Dan Marino: Perspectives from four hometown fans

By Hugo Guzman  |   Sunday, August 07, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Miami Dolphins
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The four founders of RealFootball365.com have taken a moment to reflect on their memories of number 13. All four of the founders are Miami natives that grew up watching Dan Marino tear up the NFL in a Miami Dolphins uniform:

Alex "The Source" Guzman:
My favorite Dan Marino moment took place on September 4, 1994. This opening day game was played during a driving rainstorm at Joe Robbie Stadium (currently known as Dolphins Stadium). Tension was in the air with Marino returning to action after missing much of the 1993 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. A muddy baseball infield added to the drama of a game that went back and forth before the Miami Dolphins finally pulled off the 39-35 victory over the New England Patriots.

It was one of those days you could feel the Dolphins could score every time Dan Marino took the ball on offense against a mismatched Patriots defense. Marino was really feeling the deep ball that day, averaging more than 20 yards per completion. He ended up connecting on 23 of his 42 passes that wet afternoon. Marino torched New England for 473 yards and 5 touchdowns, including the 300th TD of his career. He hooked up with former Patriot WR Irving Fryar 5 times for 211 yards and 3 TDs that day, including the game-winning touchdown. I'll never forget the satisfaction of seeing the old gunslinger triumphantly trotting off the field after his legendary performance in this classic shootout.

Jason "Crazy J" Kirk:
As Dan Marino prepares for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one can't help but reflect on the 17-year career of the greatest Miami Dolphins player, ever. As a young kid, I used to go with my grandfather to as many Dolphins' games at Joe Robbie as I could. I remember asking my grandfather one day, “Why is Marino yelling at his teammates even though he threw that interception?” To which my grandfather just smiled and replied, “Because he's a competitor and the leader of his team.” Not much of an answer, but I understood.

As the years passed, I grew accustomed to seeing Marino on the sidelines exchanging verbal garbs with his receivers or offensive linemen, whether it was because of a dropped pass, wrong route, break-down in protection, or just simply, a great play. Marino was always there to criticize his players, be it constructive or not. He was the consummate leader of his team, and everyone acknowledged that. The Miami Dolphins lived or died on the arm of the great #13. Whether it was during one of his 37 come-from-behind wins or during the playoff losses to the rival Buffalo Bills in the ‘90s or the dismantling of the Chicago Bears in 1985 (who were undefeated at the time), as a Dolfan, you could always count on ‘Dan the Man' coming to play. His entrance into the Hall of Fame on Sunday is one that all Miami Dolphins fans worldwide will cherish forever. Thanks for the memories Dan; you are the greatest quarterback ever!

Hugo Guzman:
Over the past few weeks I have written a number of articles expounding about the greatness that is Dan Marino. I've laid out stats, talked about defining moments, and tried to point out some of the more obscure details of his career. However, I realize now that there is only one way for me to really express just how unique his talent really was...by talking about Tecmo video football for the old Nintendo Entertainment System.

Those of you who were into playing video games in the mid to late 80's will know exactly what I'm talking about. When Tecmo came out with their football game offering (by far the best football video game of its time) they had several top notch quarterbacks in the game, including Hall of Famer Joe Montana. All of the quarterbacks in this game threw the ball with more or less the same amount of arch and velocity. Then there was Dan Marino. When the playing a game involving the Miami Dolphins you immediately noticed that Dan Marino's passes were lasers with almost no arch and an unbelievable amount of velocity and accuracy. His passing ability was head and shoulders above any other quarterback in that game, and as far as I'm concerned, the same can be said about his ability in real life. As a passer, Dan Marino has no equal.

Mike Medina:
When Dan Marino arrived on to the NFL scene, I was only six years old. To be honest, I didn't develop my passion for football until his last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, so it is difficult for me to recall any of Dan's memorable moments. However, what I do remember was Super Bowl XIX. My family was driving home from grocery shopping and the streets were in a frenzy. I remember stopping at a red light, in South West Miami, and every car was honking non-stop. I asked my father, as any kid would, what was going on. He only had two words...Dan Marino.

I didn't know or understand what football was, but I knew Dan. It was that moment and that event that got me into football. In retrospect, it was pretty unbelievable what Marino did leading up to the 1984 Super Bowl. In just his second year in the NFL, Dan Marino was unstoppable, torching the league for a season-record 48 touchdowns and 5,084 yards passing. It took him just eight games to beat Bob Griese's single-season team record for touchdown passes, and nine weeks to top Griese's record for most passing yards in one season. Not bad for a 23 year old kid just breaking into the NFL.

From the entire staff of RealFootball365.com: Congratulations Dan! We look forward to watching your induction into the NFL Hall of Fame. You most definitely deserve it!
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About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
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