Number 62 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

The only question with Jim Langer is whether he's the greatest 62 player of all time

Center Jim Langer (62) against the New York Jets at the Orange Bowl during the Dolphins' perfect season in 1972. / Malcolm Emmons-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 62.

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, and Mark Dixon at 63.

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

C Jim Langer (1970-79), G Harry Galbreath (1988-92), C-G Chris Gray (1993-96), DT Fred Evans (2006), DT Anthony Bryant (2007), DE Clifton Geathers (2010), C Ryan Cook (2011), G Danny Watkins (2013), DT Deandre Coleman (2014-15), G Ted Larsen (2017-18), G Shaq Calhoun (2019), C Greg Mancz (2021)

The breakdown of 62 with the Dolphins

There's no debate here because we have our second Hall of Famer of the 60s, with Jim Langer following Larry Little at number 66. Langer was a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl selection who anchored the Dolphins' Super Bowl line of the 1970s. The others in contention for the top three ranking are offensive linemen. Galbreath was a five-year starter for the Dolphins after being an eighth-round pick in the 1988 draft. Gray started 21 games for the Dolphins in his final two seasons in Miami, but then went on to play 10 years with the Seattle Seahawks with 145 starts. Larsen started 21 of the 23 games he played for the Dolphins and will be most remembered for his downfield block on Kenyan Drake's "Miracle in Miami" game-winning touchdown against New England in 2018. Evans appeared in only one game as a rookie after being a seventh-round pick in 2006, then played 94 games for the Minnesota Vikings over the next seven seasons. Watkins joined the Dolphins two years after being a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, but played only one game for Miami before ending his NFL career.

The top three Dolphins players with number 62

1. C Jim Langer

2. G Harry Galbreath

3. C-G Chris Gray

Dolphins 62's among the NFL's all-time best

Jim Langer currently is the only player to wear mostly 62 in the Hall of Fame, though we can expect newly retired Eagles center Jason Kelce to join him soon after he becomes eligible. Perhaps it's a Dolphins bias at play here, but we'd be inclined to give Langer the nod as the best 62 of all time.