Athletes - Dan Marino

Home > Listing Index > Athletes > Dan Marino

	Athletes - Dan Marino

Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was an American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. He has held almost every meaningful NFL passing record and is widely recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history.

Early years

Dan attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he also starred in baseball, and won Parade All-American honors in football. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals baseball team in the 1979 amateur draft, but decided to play college football instead.

Football career

After a stellar high school career, Marino played college ball at the University of Pittsburgh from the 1979 to 1982 seasons, leading the Panthers to a Sugar Bowl triumph over the Georgia Bulldogs in January 1982. The next season (his senior year) was considered a disappointment with regard to the pre-season Heisman Trophy and National Championship hype. His team lost the Cotton Bowl to SMU. Still his college career was impressive. In his final 2 seasons, Marino lead his team to a 22-2 record, and he lead the nation in touchdown passes (34) as a junior. Marino left Pitt with 7,905 passing yards and 74 touchdown passes. In 2002, he was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame

With the down season of his last year at Pitt and unsubstantiated rumors of drug abuse, Marino's selection status in the 1983 NFL draft plummeted. Five other quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Elway, had been taken before Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins grabbed Marino with the 27th pick overall.

Being drafted by the defending AFC Champions placed Marino in an ideal situation, where the strong armed rookie could succeed immediately. He posted a 96.0 passer rating which was a rookie record until 2004. He brought Miami the division title in 1983, and would also do so in 1984, 1985, 1992, and 1994. His Pro Bowl rookie year ended in disappointment, as the Dolphins were upset by the Seattle Seahawks in a rainy game full of Dolphin turnovers. Marino looked shaky in that game mostly due to a sprained knee he had suffered three weeks prior versus Houston, causing him to miss the last two regular season games. Those two games would be the last non-strike games he would miss until he tore his Achilles Tendon in 1993, a 145-game non-strike consecutive-game streak in all.

The following season would be Marino's best. He threw for 48 touchdown passes and 5,084 yards, both of which shattered previous records. Neither record would be touched until Peyton Manning topped the touchdown mark with 49 in 2004. He would go on to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award in 1984. The '84 Dolphins scored an NFL record 70 touchdowns and posted a 14-2 record. Marino had another 8 touchdown passes in the post-season, four of which came against his hometown Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl XIX Marino and the Dolphins met Joe Montana and the 49ers. The Dolphins, who had 74 rush attempts in the previous two weeks, called only 8 handoffs, placing their chances squarely on Marino. Marino was above average, completing 29 of 50 passes for 318 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, two of his passes were intercepted deep in 49ers territory and he committed the game's lone fumble. The 38-16 loss would be Marino's only Super Bowl appearance; as was the case for most of his career a sparse running attack and average defense would cost the Dolphins. a Pepsi commercial released in the wake of the game had Montana and Marino talking next to a vending machine. Joe bought a Pepsi each for himself and Dan, then Dan says "Next year... I'm buying." Sadly, he never got the chance.

After the Super Bowl loss, Marino's Dolphins went 12-4. On December 2, 1985 Marino completed 14 of 27 passes for 270 yards and triumphed over the 12-0 Chicago Bears in the highest rated Monday Night Football telecast in history. He also brought the Dolphins back to the AFC Championship game the following year, losing in Miami to New England in another game in which wet conditions made the Dolphins turnover prone.

With Marino at the helm, the Dolphins were a perennial playoff contender, reaching the post-season in 10 of Marino's 17 seasons. In 1992 he made his final appearance in a Championship Game, losing against arch-rival Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills. Kelly's Bills knocked Marino out of the playoffs three times between 1990 and 1995. Marino's final win was Miami's first win in a playoff road game in his career, as he led the 37th and final comeback of his pro career. In the next round on the road, Marino and the Dolphins utterly collapsed in a 62-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Marino decided to retire with that season, after being subtley pushed out of Miami by new coach Dave Wannstedt, and declining offers from Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dan Marino ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Dan Marino; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Athletes - Dan Marino

Early years

Football career

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay