Number 13 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Marino was the greatest, but he wasn't alone

Dan Marino was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1983, the NFL MVP in 1984 and was a nine-time Pro Bowler. / H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY, USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The countdown to the start of the 2024 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 13.

The top players at each number so far have been DE Jason Taylor at 99, DT Jared Odrick at 98, DE Phillip Merling at 97, DT Paul Soliai at 96, DT Tim Bowens at 95, DT Randy Starks at 94,  DE Trace Armstrong at 93, LS John Denney at 92, DE Cameron Wake at 91, DE/OLB Marco Coleman at 90,  WR Nat Moore at 89, TE Keith Jackson at 88, TE Andre Tillman at 87, WR Oronde Gadsden at 86, LB Nick Buoniconti at 85, DE Bill Stanfill at 84, WR Mark Clayton at 83, WR Brian Hartline at 82, WR O.J. McDuffie at 81, WR Irving Fryar at 80, T Jon Giesler at 79, T Richmond Webb at 78, LB A.J. Duhe at 77, T Branden Albert at 76, DT Manny Fernandez at 75, T Mark Dennis at 74, NT Bob Baumhower at 73, T Terron Armstead at 72, T Todd Wade at 71, DE Kendall Langford at 70, G Keith Sims at 69, G Robert Hunt at 68, G Bob Kuechenberg at 67, G Larry Little at 66, OL Jeff Dellenbach at 65, G Ed Newman at 64, G Mark Dixon at 63, C Jim Langer at 62, C Tim Ruddy at 61, G Bert Weidner at 60, LB Doug Swift at 59, LB Kim Bokamper at 58, C Dwight Stephenson at 57, LB John Offerdahl at 56, LB Earnest Rhone at 55, LB Zach Thomas at 54, LB Bob Matheson at 53, LB Channing Crowder at 52, LB Bryan Cox at 51, LB Larry Gordon at 50, CB William Judson at 49, CB Gerald Small at 48, S Glenn Blackwood at 47, S Don Bessilieu at 46, CB Curtis Johnson at 45, CB Paul Lankford at 44, LB Andrew Van Ginkel at 43, WR Paul Warfield at 42, FB. Keith Byars at 41, S Dick Anderson at 40, FB Larry Csonka at 39, CB Calvin Jackson at 38, CB J.B. Brown at 37, FB Don Nottingham at 36, DB Walt Aikens at 35, RB Ricky Williams at 34, RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar at 33, RB Kenyan Drake at 32, and S Brock Marion at 31, RB Ron Davenport at 30, CB Sam Madison at 29, CB Don McNeal at 28, CB Terrell Buckley at 27, S Jarvis Williams at 26, CB Xavien Howard at 25, RB Delvin Williams at 24, CB Patrick Surtain at 23, RB Tony Nathan at 22, RB Jim Kiick at 21, S Reshad Jones at 20, WR/KR Ted Ginn Jr., WR Rishard Matthews at 18, WR Jaylen Waddle at 17, QB David Woodley at 16, WR Davone Bess at 15, and WR Jarvis Landry at 14.

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.

Players who wore 13 for at least one regular season game:

S Jake Scott (1970-74), QB Dan Marino (1983-99)

The breakdown of 13 with the Dolphins

Yeah, no debate here. And it's not as though Jake Scott wasn't a great player because he actually was pretty close to awesome. Wanting to leave the University of Georgia early but not eligible for the NFL draft, Scott went to the CFL in 1969 before the Dolphins took him in the seventh round of the '70 draft. In six seasons, he made the Pro Bowl five times and twice was an All-Pro. He averaged exactly six interceptions in his six seasons in Miami and was a terrific punt returner on top of everything else. But there is only one Dan Marino. There's a reason his jersey number is retired, and he simply is the best player in franchise history. He was selected to the Pro Bowl each of his first 10 NFL seasons, owned every major passing record when he retired in March 2000 and took his rightful place in the Hall of Fame five years later.

The top three Dolphins players with number 13

1. QB Dan Marino

2. S Jake Scott

Dolphins 13's among the NFL's all-time best

There are eight Hall of Famers who wore 13, including Ken Riley, Don Maynard and Kurt Warner, but there is little debate here that Marino belongs at the very top for that number. And, for good measure, you could make a strong case for Scott belonging in the top 10 as well.