the most legendary squad in NFL history upon finishing the campaign at a perfect 17-0, including the postseason. Of course, the 1972 Dolphins remain the only team in NFL history to ever go undefeated through the Super Bowl. Shula led the Dolphins to five Super Bowl appearances in all, which still serve as the team's only title game appearances, while also paving the way for Miami to reach the playoffs a whopping 16 times during his time with the organization.
3. Larry Csonka, Running Back (1968 – 1973 & 1979)
Legendary running back Larry Csonka was initially selected by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the1968 NFL Draft while quickly going on to become a staple of the team’s offensive scheme. With the Dolphins serving as the top rushing team in the NFL in both 1971 and 1972 in addition to ranking third in such a category in 1973, Csonka led a trio of running backs for Miami while rushing for 3,042 yards and 19 touchdowns during that span.
Csonka helped lead the Dolphins to three straight Super Bowls with the franchise winning a pair of titles along the way. He will also go down in history as one of the key cogs of the team’s undefeated 1972 squad. Not done in Miami just yet, though, Csonka eventually returned to the Dolphins for one last go-round after some time away from the franchise en route to becoming the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1979-80.
4. Jason Taylor, Pass Rusher (1997 – 2007, 2009 & 2011)
Selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft out of Akron, longtime pass rusher Jason Taylor ultimately became much more than just that for the current AFC East franchise. The best all-around defensive player in franchise history, a notion that would be very hard to argue with, Taylor was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and the league’s Walter Payton Man of the Year as a result of the following season.
A six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection, Taylor recorded 131 sacks, 137 tackles for loss, 43 forced fumbles and 27 fumble recoveries over the course of 204 career games with the Dolphins. As it stands today, Taylor remains the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries and tackles for loss.
Coming as absolutely no surprise whatsoever, Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 while more recently becoming a member of the NFL’s “2000s Hall of Fame All-Decade Team.”
5. Bob Griese, Quarterback (1967 – 1980)
The Miami Dolphins originally selected quarterback Bob Griese with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft, though his first few seasons weren’t anything to write home about.
After throwing more interceptions than touchdowns over the course of his first three professional campaigns with the Dolphins, Griese was then graced with the presence of head coach Don Shula as the tandem would go on to reach three straight Super Bowls between 1971 and 1973 while winning a pair of titles on the back-end of that run.
Even though Griese was injured for the majority of the team’s historic run in 1972, there is no doubt that he is one of the most legendary players in franchise history as he and Shula remain one of the top quarterback-head coach tandems of all-time.
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