Number 36 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Fullbacks lead the way for number that hasn't been worn in a few years

Miami Dolphins fullback Lousaka Polite carries the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the 2009 regular season opener. / Dale Zanine-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 36.

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, and CB J.B. Brown at 37.

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 36 for at least one regular season game:

TE Preston Carpenter (1967), FB Don Nottingham (1973-76), RB Steve Howell (1979-81), FB Tom Brown (1979-81), CB Stephen Braggs (1992-93), FB Stanley Pritchett (1996-99), FB Darian Barnes (2005-06), FB Lousaka Polite (2008-10), S Tyrone Culver (2010), DB Don Jones (2013), T.J. Heath (2014), CB Tony Lippett (2015-17), CB Jalen Davis (2018), S Doug Middleton (2019), S Adrian Colbert (2019), S Nate Holley (2020), S Will Parks (2021)

The breakdown of 36 with the Dolphins

As was the case with 37, we have three players whose contributions were similar, and in this case all were fullbacks. Don Nottingham was acquired from the Baltimore Colts in a trade in 1973 and he scored 20 rushing touchdowns the next two years. Nottingham, who played 67 games with 25 starts for Miami, had his best season in 1975 when he rushed for 719 yards and 12 touchdowns. Stanley Pritchett was a fourth-round pick in 1996 who played 52 games with 40 starts in four seasons with the Dolphins. Pritchett had seasons of 33 and 43 catches, and scored on a 74-yard touchdown reception in his third NFL game. Polite joined the Dolphins after playing four seasons with the Cowboys and Bears, and started 24 of the 43 games he played for Miami. Polite was mostly a lead blocker, but he also contribute as a short-yardage runner. Lippett was a 2015 fifth-round pick who started 13 games in his second NFL season and led the Dolphins in interceptions with four, including two in a victory at San Diego.

The top three Dolphins players with number 36

1. FB Don Nottingham

2. FB Stanley Pritchett

3. FB Lousaka Polite

Dolphins 36's among the NFL's all-time best

Again, the Dolphins didn't have an all-timer at this number, with the biggest names to wear it including LeRoy Butler and Jerome Bettis.