How did you become a Dolphan?

Well since I was a little kid I always loved Dolphins, the ocean ect.. My dad was a big Redskins fan so football was on every sunday. I remember a 1982 or 83 game where the Dolphins played the Redskins and my dad said something like ‘’Skins are gunna kick the fishes butt’’. Well, I clung to the Dolphins. Dolphins lost that game but from then on I was a Dolphin and my dad and I enjoyed many years of rivalry. Dad passed away a few years ago but I will always miss our football conversations.. Go fish. /sad

Went to the U. Grew up a huge Dolphins/Marino fan in Rhode Island. Which was easy because the Patriots were always terrible…

Been a dolphins fan since i was old enough to love the game. Dunno why. I cemented my Dolphan status when i met the legendary Dan Marino in Lake Tahoe at a pro-am golf tournament one year. Very humbling to be in the presence of one of your heroes.

Was a member of the Big Brothers Org in ’72 and all the Dolphins were big into helping out. I went to a picnic and got to meet and play ball with most of the ’72 squad. I was 10. Been a fan ever since. Still have all their autographs on my old Fins hat.

Well it was March of 1971 and a big baby boy was born to a household of Miami Locals who with good intentions championed the Home Team…with a bit of devotion to the team of their youth the steelers. It was a cloudy morning and the big baby boy was taken from the hospital to the home he would grow up in and placed in the crib which fortunately was adorned by a precient uncle with Miami Dolphins sheets and the rest is History! Get to go to pre-school and meet a cool kid named Maceo who turns out to be Big Baby Boy’s best friend till 9th grade and going to his house and finally meeting his dad the legendary number 22 Mercury Morris cemented a lifetime fan right where he should be, watching every game like it was life itself! Living and dying with the team over the next 30 or so years has been a working devotion of love and respect and hate…(yes CAM CAM I am TALKING ABOUT YOU!!) Seeing Bob Greisie at the hardware store from time to time and being tossed in the air by Kim Bokamper probably helped as well.

was from South Florida born and raised, and every summer we’d visit him in Coral Springs. He pulled me aside one day early on and indoctrinated me.
I’ll never forget my first live game of any kind, Miami football played the way it should be: Joe Robbie on a dark, rainy night. The game itself was atrocious, we lost to the Bears 6-3 in a field goal festival, but the crushing feeling in my gut was revelatory. I would love this team. After that, the prospect of getting my grubby fingers on one of his season tickets once a year soon supplanted The Magic Kingdom as Florida’s #1 tourist attraction.
Looking back now, I’m beginning to consider the possibility that the man had brainwashed me. See, he also found time to school me on FSU, his alma mater. I do believe, to this day, I am the only six year old Egyptian kid ever to inexplicably bust out the Tomahawk Chop at recess.

.. moment as i was painfully young, [4 yrs old?] but i can remember innocently asking my dad how the dolphins did this year and him replying ‘they didnt lose any’… i thot, " hmmm, … well that seems pretty good…." lol

My entire family is from Pennsylvania and my one cousin got hooked on some Pittsburgh product named Dan Marino. Now this cousin wasn’t a Dolphins fan but he idolized Marino. He had all types of Marino stuff in his room and, apparently, when I was younger I shunned my fathers team of choice (the Cowboys) to be more like my cousin, the Marino fan. Except I didn’t grab the player, I grabbed the team. I have been a Miami Dolphins fan as long as I can remember. I’d say since I was 4 or 5. There are pictures of me when I was younger than that in Cowboys clothing because of my father. Then all of a sudden I am in teal and orange and the rest is history. I’ve been a ‘phin fan for well over 15 years now. And I tell people with pride, despite never living in Florida or having any other reason for adopting the team other than my cousin’s obsession with Marino.

… it is all because of the Ace Ventura movie. I was like, 6 at the time and I fell in love with the movie. All of my other friends became Cowboy and Patriot fans, but I have stuck with them through thick and thin. Thank you Jim Carey!

AND THE REST IS HISTORY.

My first honest memory was Super Bowl VI against the Cowboys. I was 7 years old. I tried to catch everything “Dolphin” from that day. You have no idea how tuff it was being out of state, before the internet and Direct TV, which I’ve stated in other blogs. Walking around the house with an AM radio, hoping to get that static ridden station that was carrying the game to come in is just one of the stories I have. I am “diehard” about my Dolphins. In time, I was able to see the Dolphins live in different venues as well as two great trips too Miami. One in which, staying at the Don Shula country club, was able to meet the likes of Don Shula, Dan Marino, Jim Jensen, T.J. Turner as well as various coaches. It was a pilgramage. Maybe someday I’ll blog this story. It was almost an act of God how it happened.

Really cool reading the rest of the blogs and the future ones on this thread.

about 30 min from the stadium. My mother was born in Nebraska…so i know the big red love well…been to Nebraska many times.

