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'Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr.' (born September 15, 1961 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a Hall of Fame quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. The last quarterback of the legendary Quarterback Class of 1983 to be taken in the first round, Marino became one of the most prolific quarterbacks in league history, holding or having held almost every serious NFL passing record. Despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is widely recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in American football history. Remembered particularly for having a quick release and a powerful arm, Marino drove the Dolphins into numerous playoffs.

Contents

Early years

College career

Professional career

Life after football

Dan Marino Foundation

NFL records set by Dan Marino

NFL records tied

Additional statistics

Notes and references

External links

Early years

Dan Marino was raised on Parkview Avenue in the working class neighborhood of Oakland in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of Italian and Polish ancestry. During his Hall of Fame induction speech he joked with his parents about how far they had all traveled from a place whose name was ostensibly an oxymoron ("no park and certainly no view"). However, Parkview Ave. does have a sweeping view of Schenley Park, Pittsburgh's premier park. He attended St. Regis Catholic Elementary before going to Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where he also started 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 American football instead.

College career

After a successful high school career, Marino played college ball at the University of Pittsburgh from the 1979 to 1982 season. As a freshman in 1979, Marino led the Panthers in a 24-17 triumph over West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl with 232 yards and a touchdown. He led the Panthers to a last-minute triumph over the Georgia Bulldogs in the 1982 Sugar Bowl by throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to tight end John Brown with less than a minute remaining, a play that is considered among the greatest in Pittsburgh sports history. The next season (his senior year) was considered a disappointment with regard to the preseason Heisman Trophy and national championship hype. His team lost the Cotton Bowl to Southern Methodist and their "Pony Express" of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Although he lost the Heisman Race, Marino's Panthers truimphed once again over rival West Virginia with a late touchdown drive to win 16-13 in one of the best games in the rivalry.
Marino's selection status in the 1983 NFL Draft plummeted after a subpar senior season at Pitt, and observations that knee injuries were hampering his mobility. Five other quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Elway and less successful players Ken O'Brien, Tony Eason and Todd Blackledge, were drafted ahead of him.

