Number 58 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

A member of the Killer B's gets the top spot, but it's a tough call for the next two and what about recent center Connor Williams?

Kim Bokamper (58) on the sideline during a game against the New York Jets at the Orange Bowl in 1982. / Manny Rubio-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 58.

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, and Doug Swift at 59.

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 58 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

C Tom Goode (1966-69), LB Dale Farley (1971), LB Bruce Bannon (1973-74), DE-LB Kim Bokamper (1977-85), LB Rick Graf (1987), LB Ilia Jarostchuk (1988), LB Chris Gaines (1988), Tony Furjanic (1988), LB Barry Krauss (1989), LB Mark Sander (1992), LB Jesse Solomon (1994), LB Antonio Armstrong (1995), LB O.J. Brigance (1996), LB Scott Galyon (2000-02), LB Eddie Moore (2004-05), LB Kelvin Smith (2007), LB William Kershaw (2008-09), LB Karlos Dansby (2010-12), DT Marvin Austin (2013), LB Chris McCain (2014-15), LB Rey Maualuga (2017), DE Jason Strowbridge (2020), OL Connor Williams (2022-23)

The breakdown of 58 with the Dolphins

The Killer B's get represented with number 58 because Kim Bokamper, who played both defensive end and outside linebacker for the Dolphins, had to get the nod for the best with that number. He started 103 of the 127 games he played for the Dolphins over nine years, and made the Pro Bowl in 1979. He had eight sacks in 1978, though sacks didn't became an official stat until 1982. Tom Goode was a four-year starter at center after the Dolphins selected him from Houston in the expansion draft and he was selected to the AFL All-Star Game in 1969. Karlos Dansby also had a very good three seasons with the Dolphins, as he averaged 110 tackles per year, though the defense as a whole struggled during his time in Miami. Scott Galyon was a solid backup and special teams player for three seasons. Graf played four seasons for the Dolphins after being a second-round pick in 1987, but he wore 58 only as a rookie when he played 12 games with five starts. Solomon closed out his nine-year NFL career by appearing in six games for the Dolphins in 1994, five years after he was part of the gigantic Herschel Walker trade between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. Eddie Moore played 18 games in three starts in two seasons with the Dolphins after being the team's top pick in 2003 and spending his rookie year on IR with a foot injury. Lastly, Connor Williams was a very good center for the Dolphins after arriving following four seasons at guard with the Dallas Cowboys.

The top three Dolphins players with number 58

1. DE-LB Kim Bokamper

2. C Tom Goode

3. LB Karlos Dansby

Dolphins 58's among the NFL's all-time best

Adding his 11 other seasons with the Cardinals, Browns and Bengals, Dansby probably is the most accomplished Dolphins player to wear 58, but at best he might challenge for a top 20 spot at that number. There are three Hall of Fame players to mostly wear 58 — Jack Lambert, Mac Speedie and Derrick Thomas — along with several other notable players, such as Wilber Marshall, Carl Banks and current star Von Miller.