What made you a Dolphins fan? Were you raised in a family that are fans? Is it because of your location? Do you personally know the players?
Back in the 80's the Pats sucked, and were never on TV. Miami and the Bills usually where on instead, I just enjoyed watching a young quaterback named Dan Marino throw the football around the way he did back then, and it stuck. My old man is a Giants fan, and doesnt like football as much as baseaball, so he didnt care. When it came to baseball, yeah it was either I was a Yankee fan or I was beaten and starved until I was....
Lived in South Florida (west palm) my entire life, but my whole family are die-hards. Ill never forget being a little runt, sitting in between my dad and uncle, reacting based on what they were doing. If they cheered I cheered. If they yelled, i yelled, if they cussed, i cussed......my dad would get stuff from my mom for it, but he (like me now) couldnt control it. We live, we eat, we sleep, we breathe the Miami Dolphins. I am a bigger fan then my dad now, and i am hoping my son (named zachary thomas) will be bigger than me (although thatll be tough)
In 1972 my mother bought me two sweatshirts for winter. One was the Dolphins and the other was the Redskins. I watched the Superbowl and after the Dolphin win, I have been a fan ever since.
Being a kid in Miami when the team first came into existence, when they were narrowing down the name for the team and finally deciding on DOLPHINS, going to the very first game ever and watching Joe Auer take the kickoff to the house, going to every home game in those formative years on a bus, and sitting in the Orange Bowl endzone for a buck, watching Flipper do his thing down at the other end, the anticipation when Shula was hired, the metamorphosis of our team into a Superbowl champion, watching the Dolphins as the elite team in the league, later on watching all the great plays Marino and company made. I could go on and on, but once you've experienced those things, you're a true fan for life, for better or for worse.
Growing up in Coral Gables. First game I can remember watching is Super Bowl VIII, right after we left Florida and moved to Gaithersburg MD. As fellow old people may remember, the Dolphins drove for touchdowns on their first two possessions. Little did I know it would never be that good again...
My father grew up in Miami. Also went to Florida Memorial College. He was a Dolphins fan so naturally I became on too. Same way with the Hurricanes.
I guess it was location for me. None of my family are big into football except my step dad but I was a Dolphins fan before he came into the picture. I was originally a Jags fan simply because I loved the logo as a kid. But as time went on and living in West Palm I ended up watching the Dolphins every week and becoming a fan.
Doctor says it is brain damage suffered in a tragic BMX accident involving a bale of hay, a duck, and 4 riders
Coming up on the West Coast of Florida the Bucs were a lot of people's favorite team, and at one time they had several great players like Lee Roy Selmon and Kevin House, they used to send a organizational rep around to schools every spring with free bucs stuff but it just never took root. Mainly because *cough* *cough* *wheeze* back in them days we didn't have no fancy NFLN or Cable, we had two channels, a NBC and an ABC, the bucs played on CBS, Dolphins on NBC..don't laugh but I can recall asking buddies one Sunday why the dolphins game was not on "it is on cable"...
I was born and raised in West Palm Beach until the age of 13, my father who is from Maine was a huge Dolphin fan. So my influence was location and influence from my father. I remember him bring me to the Orange Bowl back in 1970 and I have been hooked since then. I have lived in Maine since 1976 and believe it or not they are a good amount of Dolphin fans up here. When my father passed away almost a year ago we had a Miami Dolphin theme funeral. He was cremated with his favorite dolphin hat and blanket. Even the flowers were aqua and orange.
Larry Csonka of course.... That ugly *** mug of Bill Stanfill's on that football card I had as a kid helped a lot too.
I don't know, good question. I was a big fan right off the bat, but if they never won after many years, who knows? But thats really not the nature of sports, usually what goes around, comes around. Sometimes, even though its hard, you just have to keep the faith.
Growing up in a small logging town in the Oregon Cascades, it was just natural to develop a liking for the team that's geographically the farthest away.
PJ's, underwear, hats and shirts were delivered to me on birthdays as a young lad growing up in upstate new york by my grandfather who lived in ft lauderdale.
You're from upstate NY? Speaks well for you sir. When I was in the USAF I met more really good honest people from upstate NY than any other region of the country. Boonville, Gloversville, Herkimer, Jasper, Addison, et al. I met more weirdos and oddballs from all over Florida than any other region when I think about it.
My father and uncle, the uncle was more of a father than my dad, used to get together every Sunday for NFL football when I was a kid. They would pick 5 games and bet $1 on each of those games. My dad's five always included the Bucs game (we lived in the Tampa bay area when I was younger) and my Uncle always included the Broncos game. Needless to say, my Uncle was a Broncos fan and my dad was a Bucs fan. (This was back when the Bucs made it to the NFC Championship...1979) I still can't forget the songs on the radio, "Hey...Hey...Tampa Bay....The Bucs know how to shine!" They would then tack any $1 bills they won on a wall. They would keep these up all season to rub it in each others face. Anyhow, I wanted to be like my Uncle and root for a different team than my dad. I chose the Dolphins and never looked back.