Professional career

On Jan. 4, 1983, the Los Angeles Express made Marino the first draft pick in the history of the United States Football League; Marino might have signed with them had the money been right.
The defending AFC Champions Miami Dolphins chose Marino with the 27th pick in the NFL draft. After starting the season as a backup to incumbent starter David Woodley and seeing action twice off the bench to relieve an ineffective Woodley, Marino was given his first NFL start in Week 6 versus the Buffalo Bills. He posted a 96.0 passer rating- a rookie record until it was broken by Ben Roethlisberger's 98.1. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in his rookie year and became the first rookie QB to start in a Pro Bowl game.^[1] However, Marino's NFL first season 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, an injury that caused 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 streak of 145-game non-strike consecutive-games.
The following year, Marino would have one of the greatest statistical seasons in NFL history. In a year where Marino was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player, he would break six NFL season passing records including the records for most TD passes (48) in a season (since broken by Peyton Manning) and most passing yards (5,084) in a season. Miami's passing attack would propel the Dolphins to a 14-2 regular season record and secure them home field advantage in the playoffs, where they avenged their playoff loss the previous season to Seattle and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game.
In Super Bowl XIX Marino and the Dolphins met Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. The Dolphins, who had 74 rush attempts in the previous two weeks, called only 8 hand-offs, placing their chances squarely on Marino. He finished the game with 29 out of 50 pass completions for 318 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. The 38-16 loss ended up being Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.
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 (thus ensuring that the 1972 Miami Dolphins would remain the only team to go undefeated in a season) 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. New England intercepted Marino twice and recovered four fumbles en route to a 31-14 win over the Dolphins, their first win in the Miami Orange Bowl since 1966.
With Marino at the helm, the Dolphins were perennial playoff contenders, reaching the post-season in 10 of Marino's 17 seasons. In 1992 he made his final appearance in an AFC Championship Game, losing to arch-rival Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills, 29-10. Kelly's Bills knocked Marino out of the playoffs three times between 1990 and 1995.
The following year, 1993, Miami was strongly favored at the start of the year to make it back to the AFC championship game and possibly the Super Bowl. However, disaster struck Marino and the Dolphins in Cleveland. After throwing a swing pass, Marino, who was untouched on the play, crumpled to the ground in pain with a torn Achilles tendon and was out for the season. Marino would say later "I felt like I'd been shot". Complicating matters was that in Marino's absence, backup quarterback Scott Mitchell had an impressive series of starts before suffering an injury of his own. As a result, for the first time in a decade, Miami had a quarterback controversy in the media and amongst fans: keep the younger Mitchell (who was a free agent after the season) or the proven veteran Marino, who it was feared wouldn't be the same after the injury.
In the end, Miami decided to cast their lot with Marino. Mitchell signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions and as insurance, Miami signed Cleveland Browns QB Bernie Kosar. Wearing a special shoe and with a right calf that was visibly atrophied, Marino was once again the starting QB at the start of the 1994 season.
In 1994, a season where Marino's viability was very much a question mark from the outset, two of his signature games took place. The first was the opener, a home game versus the New England Patriots and their upstart quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who drew more than a few comparisons to a young Marino. It had rained heavily that day, and the baseball infield used by the Florida Marlins was muddy as a result. Despite the conditions, the two quarterbacks put up a combined 894 yards and nine touchdowns through the air, with Miami winning a 39-35 shootout. The other was the comeback win on the road against the New York Jets, a game famous for Marino's execution of a fake spike for the winning touchdown pass, a stunt known simply as "The Clock Play". Miami went 10-6 that year, winning the division and defeating the Montana-led Kansas City Chiefs at home before losing a heart breaker to the San Diego Chargers the following week. That season, Marino passed for 4435 yards and was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year.
Marino went no further than the divisional round of the playoffs through the remainder of his career. Longtime coach Don Shula resigned after the 1995 season. He was replaced by Jimmy Johnson, whose ball-control philosophy had worked to the tune of two championships with the Dallas Cowboys and who guaranteed a Super Bowl win in Miami. Johnson attempted to emphasize Miami's ground game, but in his four seasons as coach of the Dolphins he never found a running back, despite trying several players at the position.
Now more injury prone and less consistent than he had been at the peak of his abilities, Marino's decline became evident at a Thanksgiving game in 1999 versus the Cowboys. In his first game back after missing a month due to injury, Marino threw five interceptions in the Dolphins 20-0 loss. The Dolphins then proceeded to back into the playoffs by losing four out of their next five games to finish the season at 9-7.
Marino's final win was his first playoff road win and his 37th comeback win, as the Dolphins defeated the Seattle Seahawks in January 2000. In the next round, also on the road, Marino and the Dolphins were demolished 62-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Marino was replaced by backup Damon Huard in the second half, an ignominious end to a spectacular career. However, he did leave the game on a high note, leading the Dolphins on an 80-yard scoring drive and throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to receiver Oronde Gadsden with 20 seconds left in the half.
Before the 2000 season, Marino decided to retire,^[2] after declining offers from Minnesota and his hometown of Pittsburgh. When asked at his retirement press conference why he decided to retire, he responded:
:''That is a good question. Boy, I really struggled with this. This has been the toughest month of my life as far as dealing with playing football or retiring. After the season, I pretty much thought that I was not going to play anymore and I felt that way for a while and I think it was because of the physical aspects of the game. It kept coming back to how my legs felt during last season, going through the neck injury; not knowing whether I was going to be able to throw the football, and family reasons also, but Claire and the kids, they were great. They wanted me to play, be honest with you. Really, it was my decision, a family decision and a health decision.''
Marino later admitted that he seriously considered the offer from the Vikings, but that he turned it down not because of his arm, but because he wasn't sure that his legs could take another season.
During Marino's professional career (1983-1999) in Miami, he was one of the most skilled and revered quarterbacks in the game. Marino's release was incredibly quick, one of his most important weapons. His release as timed from him cocking his arm back to releasing the football was a mere 1.9-2.1 seconds the second quickest off all-time is Joe Namath at 2.6 seconds-according to Sports Illustrated's Dr. Z. Also, despite the fact that he was not known for his scrambling ability (he averaged less than 1 yard per carry on his 301 career rushing attempts), Marino possessed an uncanny awareness in the pocket, often sliding a step or two to avoid the pass rush. He was known for his ability to avoid being sacked; in fact, Marino's Dolphins gave up the fewest sacks in the NFL for each of his first eight seasons. He has the second most fourth quarter comebacks (37) in the history of the NFL, and the second most victories (147). John Elway is first in both categories.

