Number 32 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Would "Miami Miracle" alone earn Kenyan Drake the top spot at his number?

Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake (32) heads for the walk-off touchdown against the New England Patriots in the "Miami Miracle" at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory in 2018. / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

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 32.

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, and RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar.

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 32 for at least one regular season game:

RB Joe Auer (1966-67), RB Hubert Ginn (1970-73), RB Benny Malone (1974-78), RB Tom Vigorito (1981-85), DB Donald Brown (1986), RB Pete Roth (1987), RB Garrett Limbrick (1990), CB Bruce Alexander (1992-93), RB Aaron Craver (1994), RB Cleveland Gary (1994), RB Jerris McPhail (1996-97), RB J.J. Johnson (1999-2001), RB Charlie Rogers (2003), FB Jamar Martin (2004), DB Jason Allen (2006-10), CB Nate Ness (2010), CB Nate Jones (2011), CB Jonathan Wade (2011), DB Michael Coe (2012), CB Dimitri Patterson (2012-13), RB Orleans Darkwa (2014), S Jordan Kovacs (2015), RB Kenyan Drake (2016-19), CB Linden Stephens (2019), CB Ken Crawley (2019), RB Patrick Laird (2020-21), S Verone McKinley III

The breakdown of 32 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins have had an awful lot of players wear number 32 and several who made clear contributions, so it's tough to pick out a top three. Joe Auer, who played at nearby Coral Gables High, is forever etched in Dolphins history for returning the team's first-ever opening kickoff for a touchdown and he also was the organization's first team MVP. Benny Malone was a second-round pick in 1974 and he started 23 of the 57 games he played for Miami. He had 797 rushing yards with four touchdowns in 1976, followed by 615 rushing yards and five TDs in 1977. Tom Vigorito started two of the 35 games he played after being a fifth-round pick in 1981, but he had two punt returns for touchdowns. Jason Allen was the Dolphins' first-round pick in 2006, but he was a backup for most of his four-plus seasons in Miami and split time between safety and cornerback. Kenyan Drake had an up-and-down three-plus seasons in Miami, but he certainly provided some memorable highlights, none bigger than his touchdown in the "Miracle in Miami" victory against New England in 2018. He also had a game-winning kickoff return for a touchdown against the Jets in 2016 that played a big role in the team's drive to the playoffs. Drake, who recently announced his retirement from the NFL, had seasons with 644 and 535 rushing yards and averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per carry with the Dolphins. Ginn had three different stints with the Dolphins after being a ninth-round pick in 1970 and getting traded twice. He wore 32 in his first stint. He didn't start one game in his 90-game NFL career. J.J. Johnson was the Dolphins' top pick in the 1999 draft as a second-round choice, but he produced only 748 rushing yards and a 3.4 average in three seasons before he was traded to Cleveland.

The top three Dolphins players with number 32

1. RB Kenyan Drake

2. RB Benny Malone

3. RB Joe Auer

Dolphins 32's among the NFL's all-time best

This has been a number that has produced a lot of Hall of Fame running backs, including Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, Jim Brown, Edgerrin James and O.J. Simpson, so no Dolphins player among the top 20 here.