I can tell you something and after you can all say "cool story bro," but it meant alot to me as a little kid. When I was like 6 and the Phins came into the league, I saw the helmet on TV and immediately liked them. Back then, there was no internet or NFL shop, so the only thing you ever saw up here were Giants and Jets merchandise. In 1970 when I was 9 years old, my Dad went on a business trip to Florida. I woke up the morning after he came home to find a full size replica Dolphins helmet on the dresser next to my bed. At that time, with the lack of seeing ANY Phins related gear, I was blown completely away. I wore that effin' thing for a week. I still have it. Thanks dad...
1st game I ever watched was the 1971 christmas game that went too double overtime, fins vs chiefs after the fins won they just stuck with me, even thou I lived in ohio about 60 miles from pittsburgh, I had no interest in the steelers and my friends couldn't figure me out for liking a team that was so far away. So it been 40 years and counting and I'm not going anywhere until I kick the bucket.
I could have written this myself. I didn't go to a game until the 1st home game of the 1967 season, when Bob Grise debuted against the Denver Broncos. But when we moved to Westchester area of Miami in June of 1971, and lived next door to a (now dead) salesman at Sheehan Buick, and he used to get us old man Sheehan's tickets 3 or 4 times a year (chairback seats that were on the 45 yard line on the north side of the OB) and that just got you hooked. 81,000 people packed into the Orange Bowl, most of them waving the white hankies after TD's and great plays (much as the Pittsburgh people wave those towels now, we did it 1st!!!!!), it was magical and really just stuck with you when you are 11 or 12 years old. I got to see the 52-0 schilacking of New England in 1972, and I got to see Manny Fernandez literally rip the ball out of the Kemp's hands (yes the guy that ran for President) and set up an easy TD to win the game 24-23 in 1972 to keep the unbeaten season alive. How could one not develop a deep, deep passion for the team. We got season tickets from 1978-1986 and I saw every game in person during that time, and saw the great 1984 record season for Dan Marino. I saw in person the day that AJ Duhe got three INTs including a run back for a TD in the AFC Championship, all during a driving COLD rain (it was about 55º that day). I was there for the San Diego "Greatest Game Ever" playoff game where the Dolphins got behind 24-0 before then end of the 1st quarter, only to actually take a lead late in the 4th qtr 37-34 on an Andra Franklin 2 yard punch in, only to lose the game after our kicker misses two easy FG's and lose in a 2nd OT in the longest game in NFL history. That is why I am a Miami Dolphins fan, and will remain one til I die. I LOATHE the team the way it is now, but I cannot help but root for them on game day. Its being called a fan, b*tching about them during the week, but feeling all that passion on gameday. Sorry some here don't get that people can be like that.
To the age of 14 I lived in the beautiful city of Utica, recently voted worst city in america, lol...Sh##hole of a town really, rough neighborhood brother, but the majority of the population was Italian, my peeps..got out of there, moved to west palm, dolphin heaven.
I heard Utica is beautiful at this time of year Ive driven through there and dude, saying its pretty ghetto fabulous is an understatement. I grew up 15 minutes from Hofstra (out on Long Island) where the Jets used to practice. One summer I was working in the day camp over there...I think I wore a Dolphins jersey every day just to tick off their fans and coaches. Man, the things my campers heard come out of their mouths got the director so ticked he asked me to stop wearing Dolphins jerseys and chewed out a handful of their fans.
Home of the best pizza I ever had though, and I've had them all, lived in new york city as well, and Italy...Joes pizza..still there, still the best.
I was there at that SD game, It probably would have matched the SB wins if they'd won, it was such an incredible game. So we are Dolphin fans forever. I sorely would love another SB win before riding off to the sunset, but we had glory as Dolphin fans that few other teams fans have had. Try not to be down on the current team, they have a better chance to become really good than any team for quite a number of years. All it takes is getting in the playoffs and having a nice run. If Henne does develop we could have that chance. If not, we will get a top QB in the next couple of years, and then our chances will be decent too. Hope is a lot more enjoyable than despair.
Moved to Miami right after graduation. Joe Willie wasn't playing any more, Weeb Ewbank had retired, Boozer and Snell and Sauer and Maynard were gone, Johnny Sample wrote his exposé, John Riggins was traded and people like Rich Sowells were playing corner. Surrendered to the inevitable and never looked back.
