Number 43 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Did Andrew Van Ginkel surpass all others with his number before he left via free agency?

Miami Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (43) celebrates a sack against the Dallas Cowboys at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens last December. / Jim Rassol / USA TODAY NETWORK

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 43.

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, and Paul Lankford at 44.

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 43 for at least one regular season game:

DB Bob Neff (1966-68), DB Mike Howell (1972), WR Mike Holmes (1976), DB Jeff Allen (1980), DB Ricky Ray (1981), RB Larry Cowan (1982), S Bud Brown (1984-88), RB Terry Kirby (1993-94), S Scott McGarrahan (2002), RB Brock Forsey (2004, S Jack Hunt (2006), LB Andrew Van Ginkel (2019-23)

The breakdown of 43 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins haven't had many players wear the number 43, so it's difficult to come up with a top three. Bob Neff was a defensive back who also returned punts and kickoffs during his time in Miami. His best season came in 1967 when he started 10 games on defense and had an interception and two fumble recoveries. He had kickoff returns of 90 yards in 1966 and 95 yards in 1968, though he didn't score on either play. Safety Bud Brown is the one who the had the longest tenure, with a five-year stint after he arrived as an 11th-round draft pick out of Southern Miss. One of the members of the Killer's B defense, though its best days were prior to his arrival, Brown started 43 games for the Dolphins, including during the 1985 season, which ended with an AFC Championship Game loss against New England. Brown had five career interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, including five in that 1985 season. Running back Terry Kirby came as a third-round pick out of Virginia, where he had set a school career rushing record (since broken). While he never developed into an elite ball carrier in the NFL, Kirby was a productive receiver out of the backfield from the start, setting a Dolphins rookie record (since broken) with 75 receptions. He had 66 catches in 1995 after playing only four games in 1994 because of injuries, though he wore 42 during that 1995 season. Kirby started 16 games for the Dolphins and went on to play seven more years in the NFL. Andrew Van Ginkel did a lot of good work after arriving as a fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft in his five seasons before he left this offseason to join the Minnesota Vikings. Van Ginkel had 42 starts, 17 sacks and three touchdowns for the Dolphins.

The top three Dolphins players with number 43

1. LB Andrew Van Ginkel

2. S Bud Brown

3. RB Terry Kirby

Dolphins 43's among the NFL's all-time best

Troy Polamalu and Cliff Harris are the two Hall of Famers who wore mostly 43. While he's been a good player, Van Ginkel still has some work to do to break the top 20 at his number.