Number 10 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 10 days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

Jasen Vinlove-USA Today Sports

The countdown to the start of the 2022 regular season has begun now that we're under 100 days away, so we'll honor every day the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Dolphins.

Today, we're at number 10.

As a reminder about the ground rules, the top three will be determined only by what the players did while wearing that uniform for the Dolphins.

The top players at each number so far have been:

99. DE/LB Jason Taylor; 98. DL Jared Odrick; 97. DT Jordan Phillips; 96. DT Paul Soliai; 95. DT Tim Bowens; 94. DT Randy Starks; 93. DE Trace Armstrong; 92. LS John Denney; 91. DE/LB Cameron Wake; 90. DE/LB Marco Coleman

89. WR Nat Moore; 88. TE Keith Jackson; 87. TE Andre Tillman; 86. WR Oronde Gadsden; 85. LB Nick Buoniconti; 84. DE Bill Stanfill; 83. WR Mark Clayton; 82. WR Brian Hartline; 81. WR O.J. McDuffie; 80. WR Irving Fryar

79. T Jon Giesler; 78. T Richmond Webb; 77. DE/LB A.J. Duhe; 76. T Branden Albert; 75. DT Manny Fernandez; 74. T Mark Dennis; 73. DT Bob Baumhower; 72. DT Bob Heinz; 71. T Todd Wade; 70. DE Kendall Langford

69. G Keith Sims; 68. T Eric Laakso; 67. G/T Bob Kuechenberg; 66. G Larry Little; 65. OL Jeff Dellenbach; 64. G Ed Newman; 63. G/T Mark Dixon; 62. C Jim Langer; 61. C Tim Ruddy; 60. G Bert Weidner

59. LB Doug Swift; 58. DE-LB Kim Bokamper; 57. C Dwight Stephenson; 56. LB John Offerdahl; 55. Earnie Rhone; 54. Zach Thomas; 53. LB Bob Matheson; 52. LB Channing Crowder; 51. LB Bryan Cox; 50. LB Larry Gordon

49. CB William Judson; 48. CB Gerald Small; 47. S Glenn Blackwood; 46. S Don Bessillieu; 45. CB Curtis Johnson; 44. CB Paul Lankford; 43. S Bud Brown; 42. WR Paul Warfield; 41. FB Keith Byars; 40. S Dick Anderson

39. FB Larry Csonka; 38. DB Calvin Jackson; 37. CB J.B. Brown; 36. FB Don Nottingham; 35. DB Walt Aikens; 34. RB Ricky Williams; 33. RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar; 32. RB Kenyan Drake; 31. S Brock Marion; 30. RB Bernie Parmalee

29. CB Sam Madison; 28. CB Don McNeal; 27. CB Terrell Buckley; 26. S Jarvis Williams; 25. CB Xavien Howard; 24. RB Delvin Williams; 23. Patrick Surtain; 22. RB Tony Nathan; 21. RB Jim Kiick; 20. S Reshad Jones

19. WR-KR Ted Ginn Jr.; 18. WR Rishard Matthews; 17. QB Ryan Tannehill; 16. QB David Woodley; 15. QB Earl Morrall; 14. WR Jarvis Landry; 13. QB Dan Marino; 12. QB Bob Griese; 11. WR-RB-TE Jim Jensen

Players who wore 10 for at least one regular season game:

QB George Wilson Jr. (1966), QB George Mira (1971), QB Don Strock (1974-87), K Pete Stoyanovich (1989-95), K Olindo Mare (1997-2006), QB Trent Green (2007), QB Chad Pennington (2008-10), WR Clyde Gates (2011), WR Jabar Gaffney (2012), WR Brandon Gibson (2013-14), WR Kenny Stills (2015-18), WR Malcolm Perry (2020)

The breakdown of 10 with the Dolphins

As we get to number 10, we've got 12 players in contention, though five of them clearly stand out.

• Don Strock spent 14 of his 15-year NFL career with the Dolphins and played 163 games with 20 starts. He had an impressive 14-6 record as a starter and went 5-2 in 1978 to help Miami make the playoffs, but it's his brilliant performance in the 1981 playoff epic against San Diego that always will be remembered.

• Pete Stoyanovich was an eighth-round pick in 1989 who spent the first seven of his 12-year career in Miami. He was an All-Pro in 1992 when he made 30 of 37 field goals and ended up making 79.3 percent of his field goal attempts for the Dolphins.

• Olindo Mare had an even longer stay in Miami than Stoyanovich, and he made 80.9 percent of his field goals. Mare was an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 1999 when he set a team record and led the NFL with 39 field goals and 46 attempts.

• Chad Pennington had one of the best individual seasons for a Dolphins player after he arrived in 2008 when he completed an NFL-high 67.4 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Unfortunately, injuries became the story after that. He was knocked out with a shoulder injury in the third game of the 2009 season and suffered the same fate in his only appearance in 2010 after the Dolphins decided to go with Chad Henne as their starter.

• Kenny Stills arrived in a trade with New Orleans and went on to start 55 of his 63 games with Miami. In four seasons, he averaged 41 catches, with a high of 58 for 847 yards and six touchdowns in 2017. The previous year, he played a role in the Dolphins making the playoffs when he had a career-high nine touchdown receptions. Stills is headed into his second season with the Houston Texans after being included in a huge deal involving tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Worth noting: 

George Wilson Jr. started seven games for his father in the Dolphins' first season, the most of any quarterback, and went 2-5 while completing only 41.1 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. ... George Mira was a former University of Miami standout who joined the Dolphins in 1971 after playing 54 games for the 49ers and Eagles. His son, George Mira Jr., followed him at UM. ... Trent Green's only season in Miami ended after five games when he was sidelined by a concussion. ... Clyde Gates was a fourth-round pick who was gone after one season after catching two passes in 15 games. ... Jabar Gaffney closed out his 11-year NFL career with three games with Miami in 2012, during which he caught four passes.

The top three Dolphins players with number 10

1. K Olindo Mare

2. QB Don Strock

3. WR Kenny Stills

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.