One of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time never to win a championship is Dan Marino. This Dolphin was a great passer that has many passing records. Too bad he never had a great defense to go along with his stellar offensive line and wide receivers. From the 1980′s and 90′s he lit up defenses with huge yardage games and the dozens of touchdowns to go with it. No one wanted to see a Dan Marino jersey anytime soon.
His college career at Pittsburgh ended on a low note as he was hurt some of his senior year. Five other QB’s were taken ahead of him in the draft including Elway and Kelly. This did not stop him from making an immediate impact though. A first time ballot Hall of Fame inductee, Marino had many records when he retired. He had most passing yards in a year and most 400 yard passing games which still hold up today. Many of his other records were passed by Brett Favre, but that does not diminish anything Dan Marino did in his jersey.
Many think he would have won a championship if he would have moved around to another team, but he loved Miami. While they never had a really good running game or defense, his teams were still good, just not good enough to win the big one. The only Super Bowl he played in ended in a defeat. He would make it back to the playoffs again but never advance to the big game. Some say he would have gone down as one of the greatest if he had just won a ring. He is still great though, but the dream of any QB is to win it all.
Off the field Dan started his own foundation with his wife to help kids. He is very generous and donates to many causes. Some may recognize him from the television stints he has done and the announcing he still does for the NFL.
I have always been a fan of Marino, since I watched him play live a lot, and rank him as my second favorite QB behind Elway.