My dad went to Ohio State…i was born in there…then he went to UM…so i moved down here really young. I grew up a Canes and Dolphins fan….but then i went to FLORIDA STATE?!! so now im confussed NCAA wise…im torn.

Dolphins…always been easy….like the brother i never had.

I was born a Dolphin…my mother who was pregnant at the time went to a dolphin game with my father…

they told me somewhere around the 2nd quarter her contractions became closer and closer and she knew she was going to have the baby (even though i was due another week or so)

so they were taken to a nearby hospital by some in-stadium medical staff…dad told me i was born before the game ever finished

So idk what it was but im a dolphin fan for life

Full-blooded Dolphins fan, who doesn’t like the term Dolphan. It sounds cheesy.

My first word was “Shula.”

My first full sentence was, “Marino to Clayton… Touchdown!”

brings up an image rarely challenged on the unintentional comedy scale.

Spin-off question: Growing up, did anyone else have a pair of those gawd-awful early nineties zebra pattern sweatpants in team colors? The entire line was ludicrous, to say the least, but the aqua/teal made them look straight theatrical.

I used to rock ‘em like nobody’s business though.

yeah and mine were…..Jim Jensen

My dad came from Greece in 1972, the year they went undefeated. He played professional football (soccer) in Greece and had no idea what American football was about. When Miami went 17-0, he felt that it was good luck, and so he stuck with them. I along with my two brothers, were born into it, and then we became fanatical about the Phins. I have met Marino, Zach, Ricky, Bryan Cox, and Lamar Thomas, and i would never pledge my allegiance to another organization. I have been down to Joe Robbie twice, and this year will be my third time heading down from CT. Love it down there, and wouldn’t change it for the world.

… but never really got into it until the 1-15 season.

My dad is a Jets fan (from Jersey) and my brother is a Pats fan, to spite my step-dad who is a Dolfan. Then my cousins are all Bills fans (during the Superbowl losing era), so I felt I had no choice but to spite the Bill, Pat, and Jet fans in my family by being the biggest Dolphan possible.

I honestly hate my brother for the shit he makes me put up with – I my revenge when they lost the Superbowl! :)

yeah my friend had that. you wake up in the middle of the night screaming “QUACK!” and “Checkdown!!”. Its bad. You go to the fridge and everything you pickup seems to slip(aka fumble) out of your hands. You cant get a tan and your constantly “getting inside to check the tape”. Ehhh i feel bad for Matty…were with you brotha.

i hear Hennasilin is the cure.

or Pennasilin lol!

that I was a Dolphins fan since birth. I was born in Ft. Lauderdale and my earliest memory is watching this team. I couldn’t imagine being the fan of another pro team- though I’d probably be an even bigger fan if they’d draft a few more Gators to go along with Channing Crowder next year ;).

Basically, I have an older brother who is about 5 years older than me. So when he was 9 or 10, he would watch football all the time. Being the typical little brother, I wanted to watch to. I would watch the highlight shows then on Sunday night. And being 4 or 5 years old, I kind of latched onto the Dolphins because of their colors and some guy wearing #13 who threw the ball all over like I’ve never seen anyone throw a ball. They were fun to watch, especially when you’re very young.

and that’s basically it. From that point on, I collected all the Dolphin football cards I could get my hands on. I bought all the Dolphins Starting Lineup figures that were out there. And the love affair with this team just grew from there.

Being a native floridian and being born in Lake county, I don’t remember any other team on local TV back then. I was 8 years old and my dad was yelling at the TV and I thought man.. any team that could get my dad that fired up had to be special. So I started yelling for them as well and who could top the perfect season. To win it all was just unbelievable to experience as a fan ! We’ll back at that level one day, believe me !!!!!!

gotta be a record……wadda touching post lol

Some reason, in the mid to late eighties American Football became big in the UK.
We had a review program and the occasional game on TV over here and I really like it.
I got hooked following Dan Marino, green is my favourite colour and I really like dolphins, plus I knew where Miami was (this being me around 7).
Even had a Marino shirt which I managed to wear out over the following years.
But to show how drawn I was by colour I even followed the Boston Celtics for a bit and a Larry Bird special basketball.
So Miami was my team, spent a bit of time away post Marino years, but I’ve been playing catch up for the past couple of years.

Hoping this year is better than next year……

Matty jogged my memory on the whole cards thing….

anyone remember those 25cent helmets they sold in vending machines in grocery stores? you collected all the teams….most of the time you got stuck with like 10 bengals or oilers helmets. lol

ahhhhhhhhhh to be a kid again and for my worst problem to be looking for louis olivers rookie card….damn i wish i had a time machine

I became a dolphan as a kid, we use to sing the dolphin fight song in our school and everything. It became reinforced when I joined the Navy.

