Bama in the NFL: Miami Dolphins Leading Linemen were both Crimson

Dwight Stephenson and Bob Baumhower set a high bar up front with both the the Crimson Tide and Dolphins.

Although the Miami Dolphins have had four high-profile first-round draft selections out of the Alabama Crimson Tide over the years, from Don McNeal to Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle of the Nick Saban era, the two players who have had the biggest impact with the franchise so far were a pair of lineman, both second-round picks near the end of the Paul "Bear" Bryant era.

It seems sort of fitting considering the franchise's history with the Crimson Tide coaches, being turned down by Bryant and Saban leaving South Florida to return to the college game in Tuscaloosa.  

The first, of course, was center Dwight Stephenson, who went from playing mostly special teams at first with the Dolphins to being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It wasn’t until Mark Dennard was injured during the 11th game of the 1981 regular season that he stepped in and played in 107 straight games, including 80 consecutive games until the 1987 players’ strike ended the streak. He earned both All-Pro and All-AFC recognition five straight years from 1983 to 1987, and was named the AFC or NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year in various major polls four times.

“Dwight Stephenson was the best center I ever coached,” Bryant said. “He was a man among children.”

Although a knee injury would cut his career short, Stephenson was selected for five straight Pro Bowl games, the first four as a starter (injuries prevented him from playing in the 1987 and 1988 games). He also started in Super Bowls XVII and XIX, and the 1982, 1984 and 1985 AFC Championship games.

In addition to his intensity and explosive charge off the snap, Stephenson was also known for his uncanny speed and ability to quickly make powerful blocks after hiking the ball. He was the Dolphins’ offensive captain while anchoring the line in front of quarterback Dan Marino, which allowed the fewest quarterback sacks in the National Football League for six straight years.

“Dwight Stephenson was a bear,” former Dolphins defensive lineman Bob Baumhower, who also played for Alabama, once said. “He was the toughest guy I ever played against, and that made it so much easier for me on game day.”

Baumhower, the first Crimson Tide player the Dolphins ever drafted with the 40th-overall selection in 1977, helped formed the core of the “Killer Bees” defense.

The Dolphins’ defense led the National Football League in 1982, when Miami reached Super Bowl XVII, but Baumhower’s knees didn’t last much longer as he retired after the 1986 season. His professional accomplishments included being named to the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll and five Pro Bowls. 

Bama in the NFL: Miami Dolphins

The Franchise

American Football Conference

East Division 

Team Colors: Aqua, Orange and White

Founded: 1966

Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium (capacity: 64,992)

Playing Surface: Grass 

Training Camp: Baptist Health Training Complex, Miami Gardens

All-Time Alabama Players

1. Bob Baumhower, DT, 1977 - 1986
2. Anthony Bryant, DT, 2007
3. Joe Carter, RB, 1984 - 1986
4. Jackie Cline, DE, 1987, 1988 - 1989
5. Lester Cotton Sr., OG, 2022
6. Raekwon Davis, DT, 2020 - 2022
7. Kenyan Drake, RB, 2016 - 2019
8. Shawn Draper, OG, 2001
9. Alonzo Ephraim, C, 2005
10. Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, 2018 - 2019
11. Kerry Goode, RB, 1989
12. Bobby Humphrey, RB, 1992 - 1993
13. E.J. Junior, LB, 1989 - 1991
14. Barry Krauss, LB, 1989
15. Evan Mathis, OG, 2008
16. Don McNeal, DB, 1980 - 1982, 1984 - 1989
17. Tony Nathan, RB, 1979 - 1987
18. Billy Neighbors, OG, 1966 - 1969
19. Jimmy Nelson, B, 1946
20. Mitch Olenski, T, 1946
21. Derrick Pope, LB, 2004 - 2007
22. Justin Smiley ,OG ,2008 - 2009
23. Anthony Steen, OG, 2016 - 2017
24. Dwight Stephenson, C, 1980 - 1987
25. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, 2020 - 2022
26. George Teague, DB, 1997
27. Van Tiffin, PK, 1987
28. Jaylen Waddle, WR, 2021 - 2022

Crimson Tide Players Drafted

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick	Overall
1977	Bob Baumhower	DT	2	12	40
1979	Tony Nathan	RB	3	5	61
1980	Don McNeal	CB	1	21	21
1980	Dwight Stephenson	C	2	20	48
1984	Joe Carter	RB	4	25	163
1986	Brent Sowell	DT	6	25	163
2001	Shawn Draper	OT	5	25	156
2004	Derrick Pope	LB	7	21	222
2016	Kenyan Drake	RB	3	10	73
2018	Minkah Fitzpatrick	S	1	11	11
2020	Tua Tagovailoa	QB	1	5	5
2020	Raekwon Davis	DT	2	24	56
2021	Jaylen Waddle	WR	1	6	6

Super Bowl Appearances

Bob Baumhower, Don McNeal, Tony Nathan and Dwight Stephenson were all on the Dolphins and started for both Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, with Joe Carter in the mix for the latter:

Super Bowl XVII (Jan. 30, 1983)

The Dolphins scored all of their points in the first half before Washington took over en route to the 27-17 victory. Baumhower had eight tackles, McNeal made two, and Nathan ran for 26 yards on seven carries. 

Super Bowl XIX (Jan. 20, 1985)

Joe Montana was too much for the Dolphins, en route to the 38-16 victory. Nathan had five carries for 18 yards, while Baumhower and McNeal were both credited with two tackles. 

Manny Rubio / USA Today Sports

Major Awards/Honors

All-Pro 

Dwight Stephenson (4): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

Bob Baumhower (1): 1983

Tony Nathan (1): 1979

Pro Bowl 

Bob Baumhower (5): 1979, 1981, 1982. 1983, 1984

Dwight Stephenson (5): 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

NFL Man of the Year

Dwight Stephenson, 1986

Pro Football Hall of Fame 

Dwight Stephenson

Miami Dolphins Honor Roll

Bob Baumhower

Dwight Stephenson

Other Dwight Stephenson Honors 

• NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
• Dolphins Walk of Fame (2011)

In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the 20th story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.

AFC

• Baltimore Ravens
• Buffalo Bills
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Denver Broncos
• Houston Texans
• Indianapolis Colts
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers

NFC

• Arizona Cardinals
• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears
• Dallas Cowboys
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Los Angeles Rams

See Also

Bama in the NFL: The Ultimate Crimson Tide Database
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team