The Dolphins were founded in 1966, making them the oldest professional sports team in Florida, and no team has ever risen to success the way they did. Within six years of their founding, the Dolphins went from expansion-team woes to the first and only undefeated season in NFL history, winning Super Bowl VII and VIII. This was largely thanks to Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, a man who is regarded today as one of the greatest coaches of all time. Shula created some of the best players of all time while coaching the Dolphins and finished his career with 347 victories as a coach, the most in NFL history.
Shula was known as a coach who worked his schemes around the talents of his players instead of trying to fit his players into his schemes—the traditional approach. This brought out the best in his players and helped the Dolphins to become one of the league’s best teams. Below are some of the greatest Dolphins—and greatest NFL players period—to ever step foot on a football field.
The Dolphins have over 50 years of players, so narrowing down the best 10 to ever play for the franchise was no easy feat. In creating this list, I looked at the players’ stats, impact on games, impact on the franchise, years as a Dolphin and accolades (e.g., Pro Bowls, All-Pro selections, MVP awards and Hall of Fame inductions).
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