Dan Marino

Dan Marino awed American football fans in 1984 by burning down passing records, throwing for 317 yards a game for the Miami Dolphins and signaling the advent of one of the most prolific quarterback careers the National Football League would ever see. Marino continued the long line of talent to emerge from blue-collar Pennsylvania and became a four-year starter and All-American at the University of Pittsburgh. Drafted by Miami in 1983, he became a starter mid-season and made his first Pro Bowl at season's end. Few could anticipate his sophomore campaign, however, as he led a high-powered Dolphins passing attack and became the first NFL quarterback to top 5,000 passing yards in a season on the way to his only Super Bowl appearance. Though he would never win the big bowl, he would keep the Dolphins a playoff team through much of his 17-year career, even as he rewrote NFL records in nearly every passing category. He retired in 2000 but went on to a high-profile career as a football analyst for HBO and CBS. One of the NFL's great clutch performers ¬- a record holder with 36 4th quarter comeback victories - Marino remained one of the most potent and efficient offensive weapons in the history of the game.