Now that’s more like it! The NFL has been rolling out the red carpet to honor legends of the game in celebration of their 100th season of football — but yet a historic team in the Miami Dolphins has seen their best of the best shut out of the selection process. Until now, that is. Finally, the Miami Dolphins have a representative on the NFL’s roster of the all-time greats: Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson has been added to the roster as the league’s celebration creeps towards the final reveals.
Stephenson’s greatness is unquestioned — although one can’t help but wonder what his career would have eventually gone on to look like had he not suffered a devastating knee injury at the hands of the New York Jets on a meaningless hit behind the play.
That injury prompted Stephenson’s premature retirement in 1987, just seven seasons after he was made a 2nd-round selection by the Dolphins.
With more longevity, Stephenson’s mark on the Dolphins and mark on the game of football may have been even more profound — yet despite a relatively short playing career Stephenson’s legend has been cemented and he’s still considered one of the consensus top centers in NFL history. His play is something the Dolphins could sure use a little more of these days as they struggle to find consistent protection for their quarterback.
In the 68 games overlapped by Stephenson and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino from 1983 to 1987 with Miami, Marino was sacked a grand total of 65 times. It seems Miami gives up that many per season these days — but that’s a testament to how good Miami’s line was with Stephenson as the anchor.
