Number 60 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best
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 60.
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, and Tim Ruddy at 61.
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 60 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:
C Carl Mauck (1970), DT Al Jenkins (1972), G-T Tom Wickert (1974), DT Don Reese (1976), OL Melvin Mitchell (1978), G-T Jeff Toews (1979-85), LB Duke Schamel (1987), G Bert Weidner (1990-95), C-G John Bock (1996-2000), T Spencer Folau (2001), T Greg Jerman (2002-04), DT Steve Fifita (2007), DT Matt McChesney (2008), C Al Johnson (2008), G Kraig Urbik (2016), C Jonotthan Harrison (2023)
The breakdown of 60 with the Dolphins
After having two Hall of Famers (Larry Little and Jim Langer) and a near-HOFer (Bob Kuechenberg), the last digit of the 60s offers no one who made the Pro Bowl even once and 11 one-and-doners (with that number). It made for a very difficult task in not only finding a No. 1 player with number 60, but even more trying to round out a top three. Jeff Toews arrived in Miami as a second-round pick in the 1979 NFL draft, but though he played six seasons for the Dolphins, he started only 14 games and never more than seven in any season. Bert Weidner started 39 games over six seasons after being an 11th-round pick in the 1989 draft, including 14 in 1994 when the Dolphins made the playoffs. Unlike Toews and Weidner, John Bock joined the Dolphins as a free agent and he started 10 of the 45 games he played for Miami over five years. After he started three games for the Dolphins in 1970 in his second NFL seasons, Carl Mauck went on to start 148 games for the Chargers and Houston Oilers over the next 11 seasons. Al Jenkins appeared in all 14 games as a backup during the Dolphins' perfect 1972 season. Don Reese wore 60 in his third of three seasons with the Dolphins after wearing 76 in 1974-75. ... Spencer Folau started 15 of the 16 games he played for the playoff-bound Dolphins in 2001, but left as a free agent after the season.
The top three Dolphins players with number 60
1. G Bert Weidner
2. G-T Jeff Toews
3. C John Bock
Dolphins 60's among the NFL's all-time best
The Dolphins obviously don't have anybody here who ranks among the all-time best, a group that probably would be led by Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik.