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We move on to day six in our countdown of the top numbers in Miami Dolphins history. Today, we take a look at the fifth ranked number in team history.
Our fifth best number for the Dolphins' franchise is another Hall of Fame number for Miami. It's the 62.
And, just like our first Hall of Fame number, 66, the first person to wear the number was the top player in that jersey. The number 62 was first worn in 1970 by center Jim Langer, who signed with Miami after being cut by the Cleveland Browns, where he had signed as an undrafted free agent earlier that year. He would only go on to become one of the greatest centers in NFL history.
Langer played in just six games his rookie year, then appeared in all 14 in 1971, but was not the starter. He took over the top spot on the depth chart beginning in the undefeated 1972 season, and held it without missing a game through 1978. He would start nine games in the 1979 season before a knee injury ended the year, and his Miami career. He played two more seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before retiring.
Langer was selected to the Pro Bowl after each season from 1973 to 1978, and was a First Team All Pro selection from 1973 to 1975 and 1977. Langer was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987, his first year of eligibility.
He was also a member of the NFL's All 1970s Team, and was inducted into the Dolphins' Ring of Honor in 1990, a member of the first group of players to be so honored (original team owner Joe Robbie had been inducted two months earlier as the initial member of the Ring).
Not surprisingly, after Langer laid down the number following the 1979 season, no one wore it for a while. The first person to put it on after Langer was also the second best player to wear 62 in aqua. Harry Galbreath was an eighth round draft pick in 1988 by the Dolphins, coming to the team as a right guard. During his rookie year, he would appear in all 16 games, though he would only start 13 of them.
After that, however, if Galbreath was in the game, he had started is. He missed two games in 1989, but then played every contest from 1990 to 1992 for the Dolphins. He continued his streak of starts with the Green Bay Packers from 1993 to 1995, then played one more year, starting 8 games and appearing in 15, for the New York Jets as a left guard.
While Galbreath never made a Pro Bowl, he was a key member of the Miami offensive line for five seasons.
After Gilbreath, the number has not seen much longevity, with Chris Gray, who held the 62 next, having it for four years,was the only player to have it for more than a single season. Gray appeared in 42 games with the Dolphins, starting 23, primarily at right guard. He would gone on to appear in eight games in 1997 for the Chicago Bears before becoming a 10 year starting center/guard for the Seattle Seahawks.
After Gray, no one wore the number again until 2006, when Fred Evans picked it up for a single season. Following him, Anthony Bryant, Ryan Cook, and Johnny Jones, all wore the number for some part of the season. Cook was the only one to make more than one appearance while in the 62, playing in 7 games in 2011.
Undrafted free agent G Chris Barker from Nevada currently wears the number for Miami.