October 31, 2026
October 31, 2026
Dan Marino: The Man, Part 2
The second half of Dan Marino’s storied career in the National Football League saw the successful quarterback set more records for other quarterbacks to aim for. Although he slowed down somewhat because of shortened seasons, Marino remained one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game.
In 1991, Marino started all 16 regular-season games and went 8-8, completing 318 of 549 pass attempts for 3,970 yards and 25 touchdowns, with a 57.9 completion percentage and only 13 interceptions. In 1992, Marino again started 16 games and went 11-5, completing 330 of 554 pass attempts for 4,116 yards and 24 touchdowns, with a 59.6 completion percentage and 16 interceptions.
The 1993 season was a brief one for Marino, as he started only 5 games because of a torn Achilles tendon. He went 4-1, completing 91 of 150 pass attempts for 1,218 yards and 8 touchdowns, with a 60.7 completion percentage.
Marino bounced back in 1994, starting 16 games and going 10-6. He completed 385 of 615 pass attempts for 4,453 yards and 30 touchdowns, with a 62.6 completion percentage and 17 interceptions. In 1995, Marino started 14 games and went 9-5, completing 309 of 482 pass attempts for 3,668 yards and 24 touchdowns, with a 64.1 completion percentage and 15 interceptions. In 1996, he started 13 games and went 7-6, completing 221 of 373 pass attempts for 2,795 yards and 17 touchdowns, with a 59.2 completion percentage and just 9 interceptions.
In 1997, Marino started all 16 games and went 9-7, completing 319 of 548 pass attempts for 3,780 yards and 16 touchdowns, with a 58.2 completion percentage and just 11 interceptions. In 1998, he started 16 games and went 10-6, completing 310 of 537 pass attempts for 3,497 yards and 23 touchdowns, with a 57.7 completion percentage and 15 interceptions.
The 1999 season would be Marino’s last in the NFL. Starting 11 games, he went 5-6, completing 204 of 369 pass attempts for 2,448 yards and 12 touchdowns, with a 55.3 completion percentage and 17 interceptions. His full year-by-year numbers are available on his Pro Football Reference page.
Before the start of the 2000 NFL season, Dan Marino announced his retirement from football. He said his main reason for leaving was the health of his legs and the uncertainty over whether they could handle another season.
By the time he retired, Marino’s legacy was cemented by the records he set at the quarterback position, despite never winning a Super Bowl. Many Dan Marino records have since been broken, but the list of marks he once owned shows just how dominant he was.
Marino once held the record for most career games with 300 or more passing yards, with 63. Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos passed this mark in 2012 with 72. In the playoffs, Marino had the most games with 400 or more passing yards, with 2, but Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints surpassed him in the 2012 playoffs with 3. However, Dan Marino still claims the top spot for the most career games with at least 400 passing yards, with 17.
Marino also once had the most seasons with at least 3,000 passing yards, with 13, accomplishing the feat from 1984 to 1992, in 1994 and 1995, and again in 1997 and 1998. Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers passed this mark in 2005.
Marino held the record for most career completions with 4,967, a mark passed by Favre in 2007 and Manning in 2012. His 8,358 career pass attempts were also the most in NFL history until Favre eclipsed that total in 2007.
Marino once reached 40,000 career passing yards in the fewest games, 153, but Brees bettered that with 152 in 2011. Marino also reached 50,000 career passing yards in the fewest games, 193, until Manning in 2009. He also held the record for most career passing yards with 61,361, but Favre passed that total in 2007.
Marino held the record for most career touchdown passes with 420, a mark since passed by Favre in 2007 and Manning in 2012. His consistency in finding the end zone was one of the great highlights of his career, as he once had the most games with at least 3 touchdown passes, with 62. Favre in 2007 and Manning in 2010 overtook that record.
Legendary Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula was the one who eagerly wanted to draft Dan Marino in the 1983 NFL Draft, and that decision rewarded him and the Miami Dolphins organization greatly. Shula served as the Dolphins’ head coach from 1970 until 1995, and together he and Marino shared the record for most wins by a head coach and quarterback duo, with 116. In 2011, head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots broke that record.
Of all the teams Dan Marino defeated during his career, none had it harder than the Indianapolis Colts, as Marino once held the record for most wins against a single opponent, with 24 against them. That record was passed in 2007 by Brett Favre, who defeated the Detroit Lions more times. Marino also held the record for most stadiums with a win by a quarterback, with 31 different stadiums, a mark Favre bested in 2008.
Despite never winning a Super Bowl, Marino had a knack for winning games, especially when his team was trailing late. He has the most career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, including the playoffs, with 51. Peyton Manning tied this record in 2013.
Several Dan Marino records still stand today. He holds the career records for most seasons leading the NFL in pass attempts, with 5 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1992 and 1997), and for most seasons leading the NFL in completions, with 6 (1984 to 1986, 1988, 1992 and 1997). Marino also holds plenty of Monday Night Football records, including passing yards with 9,654, completions with 798, pass attempts with 1,303, touchdown passes with 74, and wins with 20.
Dan Marino’s 17 years in the NFL, which later earned him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, serve as a reminder of the old saying that “records are meant to be broken.” The Dan Marino records that have fallen paved the way for other talented quarterbacks to match and eclipse the marks he once set.
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