Number 67 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Bob Kuechenberg is an easy choice for the top spot, but who else merits top three consideration?

Guard Bob Kuechenberg (67) against Washington in Super Bowl VII at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. / 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 67.

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, and Robert Hunt at 68.

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

G-T Bob Kuechenberg (1970-84), T Chris Conlin (1987), NT Pat Swoopes (1991), G Jeff Novak (1994), T Barry Stokes (1998), C Joe Berger (2009-10), G Daryn Colledge (2014), G Laremy Tunsil (2016-17), C Daniel Kilgore (2018-19), C Ted Karras (2020)

The breakdown of 67 with the Dolphins

This is another one of those numbers where there's absolutely no debate because it's Kuechenberg all the way. He made the Pro Bowl at both guard and tackle, played more games than just about anybody in franchise history and a case could be made that he should be in the Hall of Fame. Beyond Kuechenberg, nobody played more than two seasons wearing 67, so it's tough to flush out a top three. Joe Berger started 20 games over two seasons with the Dolphins (after first wearing 65 for a brief stint in 2005) and went on to start 64 games in seven seasons with the Vikings. Laremy Tunsil wore 67 in his first two seasons when he started at guard and tackle, respectively, before switching to 78 in 2018. Daniel Kilgore started all 17 games he played over two seasons after coming over in a trade with the 49ers. Daryn Colledge started 13 games in 2014 in what became the final year of his nine-year NFL career

The top three Dolphins players with number 67

1. G-T Bob Kuechenberg

2. G-T Laremy Tunsil

3. C Joe Berger

Dolphins 67's among the NFL's all-time best

There is no Hall of Famer who wore mostly 67 in the NFL, and a very strong case could be made for Kuechenberg being the No. 1 player to wear that number. Other candidates would be fellow offensive linemen Kent Hull, Stan Brock and Grady Alderman, but Kuechenberg does deserve the top spot.