Number 40 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Super Bowl safety Dick Anderson clearly stands out, but does current number-holder Nik Needham belong in the top three?

Miami Dolphins safety Dick Anderson in action during the 1973 season at the Orange Bowl. / Tony Tomsic-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 40.

The top players at each number so far have been Jason Taylor at 99, Jared Odrick at 98, Phillip Merling at 97, Paul Soliai at 96, Tim Bowens at 95, Randy Starks at 94,  Trace Armstrong at 93, John Denney at 92, Cameron Wake at 91, Marco Coleman at 90,  Nat Moore at 89, Keith Jackson at 88, Andre Tillman at 87, Oronde Gadsden at 86, Nick Buoniconti at 85, Bill Stanfill at 84, Mark Clayton at 83, Brian Hartline at 82, O.J. McDuffie at 81, Irving Fryar at 80, Jon Giesler at 79, Richmond Webb at 78, A.J. Duhe at 77, Branden Albert at 76, Manny Fernandez at 75, Mark Dennis at 74, Bob Baumhower at 73, Terron Armstead at 72, Todd Wade at 71, Kendall Langford at 70, Keith Sims at 69, Robert Hunt at 68, Bob Kuechenberg at 67, Larry Little at 66, Jeff Dellenbach at 65, Ed Newman at 64, Mark Dixon at 63, Jim Langer at 62, Tim Ruddy at 61, Bert Weidner at 60, Doug Swift at 59, Kim Bokamper at 58, Dwight Stephenson at 57, John Offerdahl at 56, Earnest Rhone at 55, Zach Thomas at 54, Bob Matheson at 53, Channing Crowder at 52, Bryan Cox at 51, Larry Gordon at 50, William Judson at 49, Gerald Small at 48, Glenn Blackwood at 47, Don Bessilieu at 46, Curtis Johnson at 45, Paul Lankford at 44, Andrew Van Ginkel at 43, Paul Warfield at 42, and Keith Byars at 41.

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 40 for at least one regular season game:

WR Bo Roberson (1966), S Dick Anderson (1968-77), S Mike Kozlowski (1981-86), CB John Swain (1987), RB Irving Spikes (1994-96), Ray Green (2001-02), Sean McDermott (2003), S Donovin Darius (2007), S Jonathon Amaya (2010), Charles Alexander (2011), Anderson Russell (2012), FB Tyler Clutts (2013), CB Lowell Rose (2014). CB Lafayette Pitts (2016), CB Nik Needham (2019-23)

The breakdown of 40 with the Dolphins

There's not much debate at number 40, with safety Dick Anderson a clear-cut choice at the top and Mike Kozlowski, Irving Spikes and Nik Needham the others in the conversation. Anderson joined the Dolphins in 1968 as a third-round pick out of Colorado and was an immediate hit, recording eight interceptions with an AFL-best 230 interception return yards as a rookie in 1968. Anderson had eight picks again in 1970 and 1973 and in that '73 season he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He had perhaps the greatest regular season defensive performance in a Monday night game against Pittsburgh in 1973 when he had four picks, including two he returned for touchdowns. Kozlowski was mostly a backup in his seven seasons with the Dolphins, the last six coming when he was wearing 40 after first donning the number 37. Kozlowski tied Anderson't team record of two interception returns for touchdowns in a game when he did it against the Jets in 1983. Spikes made the team as a rookie free agent in 1994 and rushed for 312 yards in his first season and 316 yards in his third before he switched to 35 in his final NFL season in 1997. Nik Needham has become a regular contributor after first making the team in 2019 as an undrafted free agent.

The top three Dolphins players with number 40

1. S Dick Anderson

2. S Mike Kozlowski

3. Nik Needham

Dolphins 40's among the NFL's all-time best

There are four Hall of Famers associated with the number 40, with the best of the group probably being running back Gale Sayers. As a two-time All-Pro, Anderson probably deserves a spot in the top 10 among the 40's.