Number 63 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Former CFL standout Mark Dixon and former center Jeff Uhlenhake lead the way

Guard Michael Deiter (63) against Washington during a 2019 game at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-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 63.

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, and Ed Newman at 64.

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

G Billy Neighbors (1966-69), C-G Mark Dennard (1979-83), G Larry Lee (1985), C Greg Ours (1987), C Jeff Uhlenhake (1989-93), C Cal Dixon (1996), G-T Mark Dixon (1998-2002), C Alonzo Ephraim (2005), G Bennie Anderson (2006), G Gene Mruczkowski (2007), T Andrew Gardner (2009), G-T Dallas Thomas (2014-16), C/G Michael Deiter (2019-21)

The breakdown of 63 with the Dolphins

The Dolphins have not had a player make the Pro Bowl wearing number 63, and nobody wore that number for more than five seasons. So the choice here came down to a handful of offensive linemen who gave the Dolphins solid production as starters. Billy Neighbors started 43 games at guard in the Dolphins' first four seasons after coming over in the expansion draft from the Boston Patriots, for whom he had been an All-AFL selection in 1964. Jeff Uhlenhake started 59 games at center for the Dolphins before he left for New Orleans as a free agent and started 53 games for the Saints. Mark Dixon joined the Dolphins in 1998 after stints in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League and earned a starting job as a 27-year-old NFL rookie. He ended up starting 60 of the 62 games he played for the Dolphins, including 12 at left tackle in 2002 when Ricky Williams led the NFL in rushing with a team-record 1,853 yards. Dallas Thomas started 26 games at right tackle and right guard for the Dolphins after switching from 70 to 63 in his second season in 2014, but he was released early in the 2016 season. Bennie Anderson joined the Dolphins after starting 70 games with the Ravens and Bills in his first five NFL seasons, but he lasted only two games in Miami before landing on IR with a triceps injury and never played another down in the NFL.

The top three Dolphins players with number 63

1. G-T Mark Dixon

2. C Jeff Uhlenhake

3. G Billy Neighbors

Dolphins 63's among the NFL's all-time best

There are a half-dozen Hall of Famers who wore mostly 63, and the best of that lot from here would be Lee Roy Selmon or maybe Gene Upshaw. The Dolphins don't have anybody here who would make it onto anybody's top 20 list of 63's.