Happy Birthday, Dan Marino!

Happy Birthday to the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, Dan Maino! Marino retired after the 1999 season, holding 23 NFL passing records. He was the first player in league history to throw for 50,000 yards in a career, 60,000 yards in a career, have 7,000 passing attempts, 8,000 passing attempts, throw 400 career touchdown passes, had the first 40 touchdown pass season, and the first 5,000 passing yard season. All this, while playing in an era when the league allowed receivers to be mugged and quarterbacks to be crushed.

Marino was selected to nine Pro Bowls in his career and was the 1984 league MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005, his first year of eligibility.

Some of his records have since been eclipsed, with players like Peyton Manning now owning the all-time passing yards record and passing touchdowns record, but Marino is still considered among the greatest quarterbacks of all time by non-Dolphins fans. His one knock is the lack of a Super Bowl ring, which typically pushes players like Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and Manning ahead of him in debates with non-Dolphins fans. However, Miami fans know that, if the Dolphins had ever found a running game to support Marino (who has the most 50+ attempt games in league history), the Dolphins would have become a Super Bowl contender almost instantly.

Marino will forever be the greatest quarterback of all time according to Dolphins fans, so today, we say Happy Birthday, GOAT!