I became a Dolphins fan after my Grandpa passed away, He was A huge Raiders and Dolphins fan. But my dad was already a Raiders fan, so I decided to go with the Phins. I remember my grandpa getting me my first collectors card. A Dan Marino RC. I didn’t know the value of it at the time, It just meant something special to me. My Grandpa passed when I was 3, but it wasn’t until I got into grade school that I really started to follow the Dolphins, and Marino to Clayton quickly became my favorite connection. Every Sunday since I can remember I have always worn my Dolphins jersey and /zubaz, to this day I still do that, I went to the Bills Dolphins game a couple years ago, completely decked out in all my Dolphins gear. Me and my best friend (Bills Fan), basically Identically dressed except he was in Bills gear. Yeah I got joked on for bein a Phins fan, but I’ve stuck with them through the ups and downs. so we were 1-15 last year, They’re still my team, and will always be my team.

id empty that baby and proudly display them….hahahaha

no i wouldnt….but i would if it wasnt such a “40 yr old virgin thing to do”

been born a live in Puerto Rico, there were not much football down here when groing up, but then, when i was 15 a friend of mine told me to go to his house to see a football game. It was the Skins at Miami. Miami was all over the air while Washington was running. Miami won that game 22-20(if i remember correctly) It was a great game. Then the Dolphins didn’t make it to the playoff, i follow the playoff and the Skins won the SB, and i talk to myself saying that we are the SB champs, cause we beated them. I became a fan after that game win over the Skins.

I grew up in West Virginia and my Dad was a Steelers fan. I remember the first time I every watched a game was when we beat the Steelers in the championship game to go to the Super Bowl and remain undefeated. I was almost five and I just thought it was cool for a team to be named after dolphins. Have been a die hard fan ever since. Even when I moved to Tenn. 13 yrs ago and they got this semi-pro team called the Titans I figured I’d be the one on TV getting their but kicked in a Dolphins Jersey. They.ve only been here twice to play and both times I was unable but they come back here next year and I plan on going. Have a friend from work who’s a Dolphin fan and we plan to go(ironically hes from ashland Ky and weve both been fans all our life. Go phins!!!!!!!!!!!

back about a year before the un-D season i started a paper route that delievered to czonkas dad…big ole guy..deep voice…dark scary house on a dead end st. used to scare the shit out of me when i went to collect.:) got to know czonkas kid brother ..older than me but used to give a ride in his delta88 once in awhile , loud pipes, heavy foot was great! been watchin n cheerin every since…..cryin too lately….but things are lookin up gents..am more excited this year than i have been in a long time,,,run rickey run….!!!!

thats a awesome story

I live in toledo ohio been a fan of my phins since 1970! I have a bar I go to here and there are about 50 dolphins fans and we started our own club! It’s great and we have a fun time…..we are all about 45 and we remember the 72 team and watched it all!!

I was a kid ( I still am I’m 9!) In 2002 or 2001. My dad was watching football he loves the Cowboys and always tried to get me to be a fan. But I didn’t care. So I wanted an animal team I almost picked the jags or panthers but then I saw the dolphins and loved it. Thats my story

wow…youngins in here. my sister is 11 and i doubt she writes that good…nice job kido

thats the real deal with this post…a 9 yr old kid picked the dolphins cuz he likes dolphins..thats great. ahhh to be a young dolphins fan again…47-44 marino games vs the jets….bills misery…mmmm i miss it

in an elevator.

thats a lie…but thatd be a good reason right?

Jim Jensen babysat me.

Dolphins Vs. Raiders. I hated Jeff Hostetler’s moustache and that guy wearing 13 was incredible.

it never looked very clean. lol

everybody loved those stupid lil helmets at publix…..they musta made a killing on us. lol

I am from Miami but live in Atlanta, been a fan for 25 years when I was 11 I was a Raiders fan, My cousin from Miami was watching a Dolphins game and I making fun of them, he was quite a bit older than me and BIGGER at the time and held me down and roughed me up until I told him Miami was my favorite team ! Football is big in our family. Ironically he is now a Titans fan he gave up on the Fins, what a LOSER huh. LOL

1) The story goes that when I was born my dad wanted to give his first (and only) son a football. He reached in a bin of footballs with logos and the one he grabbed had the Miami logo on it. The rest is history.

2) I grew up in Rochester NY, near Buffalo and home of the Jills training camp. I’m a contrarian by nature (aka a pain in the ass) and probably rooted for Miami just to tick off all the Jills fans around me. There are a surprising number of Dolphins fans around Buffalo, though. The rivalry isn’t what it used to be in the Kelly vs. Marino days. They often got the best of us, but just say “Norwood” and they tend to cringe. That’s fun.

im not sure where but i heard it on tv….anyone know where he plays?

if…u care about where jim jensens son plays ball….to comply with this post

umm…jim jensen was my godfather