Miami Dolphins - Face of the Franchise through the years
NFL Face of the Franchise: History of the Miami Dolphins biggest names
“Face of the Franchise” is a phrase thrown around a lot in NFL circles. It’s a title that should be reserved for only the very best an individual team has to offer. Not only in terms of footballing ability but also that person's character and importance to that franchise.
Very few NFL personnel in history become so synonymous with a franchise to the point their name immediately springs to mind when a football fan thinks of a particular NFL team.
Who over the course of a team’s history defines what that franchise represents?
The Miami Dolphins boast several impressive honours and two Super Bowl titles to their name since entering the NFL. They remain the only franchise to achieve a perfect season. The 1972 roster earned that feat by going 17-0, including a 14-7 win over Washington to make history and secure Super Bowl VII.
Perhaps it’s fair then to assume some of the players we most associate with the Dolphins would come from the only Undefeated Team in league history. However, many great players have donned the teal blue jersey of the Dolphins in the decades since.
Let’s look at the history of the Miami Dolphins. Who is the Face of the Franchise?
Jason Taylor
Role: Defensive End (1997-2007 & 2009 & 2011)
Jason Taylor is the greatest Defensive Player in Dolphins history. His career never coincided with a Lombardi Trophy but he was the identity of Miami’s defense for a decade in South Florida. When all is said and done, Taylor retired with by far the most sacks in franchise history (131), has a Defensive Player of the Year Award (2006) to his name and even became a Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient in 2007.
Taylor entered the league as a third-round draft pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. He immediately made his presence known, ending his rookie season with a solid five sacks to his name. Taylor earned his first double-digit sack season in 2000, with 14.5 sacks in a season he earned his first of three All-Pro selections. Throughout this time, the Dolphins reached the playoffs each of Taylor’s first five seasons in the league.
The Miami star's best statistical season came in 2002, when he recorded a career-high 18.5 sacks for the Dolphins. The definition of consistency, from 2000 to 2007 the pass rusher never dropped below 8.5 sacks in a season. In 2006, Taylor put together a campaign that saw him named Defensive Player of the Year. He made 13.5 sacks, a career-high nine forced fumbles and even picked off two interceptions that were both returned for touchdowns.
Towards the end of his career, Taylor served single-season stints in Washington and on the New York Jets, with another season in Miami sandwiched in between. However, Taylor ended his playing career with a flourish in Florida. He rejoined the Dolphins in 2011 and despite only starting two games, still managed to rack up seven sacks. Bringing his career tally to 139.5 in 15 seasons.
Although Taylor served time in the league on a couple of different franchises, he was the face of the Miami Dolphins defense for a decade. A star pass rusher often overlooked amongst an era of elite players at the position, he was a force in the league. Jason Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Don Shula
Role: Head Coach (1970-1995)
An NFL defensive back for six seasons in the 1950’s, Don Shula made his mark on the game as a head coach. Firstly with the Baltimore Colts and more famously with the Dolphins from 1970 to 1995. Only founded in 1966, Miami had not made the postseason before Shula took charge in 1970. Shula coached Miami to the franchise's maiden playoff appearance his first year in charge and the teams first Super Bowl the year after. Miami lost Super Bowl VI to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3.
The 1972 season was simply... perfect. Shula coached his Dolphins side to the first perfect season in league history as the team went 17-0. Even more remarkable is the fact Shula’s starting quarterback Bob Griese was injured in Week 5 and missed the remainder of the regular season.
38-year-old backup quarterback Earl Morrall led the team the rest of the way before Griese returned for the postseason. Shula’s squad came through two tightly contested one-score playoff games before overcoming Washington in the aforementioned Super Bowl VII. Securing the only perfect season in NFL history, now 49 years on.
Shula became a back-to-back Super Bowl winning head Coach in 1973 after leading his team to a 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII. While the Dolphins have never won another Lombardi Trophy, Shula coached the team for an incredible 26 seasons in total.
Under Shula’s guidance, Miami won a remarkable 12 AFC East crowns and appeared in five Super Bowls, winning two. Including his time as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, Don Shula is the winningest Head Coach in NFL history (347 wins). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame soon after retirement and Shula was also one of ten head coaches named to the 100th Anniversary All-time team announced in 2019.
Despite his success elsewhere, Don Shula will always be synonymous with the Miami Dolphins franchise. He passed away in May 2020 at the age of 90. Famous for his success in Miami, Shula will always be remembered fondly by the league and beloved by the Dolphins fan base.
Dan Marino
Role: Quarterback (1983-1999), Special Advisor (2014-)
Think of the Miami Dolphins and Dan Marino’s name will never be too far away from someone’s mind. He was a quarterback ahead of the times. The league has become increasingly pass happy since the turn of the century and Marino should be considered the trailblazer who paved the way. The passing statistics that have become the norm in the 21st century were deemed unthinkable until Marino came along.
Marino was actually the sixth quarterback selected in the 1983 NFL Draft. In fact, Miami never expected Marino to fall to them at 27th overall so the quarterback never spoke to anyone from the Dolphins before head coach Don Shula called after the selection. Marino only went on to earn five first team All-Pro selections, an NFL MVP Award his second season in the league (1984) and become the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 60,000 career passing yards.
Marino’s 1984 season is in contention for the greatest single-season a quarterback has ever put together at the professional level. It was the first time any quarterback threw for over 5,000 passing yards in a season (5,084). An NFL record at the time, Marino’s 1984 passing yards total is the only season from the 20th century among the top 27 NFL Single-season passing yard marks.
A Miami Dolphin all his playing career, Marino is perhaps the most talented quarterback to ever play the game. However, he’s also often associated as the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl. Despite leading Miami to the postseason ten times in 17 seasons, Marino never earned that elusive Super Bowl ring. He only played on the games biggest stage once, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XIX.
Dan Marino is beloved in Miami, in fact, he rejoined the franchise as a Special Advisor in 2014. While he’s famous in many circles for never quite achieving the ultimate goal, his quarterbacking style came decades ahead of the norm. He will forever be associated with the Miami Dolphins as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
