Number 69 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Keith Sims stands out at a number rarely seen during the regular season

Guard Keith Sims (with his Dolphins helmet) during the 1995 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. / RVR Photos-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 69.

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, and Kendall Langford at 70.

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

DT Mike Lambrecht (1987-89), G Keith Sims (1990-97), G Taylor Whitley (2004), G Ray Feinga (2010), DT Jordan Williams (2015)

The breakdown of 69 with the Dolphins

As you can see by the list, this has not been a popular number for the Dolphins, but they did have one player who made a mark wearing it, and that of course was Keith Sims. In fact, picking a top three was quite the task for this number, but we did it simply for consistency's sake. Sims was a three-time Pro Bowl selection after being a second-round pick in 1990 and part of one of the best one-two draft combinations in Dolphins history along with Richmond Webb. Mike Lambrecht deserves a lot of credit because his first game with the Dolphins came during the strike-replacement games of 1987 and he performed well enough that he earned a spot on the regular roster beyond that and ended up playing 16 games over three years. Taylor Whitley started 11 games as a rookie third-round pick in 2004, but Nick Saban released him prior to the start of the following season. Ray Feinga played only three games for the Dolphins, but he gets a prize for perseverance for being signed to the practice squad and promoted to the active roster four different times in 2010 and 2011. Jordan Williams appeared in only regular season game for the Dolphins.

The top three Dolphins players with number 69

1. G Keith Sims

2. G Taylor Whitley

3. DT Mike Lambrecht

Dolphins 69's among the NFL's all-time best

There currently isn't a Hall of Famer associated with the number 69, though Jared Allen is a four-time Hall finalist. Jon Runyan and Mark Schlereth are two other notables who wore 69, and Sims has a very good argument for belonging in the top 10 players to have worn 69.