![]() "You were basically at Dan's mercy," said Ronnie Lott, the Hall of Fame defensive back. ![]() The 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback set up in the pocket and dared defenses to stop him. With his golden arm and lightning-quick release, Marino became the most prolific passer in NFL history - the all-time leader in touchdown passes (420), yardage (61,361), completions (4,967) and attempts (8,358) when he retired on Maafter 17 seasons. "When he was there," Shula said, "I wasn't about to let him get away." 27, Shula picked Marino, disregarding the rumors of his drug use (never proven) and his throwing more interceptions (23) than touchdown passes (17) in his senior season. "I never dreamed we'd get a shot at him," he said.īut when he still was available at No. Coach Don Shula didn't give the University of Pittsburgh standout much thought. With the Miami Dolphins picking late in the first round, they didn't even work out Marino, part of the Quarterback Class of '83 that is recognized as the finest in history. What is surprising is that five teams thought they were selecting a better quarterback than Marino in the 1983 draft. 13," says Jim Kelly about Dan Marino on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.ĭan Marino had the luxury of joining a winning team with tremendous talent.Īnyone who saw the cannon that Dan Marino displayed in college can't be amazed at the numerous passing records he established in the NFL. They never had a running game, and we knew if it came down to it, it was going to come down to No. "We used to laugh when we heard every single year that the Dolphins were committed to the running game.
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