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.
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 1999. In the next round on the road, Marino and the Dolphins rolled over and died in a 62-7 loss to the
Jacksonville Jaguars . Marino decided to retire with that season, after being subtly pushed out of Miami by new coach
Dave Wannstedt , and declining offers from
Minnesota and his hometown of
Pittsburgh .
During his professional career (1983-1999) in Miami he was one of the most skilled and revered quarterbacks in the game. He was known for having the quickest release in the sport, throwing dead-on 'bullets', and completing the most miraculous passes; often between defenders. Also, despite the fact that he was not known for his scrambling ability, Marino possessed an uncanny awareness in the pocket, often sliding a step or two to avoid the pass rush. He has the second most fourth quarter comebacks (37) in the history of the NFL, and second most victories (147,
John Elway is first in both categories). He was the
1994 NFL Comeback Player Of The Year after having a
Pro Bowl season when he returned from a season ending
Achilles Tendon injury at Cleveland in 1993. He 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).
- Most Attempts, Career: 8,358
- Most Completions, Career: 4,967
- Most Yards Passing, Career: 61,361
- Most Touchdown Passes, Career: 420
- Most Passing Yards, Season: 5,084 in 1984
- 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: 60
- Most Seasons, 3,000 or more Yards Passing: 13 (1984-92, 1994-95, 1997-98)
- Most Consecutive Seasons, 3,000 or more Yards Passing: 9 (1984-92)
- Most Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes, Career: 21
- Most Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes, Season: 6 in 1984
- Most Consecutive Games, Four or more Touchdown Passes: 4 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)
- Most Seasons, 20 or more Touchdown Passes: 13 (1983-92, 1994-95, 1998)
- Most Consecutive Seasons, 20 or more Touchdown Passes: 10 (1983-92)
- 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)
- 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) and Phil Simms (N.Y. Giants, 1985)
- Most Seasons, 4000 or more Yards Passing: (1984-86, 1988, 1992, 1994) with Peyton Manning ( Indianapolis , 1999-2004)
- 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 )
- Played in 18 Playoff Games and Held an 8-10 Record in the Playoffs
- One of only six quarterbacks in NFL history that have achieved two consecutive (back-to-back) 30-touchdown passing seasons at least one time in their careers (the others are Steve Bartkowski , Brett Favre , Dan Fouts , Jeff Garcia , and Y. A. Tittle ).
- Passed for 4,510 yards over career in playoff games
- Threw at least one touchdown pass in 16 of his 18 playoff contests, throwing a TD pass in his first 13 postseason contests.
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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 12,
Bob Griese . 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.
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.
Dan 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.
Presently, he lives with his wife, Claire, and six (four by birth, and two by adoption) children in
Weston, Florida .
During the football season he is a commentator for both
CBS 's ''
The NFL Today '' show and
HBO 's ''Inside the NFL''.
He also acted in the alongside
Jim Carrey and
Courteney Cox , as well as made a cameo appearance in the
Adam Sandler film
Little Nicky where he asks
Satan for a
Super Bowl Ring . He even guest-starred as himself in
The Simpsons episode
"Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" (first aired January 31, 1999). The music world marked another appearance for Marino, when he featured in a video by
Hootie And The Blowfish .
The Dan Marino Foundation, was established in 1992 by Marino and his wife, Claire, after their son, Michael, was diagnosed with
Autism . 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.
{Link without Title}
On
January 24 ,
2006 ,
ESPN Classic aired "
The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... Dan Marino for never winning a
Super Bowl ." These are the reasons why #13 should not be made the
Scapegoat for never winning the big one:
- 5. Replacing the Marks Brothers. Marino never had a true playmaker after the departures of Mark Clayton and Mark Duper .
- 4. The Dolphins' defense. It constantly ranked in the lower half of the NFL during Marino's tenure.
- 3. Jimmy Johnson . After building the Dallas Cowboys dynasty, Johnson became the Dolphins' new coach upon the retirement of the legendary Don Shula . He vowed to run the ball more, but in so doing, also alienated Marino.
- 2. The Buffalo Bills . In Marino's last 13 NFL seasons, the Bills won 21 out of 30 contests against the Dolphins. They were more balanced offensively than Miami, with running back Thurman Thomas posing their biggest threat.
- 1. The Dolphins let Marino down. Shula relied exclusively on Marino and his arm in the Miami offensive game plan. During Marino's career, the Dolphins drafted 25 running backs, of whom only Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushed for 1,000-plus yards (1,116 in 1996 ). This lack of a running game had also prevented John Elway from winning a Super Bowl until Terrell Davis 's arrival in Denver . Miami had passed up on both Davis and Thurman Thomas in the NFL Draft . They also passed up on Herschel Walker , Bo Jackson , Emmitt Smith (who won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys) and Curtis Martin .
One of the most storied pieces of Marino folklore is
The Clock Play, a classic piece of misdirection. The date was
Aaron Glenn . Stitch on the extra point kick, and the result was 28-24 in favour of the Dolphins.
