Thankful

Of course, I’m thankful for my family and friends. But, this is a Miami Dolphins fan page, so this will be just a fun look at what makes me happy to be a Fins Up fan! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Thankful Dolfan

Though I was only three years old when it happened, I’m thankful that the Dolphins were perfect in 1972! The ’72 gave Dolfans the gift that keeps on giving. It has been 50 years as of this season since Miami entered Perfectville. No other team has entered as of yet. So, the population remains at one.

The Dolphins won the Super Bowl to hit 17 & 0! Miami would also win the Super Bowl the following year. They have not won one since my memories of a fan kick into my brain!

My Memories

I was born and raised in South Florida. So, I just naturally picked the Miami Dolphins to be my favorite team. Despite the lack of recent success, I’m still thankful that I root for the aqua and orange.

Like many Miami fans, I’m thankful that I got to see many seasons with the legendary Don Shula (R.I.P.) at the helm as head coach. Shula was a winner that did things the right way. He made it easy to take pride in being a fan of the Dolphins. He is the coach that led Miami to all five of their Super Bowl appearances.

My main fandom memories kick in during the “WoodStrock” era. For you younger Dolfans, that is a term used for the quarterback dual of David Woodley (R.I.P.) and Don Strock. Shula would often start Woodley but would switch to Strock if the game was not going in the right direction.

Normally, if you use the two-quarterback system it means you’re not a very good team. Yet, Shula won a lot of games using this method. It led to playoff appearances for the Miami Dolphins. I’m thankful that I got to see an epic game using this method. Yes, Miami may have lost to the San Diego Chargers in that classic playoff game after the 1981 season. But, it is the game that hooked me to Dolphins football. Miami was down 24 to 0. Strock replaced Woodley which sparked an amazing rally. The Dolphins were able to tie the game before losing in overtime. This is the game the famous “hook and ladder” play happened for Miami.

Thankful for AJ Duhe

AJ Duhe was my first favorite player. Duhe gave me a great reason to be thankful for during the 1982 AFC Championship Game. All he did was intercept Richard Todd three times including returning one for a TD! This game was also known as the “Mud Bowl”. If you watched it or have seen highlights of this game, you know why it was called the Mud Bowl. Yet, I simply call it the AJ Duhe game. Miami won the game to become AFC Champions! Miami would go on to lose the Super Bowl, but I’m still thankful that I got to see Duhe kick butt!

Marino, Duper, Clayton, and “Moore”

I’m so grateful for getting to witness Dan Marino’s entire hall of career! It was a pleasure to watch him toss the ball to Mark Duper, Mark Clayton, and Nat Moore! I’m thankful that I stayed up late as the Dolphins lost to the Raiders due to the fact that Marino entered that game in “mop-up” time to throw his first career TD pass to Joe Rose.

Marino would only make one Super Bowl appearance. He came up short in that Super Bowl. But, I’m so thankful that I got to view the greatest pure passer in history. The fact he was wearing aqua and orange during all that time is even more reason to be grateful!

Fins Up Now

There has not been a lot of great football from the Fins since the Marino era and Shula eras. Yes, there have been some great players along the way that were fun to watch. Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas jump to mind. This a good time to once again mention that Thomas should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ricky Williams also gave Dolfans lots of highlights to enjoy and be thankful for during his time with the Dolphins.

Now, to the present! I’m thankful that Miami Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel as head coach. He was the perfect choice to show the football world that Tua Tagovailoa was the right choice for Miami. The confidence level among the entire team has clearly risen since McDaniel has been at the helm.

Yes, there is still a lot of football to be played. But, you can’t help but be thankful to be a Fins Up fan at this moment. Football is fun again at the pro level in South Florida. As fans, all we can do is enjoy the upward trend of the 2022 team and enjoy the ride as the season moves forward. There is now real hope that the team is a contender and not a pretender. Only time will tell, of course, but wow the hope level is high!

I can’t close this thankful blog without mentioning the awesomeness level of the greatest fanbase. Yes, that is you! Dolfans rock!

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