Number 33 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

1990s rookie sensation highlights nondescript group at this number

Miami Dolphins running back Karim Abdul-Jabbar (33) in action against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in 1997. / Peter Brouillet-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 33.

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, and RB Ricky Williams at 34.

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 33 for at least one regular season game:

FB Billy Joe (1966), RB Hubert Ginn (1974), RB Stan Winfrey (1975-77), DB Billy Cesare (1980), RB Bo Mattthews (1981), RB Rich Diana (1982), RB Craig Ellis (1986), RB Ronald Scott (1987), RB Sammie Smith (1989-91), RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar (1996-99), FB Deon Dyer (2000-02), RB Vick King (2004), DB Jereme Perry (2007), CB Nate Jones (2008-09), RB Daniel Thomas (2011-13), CB Brandian Ross (2014), RB LaMike James (2014-15), CB Torry McTyer (2017), RB Kalen Ballage (2018), CB Jamal Perry (2019-21), CB Eli Apple (2023)

The breakdown of 33 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins haven't have as much success with the number 33 as they have with 34, but Karim Abdul-Jabbar stands as the clear top choice here. As a rookie third-round pick, Abdul-Jabbar rushed for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1996, ending the team's 17-year drought without a 1,000-yard rusher. He followed that with 892 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 1997 and 960 yards and six touchdowns in 1998 before he was traded to Cleveland during the 1999 season. Stan Winfrey was a second-round pick in the 1975 draft, but he didn't start any of the 28 games he played for the Dolphins in two-plus seasons. He had 205 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 1976. Sammie Smith's tenure in Miami was disappointing considering he was the ninth overall pick in the 1989 draft, but he did rush for 831 yards and eight touchdowns in 1990. Deon Dyer was a fourth-round pick in 2000 who played 45 games with one start mostly as a lead blocker and special teams player. Cornerback Nate Jones played two seasons for the Dolphins and started six games, and he was a contributor to the 2008 AFC East title run as he recorded three sacks and one interception while contributing on special teams. He then started five games in 2009. Daniel Thomas was a second-round pick in 2011, but he also didn't pan out. He rushed for 1,480 yards in four seasons, but started only three games, had only 13 touchdowns and never averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry.

The top three Dolphins players with number 33

1. RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar

2. CB Nate Jones

3. FB Deon Dyer

Dolphins 33's among the NFL's all-time best

Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett is the clear standout here, and the Dolphins wouldn't have anyone ranking in the top 20.