74 Facts About Dan Marino

1.

Dan Marino held or currently holds dozens of NFL records associated with the quarterback position, and despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized among the greatest quarterbacks in American football history.

2.

Best remembered for his quick release and powerful arm, Dan Marino helped the Dolphins become consistent postseason contenders, leading them to the playoffs ten times and one Super Bowl appearance in XIX, although a title victory ultimately eluded him during his career.

3.

Dan Marino is considered by many to be one of the greatest players to never win a Super Bowl and has the most career victories of quarterbacks not to win a title at 155.

4.

Dan Marino was voted the 1994 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and the 1998 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year.

5.

At the time of his retirement, Dan Marino held more than 40 NFL single-season and career passing records, including career passing attempts, completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes.

6.

Dan Marino was the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 5,000 yards passing in a season ; 50,000 and 60,000 career passing yards respectively, and the first quarterback to reach 40-plus touchdown passes in a season, and 400 career touchdown passes.

7.

Dan Marino was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in his first year of eligibility, and is currently one of only three former Miami Dolphins to have his jersey number retired.

8.

In 2019, Dan Marino was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team as one of the 10 greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, as determined by a panel of coaches and media members.

9.

Dan Marino was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is of Italian and Polish ancestry.

10.

Dan Marino is the oldest child of Daniel and Veronica Marino, and has two younger sisters, Cindi and Debbie.

11.

Dan Marino grew up on Parkview Avenue in the South Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and attended St Regis Catholic Elementary School.

12.

Dan Marino attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where he started in baseball, and won Parade All-American honors in football.

13.

Dan Marino was drafted in the 4th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 1979 amateur draft, but decided to play college football instead.

14.

Dan Marino attended the University of Pittsburgh, and played for the university's Pittsburgh Panthers football team from 1979 to 1982.

15.

Pitt's 1980 Dan Marino-led team finished No 2 in the season-ending rankings.

16.

Dan Marino was part of an elite team during those two years that included two other future NFL Hall of Fame players: Defensive lineman Rickey Jackson and center Russ Grimm, as well as future Pro Bowl linebacker Hugh Green and future Pro Bowl guard Mark May In 1980, Pitt added future NFL players Bill Maas, Dwight Collins, and Tim Lewis, while their offensive line got a third future Pro Bowl player: tackle Jimbo Covert.

17.

Dan Marino later cited this as the most memorable pass he'd thrown in his college career.

18.

Dan Marino finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1982, after finishing fourth the previous year.

19.

Dan Marino finished his four college seasons with 8,597 passing yards and 79 touchdowns, with 69 interceptions.

20.

Dan Marino did not expect to be available for the team to draft, so he never spoke to head coach Don Shula or anyone else from the Dolphins before the coach called after the selection.

21.

Opinion was divided on the wisdom of the team's decision; Chris Berman said that Shula was "the best", but Paul Zimmerman was skeptical of the coaching staff's ability to help Dan Marino "overcome the problems he's had".

22.

Shula later said that being passed up by so many teams "motivated [Dan Marino] to show everybody else what a mistake that they had made".

23.

Dan Marino was the first draft pick in the history of the United States Football League, selected by the Los Angeles Express.

24.

Dan Marino did not sign with the team, choosing instead to sign with the Dolphins.

25.

In that game, Dan Marino set AFC Championship Game records with 421 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, despite throwing his last pass of the game with 11:07 still remaining on the clock.

26.

Dan Marino finished with 29 completions out of 50 attempts for 318 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions.

27.

In 1985, Dan Marino threw for 4,137 yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Dolphins to the AFC Championship game.

28.

Dan Marino again led the league in completions, yards and touchdown passes and was named first-team All-Pro in 1985.

29.

Dan Marino accomplished that feat in just 44 games- the fastest in NFL history.

30.

In that 1986 season Dan Marino threw for 4,746 yards and 44 touchdowns.

31.

Dan Marino became the first QB in NFL history to record three consecutive seasons of 30 or more touchdown passes; 48 in 1984,30 in 1985 and 44 in 1986.

32.

Dan Marino again led the league in completions, yards and touchdown passes and was named 1986 first-team All-Pro.

33.

In 1988, Dan Marino threw for 4,434 yards and 28 touchdowns.

34.

In 1992, Dan Marino again led the Dolphins to the AFC Championship game while passing for 4,116 and 24 touchdowns.

35.

