The improbable winning streak of the 1972 Miami Dolphins is among the 10 mind-blowing Dolphins stats compiled by the NFL.com research team. Playing in the shadow of a Hall of Famer is tough –- especially when that shadow remains more than a decade later. When you’re Ryan Tannehill, you have two shadows in your midst. Tannehill, Dan Marino and Bob Griese are the only quarterbacks the Dolphins have drafted in the first round in franchise history. Marino and Griese each took the team to Super Bowls, were named to multiple All Pro first teams and have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No pressure, Ryan. http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap1000000213453
That was in the NFL. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the AFL in the first round of the 1966 draft.
I didn't write the article just posted it for enjoyment. I thought it was cool. Since the article was about the NFL I am assuming the writer omitted the draft of the AFL in 1966, which is when Miami drafted him.
If the writer omitted it for that reason then he's an idiot and likely did it because it made his point better to just forget Norton ever existed.
Changed my opinion so I am editing my post. The article is correct since the writer included players drafted by the NFL. Since the 1 rst official NFL draft wasn't conducted until 1967, and Rick Norton was drafted by Cleveland in 1966 Miami's 1966 AFL draft is not recognized by the NFL. Norton's stats from 1966 are also excluded since he played briefly in 1966 for Miami. The article is correct
That way of thinking would be correct but that's not how he says it. He said, "Tannehill, Dan Marino and Bob Griese are the only quarterbacks the Dolphins have drafted in the first round in franchise history." The Dolphins Franchise started by drafting Norton.
They also drafted Jim Grabowski, who was also drafted by and signed with the Packers. Just thinking, if he'd signed with Miami, maybe they don't draft Csonka 2 years later.
That's fair. Our first draft. Pretty cool to go back and look who they took and then wiki them. Just to read who all the "players" back then were. Players as in owners and GM's. Al Davis guys like that. From what I read it seems as if the AFL was going to overtake the NFL and so the secret meetings occured and the two merged. Very cool history
I honestly had no idea who this mysterious fourth quarterback was. I need to beef up my knowledge of the early Dolphin years.
It was the first pick the dolphins made. Some people are arrogant and act as if they are football Godz. When convenient and it fits their agenda they twist the facts. They were in the Afl. The NFL was the big league at the time. Cleveland also drafted him from the NFL. He played for both teams. Not very good, did better in Cleveland then in Miami. It was all about market share. Because the NFL doesn't recognize the first drafts of the AFL as far as the NFL statistics is concerned he didn't play for Miami in the NFL.
The first pick the Dolphins made was Jim Grabowski, who was also drafted by and signed with the Packers. Norton was the 2nd pick.
