Dan Marino
After 17 years in the NFL from 1983-1999 and all the records behind him, Dan Marino was inducted into this year’s 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Dan will join many of the best in the Hall of Fame though we knew this day was coming for him.
Second CYInterview Conducted July 21, 2005
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Chris Yandek: Has Don Shula said anything to you about the Hall of Fame induction yet and will he be there with you?
Dan Marino: “He’ll be there. He’s in the Hall of Fame. I’m real excited, you know, about Coach Shula being there. He said he would be there and be a part of the whole weekend. He was such a big part of my career and so many things that have happened to me and experiences. When you have played 13 years for a coach and you spend, it’s not just Sundays at one o’clock four hours playing the game. You are at meetings together and you’re, you know, spending time off the field and on the field and in different situation. So, he’s been a big part of my life and big part of my career. He’s been a close friend and I am gonna be happy that he’s there.”
CY: Where do you think you will be remembered with the other Miami Dolphins who are already in the Hall of Fame?
DM: “Well, I just wanted to be remembered as a Miami Dolphin in the Hall of Fame. Just like the other Miami Dolphins that are in the Hall of Fame.”
CY: How does it feel to go into the NFL Hall of Fame with Steve Young another quarterback who was in the NFL much of his career during your time?
DM: “Well, I am happy for Steve. It’s an incredible honor for anyone who gets inducted. I look at Steve’s career, and I am proud to go into the 2005 class with him. He’s a guy that’s won a Super Bowl. You look at Steve and he had some adversity early in his career and to be able to come back and worked the way he has and has won many games. He’s been an incredible player for a long time. It’s an honor being inducted with whoever is in there especially Steve since he is a friend.”
CY: How do you think the Miami Dolphins will do this 2005-2006 NFL season since Ricky Williams will be back on the team in some aspect?
DM: “I think they will do pretty well. It’s a new coach and everyone is excited about him. I don’t even know if Ricky Williams is coming back.”
CY: He will report to training camp on Sunday.
DM: “Well, that’s good information. I think they have a good chance to do a lot better than they did last year. It’s going to be an exciting time because it’s a new coach. I am a fan. I want them to do well.”
DM: Finally, besides your sports analyst positions with the NFL Today on CBS and HBO’s Inside the NFL, is there anything we can expect you to be involved with in the future football wise?
DM: “Right now that’s probably all I am thinking about. I enjoy the jobs. You never know what life brings. Right now I am kind of having fun at what I am doing.”
First CYInterview Conducted December 8, 2004
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For two decades Dan Marino held the record the most touchdown passes in a regular season since 1984. Today 20 years later Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is going to pass Dan Marino for most touchdown passes in a single season. Dan Marino below talks about
CY: There is always a saying that goes records are meant to be broken. You got the 48 touchdown passes in 1984 and the record held up for two decades. Do you feel at least for those 20 years there was no better quarterback who could throw a touchdown pass than Dan Marino?
DM: “I appreciate you saying that. I felt like I could say that I was one of the best players during my era of playing, sure, but there were a lot of other great players, guys that are in the Hall of Fame right now. Guys like John Elway and Joe Montana, who were friends of mine during those 20 years when I held this record that were great, great players. Those are guys that I admire. I appreciate you saying that.”
CY: Is there any one memorable touchdown pass that sticks at in your mind through your career with the Miami Dolphins?
DM: “You know, well, I threw a bunch, so it’s tough to pick one. I guess for me, the year when we broke the record or we set the record, 48 touchdowns. The important thing that year was that we won and we got to the Super Bowl. But I still go back and I think a game that was important to me was getting there, playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Orange Bowl when I think I threw three or four touchdowns in that game. When you throw touchdowns that are meaningful like that, it puts you in a position for your ultimate goal, winning a Super Bowl. That is the stuff you remember.”
CY: In what ways as a quarterback do you feel that you and Peyton Manning are alike?
DM: “Peyton Manning is a student of the game. He’s a star, but he’s a great, great player. I felt like I was able to control a game with the people that we had offensively, kind of dictate what we wanted to do, and you can see that in Peyton, that’s what he does. He goes to the line of scrimmage, he puts in a play, and he’s done that, and he’s got weapons to do that. I think in that manner, that’s something I always put pride in is having our team run an offense, I’ve always thought I was pretty good at running a no huddle, a two-minute drill, and that’s something he’s excellent at as far as similarities. Every quarterback you look at, no matter if it’s John Elway or Joe Montana or Brett Favre or myself or Peyton Manning, everybody has their own style. What you love about him is he gets it done as smooth as anybody ever has for sure.”
CY: Finally, have you had an opportunity to talk to Don Shula who was there for all your records about what he thought about Peyton Manning passing on of your records?
DM: “I saw Coach Shula about a month and a half ago. I played in a golf tournament with him. He didn’t really bring up Peyton Manning at all.”