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| (Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE) |
It was 35 years ago today that those words were uttered as teams gathered in New York City on April 26 for the 1983 NFL Draft. Fresh off a Super Bowl loss to the Washington Redskins, Miami took a chance on a Pittsburgh quarterback said to have some off-the-field issues.
35 Years Ago Today: Paul Zimmerman doesn't like the Dolphins pick of Dan Marino pic.twitter.com/cmppctCJa6
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 26, 2018
As most Miami fans are aware, the rest since then is history. Although Marino never won the Super Bowl for the Dolphins, he retired after the 1999 season as the all-time leader in every major passing category.
In 1984, Marino rewrote the NFL single-season records with 5,084 yards passing and 48 touchdown tosses -- eclipsing the previous mark by 12. That year would be the only one in which the Dolphins reached the Super Bowl during Marino's tenure. Although he fell short to Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XIX, 38-16, he was named the league's MVP.
Injuries forced Marino to miss significant time during the 1993 and 1999 seasons, but that didn't stop the Pittsburgh product from becoming one of the best to ever play the position while silmultaneously revolutionizing it. During the 1995 season, Marino surpassed Fran Tarkenton as the league's all-time leader in completions, yards and touchdown passes.
During his 17 years in Miami, Marino made the Pro Bowl nine times and only once over that span did the Dolphins have a losing record. Marino led the league in passing yards on five occasions and in touchdown passes three times.
Today, Marino's statue stands outside the stadium where the Miami Dolphins play their home games and his bust sits in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It all started with Marino being the sixth quarterback selected in the first round of the 1983 draft on this day 35 years ago.
Mike Ferguson is the founder of Days of Dolphins Past. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.
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