Marino was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls (1983-87, 1991-92, 1994-95), seven times as a starter, but due to injuries he only played in two of the games (1984, 1992). He was named first- or second-team All-Pro eight times and earned All-AFC honors six times.
In 1999, Marino was ranked number 27 on ''The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, making him the highest-ranking Dolphins player.^[3]

Life after football

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On Sunday, September 17 2000, at halftime of the Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens game at Pro Player Stadium, Dan Marino’s jersey number, 13, was retired. The only other Dolphins jersey number retired at the time was Bob Griese's #12. Since then #39, Larry Csonka, has been retired as well. Marino joined the Dolphins Honor Roll the same day. In a year of accolades from the franchise he led so long and so well, the Dolphins also installed a life-size bronze statue of Marino at Pro Player Stadium (now Dolphin Stadium) and renamed Stadium Street, Dan Marino Boulevard. Marino Interview
In 2003, Marino was honored for his outstanding NCAA career at Pitt with an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In early 2004, Dan Marino briefly returned to the Miami Dolphins as Senior Vice President of Football Operations, but resigned from the newly-created position only three weeks later, saying that the role was not in the best interest of either his family or the Dolphin organization.
Marino was a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 7 2005 and was introduced by his oldest son, Daniel. During his induction speech, Dan threw "one last pass" to former teammate Mark Clayton, who was sitting in the audience (Marino had initially intended to throw the ball as far as he could, then he spotted Clayton in the audience and surprised the ex-Dolphin by instructing him to "Go Long"[1]).
Presently, Marino lives with his wife, Claire, and six (four by birth, and two by adoption) children in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He also has vacation homes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, San Francisco, California and Laramie, Wyoming
During the football season Marino is a commentator for both CBS's ''The NFL Today'' show and HBO's ''Inside the NFL''.
Marino also acted in the 1994 comedy '' alongside Jim Carrey and Courteney Cox, and made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler film ''Little Nicky'' where he asked Satan for a Super Bowl ring. He even guest-starred as himself in The Simpsons episode Sunday, Cruddy Sunday (first aired January 31 1999). Marino also had cameo roles in ''Holy Man'' and ''Bad Boys II''. He also worked as a project consultant on ''Any Given Sunday'', and some observers noticed a resemblance between him and Dennis Quaid's character, Jack Rooney.[2] In fact, Rooney's house in the film is Marino's house in real life.[3] The music world marked another appearance for Marino, when he was featured in a video by Hootie and the Blowfish.
Marino opened two restaurants in South Florida called Dan Marino's Town Tavern, with one location in Coral Springs and one on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The name changed around 2005 to Dan Marino's Fine Food and Spirits. By 2006, both original locations had closed, but, as of January, 2007, the restaurant had opened other locations in Miami, St. Petersburg, Las Vegas, NV, and Orlando. The Orlando location was closed and scheduled to re-open sometime in early 2007. [4]
Marino is currently featured in advertisement campaigns for Hooters, NutriSystem weight loss programs, Maroone car dealerships, and Papa John's. Previously, Marino endorsed Isotoner gloves and FirstPlus Mortgage who he later filed suit against [5].
In 1998, Marino co-owned a NASCAR Winston Cup racing team with driver Bill Elliott. The team's car number was #13, Marino's uniform number, and had primary sponsorship from FirstPlus Mortgage. The team failed to qualify for several races, but did post a top-5 finish at Phoenix International Raceway late in the season with Ted Musgrave driving. The team only lasted the 1998 season and closed afterwards.

Dan Marino Foundation

The Dan Marino Foundation, was established in 1992 by Marino and his wife, Claire, after their son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism.^[4] The foundation has distributed over $7 million to research, services and treatment programs serving children with neurodevelopment disabilities. The Dan Marino Center, which opened in 1995 along with the Miami Children's Hospital, is an integrated neurodevelopmental center specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children at risk for developmental and psychological problems. The center saw more than 48,000 children last year alone.
Marino has teamed with other celebrities to raise awareness about autistic spectrum disorders, including fellow NFL great Doug Flutie, whose son also has an autism diagnosis.
On November 7, 2005, the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat honored Marino's charitable works and recognized his service to South Florida with a halftime tribute, including a large donation to the Marino Foundation. Though a Heat jersey with his name and #13 was unveiled, this did not constitute retirement of his number by the Heat.⁴

NFL records set by Dan Marino

(Note: This list documents records set by Dan Marino. Some of the records have since been broken.)

