Number 71 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 71 days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

Alain Poupart | Jun 29, 2022

Pensacola News Journal

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Miami Dolphins

The countdown to the start of the 2022 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 71.

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

G Charlie Fowler (1967-68), T John Boynton (1969), DT Frank Cornish (1970-71), T Darryl Carlton (1975-76), T Mike Current (1977-79), DT Mike Charles (1983-86), T Scott Kehoe (1987), LS Ethan Albright (1995), DE Dunstan Anderson (1997), T Todd Wade (2000-03), G Toniu Fonoti (2006), G Cory Lekkerkerker (2007), DT Lionel Dotson (2008-09), G Cory Procter (2010), T Marc Colombo (2011), T Jonathan Martin (2012-13), T Branden Albert (2014), T Zach Sterup (2017), G Josh Sitton (2018)

The breakdown of 71 with the Dolphins

Offensive linemen predominantly have been the ones wearing 71 for the Dolphins, and that's where we find our top three. The debate came down to four players. After playing one game in Miami in 1969, Mike Current returned in 1977 and started 45 of 48 games at right tackle over the next three seasons. Todd Wade started 63 of 64 games during his four seasons with the Dolphins before leaving as a free agent to join the Houston Texans. He never made the Pro Bowl for Miami but was a solid starter at right tackle. Mike Charles had the distinction of being the Dolphins draft pick immediately after quarterback Dan Marino was taken in the first round in 1983. Charles started 29 games in four seasons with the Dolphins and his best year was in 1985 when he started all 16 games and had seven sacks. And, yes, we have to mention Jonathan Martin, who started all 23 games he played for the Dolphins, including all 16 as a rookie, before his time in Miami ended in the aftermath of the Bullygate scandal.

Worth noting

Cornish played 21 games with three starts for the Dolphins toward the end of his NFL career, and his son Frank followed him with a six-year NFL career of his own. ... Carlton started only nine games for Miami after being a first-round pick in 1975. ... After his 10 games with the Dolphins in 1995, Albright went on to play 236 NFL games. ... Cory Lekkerkerker started two games for the Dolphins in 2007, while his brother Brad Lekkerkerker played one game for the Raiders in 2005 (sorry, just love typing his name). ... Lionel Dotson played four games wearing 71 in 2008 and 2009 and three games wearing 95 in 2010. ... Branden Albert wore 71 in his first season with the Dolphins in 2014, but he landed on IR after nine games. ... Sitton's 11-year career ended with Miami when he sustained a shoulder injury in the 2018 opener.

The top three Dolphins players with number 71

1. T Todd Wade

2. T Mike Current

3. DT Mike Charles

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.

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Published Jun 29, 2022

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.