Number 50 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

1970s mainstay Larry Gordon and 2010s defensive end Olivier Vernon stand out

Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon (50) waits for the snap against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2013. / Timothy T. Ludwig-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 50.

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, and Bryan Cox at 51.

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 50 for at least one regular season game:

LB Frank Emanuel (1966-69), LB Dick Palmer (1970), LB Bruce Elia (1975), LB Larry Gordon (1976-82), LB Jackie Shipp (1984-88), LB Greg Storr (1987), LB Dave Ahrens (1989), LB Louis Cooper (1991), LB Dwight Hollier (1992-99), LB Michael Hamilton (2000), LB Brendon Ayanbadejo (2003-04), LB Nick Rogers (2005), LB Edmond Miles (2007), LB Erik Walden (2008-09), LB Bobby Carpenter (2010), DE Olivier Vernon (2012-15), DE Andre Branch (2016-18); LS Blake Ferguson (2020); LB Calvin Munson (2021-23), LB Chase Winovich (2023)

The breakdown of 50 with the Dolphins

Larry Gordon started 98 of 100 games he played for the Dolphins after being a first-round pick in 1976 and was a productive player even though he never made the Pro Bowl. He tragically died shortly before the start of training camp in 1983 when he collapsed while jogging in the desert outside Phoenix. Dwight Hollier started 54 of 122 games in eight seasons with the Dolphins; his best season came in 1993 when he had 94 tackles. Olivier Vernon averaged 8.5 sacks in his three seasons as a starter after being a third-round pick out of the University of Miami in 2012 before signing a huge free agent contract with the New York Giants. His career high for sacks was 11.5, which he did in 2014. Andre Branch was a solid contributor to the Dolphins' playoff run in 2016 when he finished with 5.5 sacks and started 11 games, but injuries began taking their toll and his NFL career ended after he left the Dolphins after the 2018 season. Jackie Shipp started 44 games for the Dolphins in five seasons, but overall was a disappointing first-round pick. Blake Ferguson wore 50 as a rookie in 2020 before switching to 44 for two seasons and again to 48 this year.

The top three Dolphins players with number 50

1. LB Larry Gordon

2. DE Olivier Vernon

3. LB Dwight Hollier

Dolphins 50's among the NFL's all-time best

The Dolphins don't have a player among all-timers at number 50. There are three Hall of Famers with this number, though the one who clearly stands out is longtime Bears linebacker Mike Singletary.