October 31, 2026
October 31, 2026
Dan Marino: The Man, Part 1
Dan Marino is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game of football. A member of the same 1983 NFL Draft class as John Elway, who was taken with the No. 1 overall pick, Marino began his path to NFL success in an unusual way. He had to wait until the No. 27 pick, when he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, the only team he would play for in his storied 17-year career.
In his rookie season in 1983, Marino played in 11 games and started nine of them, completing 173 of 296 pass attempts for 2,210 yards with a 58.4 completion percentage, 20 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Marino quickly got acquainted with the NFL record books, posting the lowest interception percentage in a rookie season at 2.03. That mark wasn’t surpassed until the 1998 rookie season of Detroit Lions quarterback Charlie Batch, who recorded a 1.98 interception percentage. Marino went 7-2 as a starter in his rookie campaign.
Some of the most enduring Dan Marino records came in 1984, which would prove to be the most productive year of his career in terms of winning on the football field.
Marino led the Miami Dolphins to the only Super Bowl appearance of his career, Super Bowl XIX. Starting 16 games, Marino went 14-2, completing 362 of 564 pass attempts for 5,084 yards with a 64.2 completion percentage and 17 interceptions. That year, Marino had the most games with at least 300 passing yards with nine, a mark that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees surpassed in 2011 with 13. Marino’s total of 5,084 yards was also passed by the 5,476 yards Brees threw for in 2011.
The 48 touchdown passes Marino threw in 1984 were eclipsed by Peyton Manning’s 49 with the Indianapolis Colts in 2004, and later by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who threw 50 in 2007. Manning finally retook the lead for the most touchdown passes in a single season with 55 in 2013 with the Denver Broncos. In 1984, Marino also had the most games with at least 400 passing yards with four, a mark Manning tied in 2013. Marino added the record for most consecutive games with at least four touchdown passes at four, a mark Manning tied in 2004.
Starting all 16 games in 1985, Marino went 12-4, completing 336 of 567 pass attempts for 4,137 yards and 30 touchdowns with a 59.3 completion percentage and 21 interceptions. Starting all 16 games again in 1986, he went 8-8, completing 378 of 623 pass attempts for 4,746 yards and 44 touchdowns with a 60.7 completion percentage and 23 interceptions. From 1984 to 1986, Marino tied Houston Oilers quarterback George Blanda (1963-1965) for the most seasons leading the NFL in completions with three. In 1984 and 1986, Marino had the most consecutive games passing for at least 400 yards.
On September 7, 1986, in a game against the San Diego Chargers, Marino became the quarterback to reach 100 career touchdown passes in the fewest games, doing so in 44.
The late 1980s added more Dan Marino records to the books, even as the Dolphins’ win totals rose and fell. His full season-by-season numbers are available at Pro-Football-Reference.
In 1987, Marino started 12 games and went 7-5, completing 263 of 494 pass attempts for 3,245 yards and 26 touchdowns while throwing only 13 interceptions. In 1988, Marino started 16 games but struggled, going 6-10. He completed 354 of 606 pass attempts for 4,434 yards and 28 touchdowns with a 58.4 completion percentage and 23 interceptions. From 1983 to 1988, Marino held the record for the most consecutive home games with a touchdown pass with 39 straight, a mark Tom Brady surpassed in 2013.
Starting 16 games in 1989, Marino went 8-8, completing 308 of 550 pass attempts for 3,997 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 56.0 completion percentage and 22 interceptions. He also reached 200 career touchdown passes in the fewest games, needing just 89, and hit the milestone in a game against the New England Patriots on September 17, 1989.
Statistically, 1990 was a turning point in Marino’s career. He started 16 games and went 12-4, completing 306 of 531 pass attempts for 3,563 yards and 21 touchdowns with a 57.6 completion percentage and just 11 interceptions. On November 25, in a game against the Cleveland Browns, Marino became the quarterback to reach 30,000 career passing yards in the fewest games, needing just 114. Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals matched that milestone on October 18, 2009.
The back half of Dan Marino’s career remained as steady as the front half. He kept throwing the ball with poise in the pocket and set more records that would be difficult for others even to match. Many of the feats other quarterbacks chased were standards set by the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who called Miami home, an athlete considered to be “The Man” in South Beach for the Miami Dolphins.
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