Dan Marino's 4,116 passing yards led the entire NFL and marked the fifth time in his NFL career that he led the league in passing yards.

36.

However, after throwing a swing pass at a game in Cleveland, Dan Marino, who was untouched on the play, crumpled to the ground in pain with a torn Achilles tendon and was out for the season.

37.

Later in the season, Dan Marino led a comeback win on the road against the New York Jets, a game famous for Dan Marino's execution of a fake spike for the winning touchdown pass, a play known as "The Clock Play".

38.

Dan Marino started in 14 out of 16 games in the 1995 season.

39.

Dan Marino suffered a hip injury in week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts and was replaced by Bernie Kosar in the following two games.

40.

On November 10,1996, against Indianapolis, Dan Marino became the first QB in NFL History to throw for 50,000 career passing yards.

41.

On November 29,1998, against New Orleans, Dan Marino threw for three TD's.

42.

Dan Marino was replaced by backup Damon Huard after playing one series in the second half.

43.

Dan 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 was not sure that his legs could take another season.

44.

Dan Marino appreciated the fact that unlike many of his contemporaries, he got to play his entire career with one team.

45.

Dan Marino was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls, seven times as a starter, but due to injuries he only played in two of the games.

46.

Dan Marino was named first- or second-team All-Pro eight times and earned All-AFC honors six times.

47.

Dan Marino won all three major individual awards: NFL MVP ; NFL Comeback Player of the Year ; and NFL Man of the Year, which recognizes charitable work off the field.

48.

In 1999, Dan Marino was ranked 27th on The Sporting News list of the 100 greatest football players, making him the highest-ranking Dolphins player.

49.

Dan Marino was known for his quick release, and despite the fact that he was not skilled at scrambling, Dan Marino possessed an preternatural awareness in the pocket, often sliding a step or two to avoid the pass rush.

50.

Dan Marino is the winningest quarterback without a Super Bowl victory.

51.

In 2003, Dan Marino was honored for his outstanding NCAA career at Pitt with an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

52.

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.

53.

Dan Marino was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005, one of only four Dolphins to be elected in their first year of eligibility.

54.

Dan Marino was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 7,2005, and was introduced by his oldest son, Daniel.

55.

Dan Marino was an analyst for CBS's Sunday pregame show The NFL Today, from 2002 to 2013.

56.

Dan Marino was formerly a studio analyst on HBO's Inside the NFL, from 2002 to 2007.

57.

Current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has revealed that Dan Marino regularly attends Dolphins quarterback meetings to give his opinion and input on how to be a better quarterback.

58.

In 1997, Dan Marino became involved in a marketing role with Team Cheever of the Indy Racing League through FirstPlus Mortgage, the sponsor of the car.

59.

In 1998, Dan Marino co-owned a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing team with driver Bill Elliott, creating Elliott-Dan Marino Motorsports.

60.

The Dan Marino Foundation was established in 1992 by Marino and his wife, Claire, after their son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism.

61.

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.

62.

Dan Marino has teamed with other celebrities to raise awareness about autistic spectrum disorders, including fellow NFL quarterback Doug Flutie, whose son has an autism diagnosis.

63.

On March 23,2010, The Dan Marino Foundation held its first "Walk about Autism".

64.

Dan Marino acted in the 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective alongside Jim Carrey and Courteney Cox where he played himself.

65.

Dan Marino made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler film Little Nicky wherein he asked Satan for a Super Bowl ring.

66.

Dan Marino had cameo roles in Holy Man and Bad Boys II.

67.

Dan Marino worked as a project consultant on Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday, and some observers noticed a resemblance between him and Dennis Quaid's character, Jack Rooney.

68.

Dan Marino is currently featured in advertisement campaigns for Hooters, NutriSystem weight loss programs, Maroone, Papa John's, Nutrasource.

69.

Previously, Dan Marino endorsed Isotoner gloves and FirstPlus Mortgage against whom he later filed suit due to contracts related to his racing team.

70.

In 1985, Marino married Claire D Veazey was born on c 1962 and of Mt.

71.

Dan Marino was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in broadcast journalism by his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, in 2005.

72.

Dan Marino delivered the commencement speech at the university's 2008 graduation ceremony.

73.

In January 2013, Dan Marino admitted to fathering a child with CBS employee Donna Savattere in 2005, a fact he only shared with his wife.

74.

Dan Marino previously paid Savattere several million dollars to keep the news of their daughter from the public.