Eighty six days. That is all that stands between you and the next regular season contest of the Miami Dolphins. And to mark the occasion, today we celebrate one of the cult heroes of the late 1990s editions of the Miami Dolphins — wide receiver Oronde Gadsden, who wore number “86”.
Gadsden’s journey in the NFL was a fascinating one — he went undrafted out of Winston-Salem State in 1995 as a 6-foot-2, 215 pound receiver before signing with the Dallas Cowboys. Gadsden served on the practice squad that year until getting promoted for the NFC Championship Game. He sprained his ankle and was put on injured reserve before the Super Bowl, which Dallas won.
Gadsden spent the next three years in Pittsburgh with the Steelers, the Frankfurt Galaxy and the Portland Forest Demons of the Arena Football League before the Dolphins finally gave him a shot.
All Gadsden did in his first four seasons in South Florida was catch 207 passes for 2,976 yards and 22 touchdowns. But it wasn’t just that he caught passes — it was HOW he caught passes. Gadsden has a laundry list of incredible catches — undoubtedly some of the best we’ve seen in life after Dan Marino.
Gadsden’s hands were the original one-hand cheat code — and his highlights should be cherished until the Dolphins adequately find someone capable of making us forget them. It’s been nearly 20 years and they haven’t had any luck yet.