★ Most Attempts, Career: '8,358'

★ Most Completions, Career: '4,967' (since broken by Brett Favre (5021) in 2006)

★ Most Yards Passing, Career: '61,361'

★ Most Touchdown Passes, Career: '420'

★ Most Passing Yards, Season: '5,084' in 1984

★ Most Touchdown Passes, Season: '48'' (since broken by Peyton Manning (49) in 2004)

★ Most Games, 400 or more Yards Passing, Career: '13'

★ Most Games, 400 or more Yards Passing, Season: '4' in 1984

★ Most Games, 300 or more Yards Passing, Career: '63'

★ Most Seasons, 3,000 or more Yards Passing: '13' (1984-92, 1994-95, 1997-98) (since broken by Brett Favre 15)

★ Most Consecutive Seasons, 3,000 or more Yards Passing: '9' (1984-92) (since broken by Brett Favre 15)

★ Most Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes, Career: '21'

★ Most Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes, Season: '6' in 1984

★ Lowest Percentage, Passes Intercepted, Rookie Season: '2.03' in 1983 (296-6)

★ Most Seasons Leading League, Attempts: '5' (1984, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1997)

★ Most Seasons Leading League, Completions: '6' (1984-86, 1988, 1992, 1997)

★ Most Seasons, 40 or more Touchdown Passes: '2' (1984, 1986)

★ 100 TD Passes in Fewest Amount of Games to Start Career: '44' (9/7/86 at San Diego)

★ 200 TD passes in Fewest Amount of Games to Start Career: '89' (9/17/89 at New England)

★ 300 TD passes in Fewest Amount of Games to Start Career: '157' (9/4/94 vs. New England)

★ Highest TD-INT differential: '+168'

NFL records tied

★ Most Seasons Leading League, Yards Gained: '5' (1984-86, 1988, 1992) with Sonny Jurgensen (Philadelphia, 1961-62; Washington, 1966-67, 1969)

★ Most Consecutive Seasons Leading League, Completions: '3' (1984-86) with George Blanda (Houston, 1963-65)

★ Most Consecutive Games, 400 or more Yards Passing: '2' (1984) with Dan Fouts (San Diego, 1982), Phil Simms (N.Y. Giants, 1985), and Billy Volek (Tennessee, 2004)

★ Most Wins against one team: '22' against the Indianapolis Colts ( Brett Favre vs. the Chicago Bears)

Additional statistics

;Regular season

★ Named NFL Most Valuable Player (1984)

★ Played 242 games, starting 240 of them

★ Career completion percentage of 59.4%

★ Career passing efficiency rating is 86.4

★ Threw 252 interceptions in his career

★ First QB in NFL history to have six 4,000-yard seasons (1984-86, 1988, 1992, 1994)

★ Only QB in NFL history to pass for 5,000 or more yards in a single season (5,084 in 1984)

★ Led 37 fourth-quarter comeback victories, second only to John Elway.

★ Holds Dolphins team record for most seasons played, 17.

★ Had 116 wins under Don Shula – the most by a head coach - quarterback combination in NFL history.

★ Won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor 18 times in the regular season (and 20 times overall, including playoffs).

★ Started 240 Regular Season Games and Held a 147-93 record as a starter (second to John Elway's NFL-best 148-82-1 regular season record)

★ For perspective, his 61,361 career passing yards is the equivalent of having passed his way across the state of Rhode Island.
;Playoffs

★ Played in 18 Playoff Games and Held an 8-10 Record in the Playoffs

★ Passed for 4,510 yards over career in playoff games^[5]

★ Threw at least one touchdown pass in sixteen of his eighteen playoff contests, throwing a touchdown pass in his first thirteen postseason contests.

Notes and references

1. Awards
2. Marino Retires
3. TSN 100 Greatest
4. Dan the Man
5. Dan Marino's page at profootballreference.com. Accessed 1 January 2007.

External links

★ DanMarino.com Official website

★ Marino Raises Awareness Of Autism Tara Murphy, ''Forbes'' (December 8 2005)

Accomplishments