Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr. was born on Sept. 15, 1961, in Pittsburgh, Pa. to Daniel and Veronica Marino. Dan was the Marinos' first child, with two daughters to follow. The family lived in a section of Pittsburgh called Oakland, which was an ethnically diverse working-class neighborhood of steel workers, truck drivers and laborers. Dan Sr. worked a variety of jobs to support his family; his primary job was delivering newspaper bundles on the midnight shift for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The family never had much money, but it always had enough to pay the bills and put food on the table.
During Marino's youth, the Steelers began to emerge as a powerhouse in the NFL, and young Dan soon became one of their biggest fans. In an era before Nintendo and MTV, Marino and many of his neighborhood pals entertained themselves by playing pickup football games. Football was in their blood, and throwing a football seemed as natural to Marino as walking or breathing. Even though he was younger than most of the other kids, Marino always played quarterback, and he always played to win. When there weren't any kids to play with, Marino still wanted to throw the ball around. He'd go on the street and throw at telephone poles while moving around the parked cars like he was dodging on-rushing defenders.
Marino was more than just a great passer growing up. He was also an outstanding baseball prospect who eventually would be drafted after his senior year in high school in 1979 by the Kansas City Royals. But Marino's dream always was to be a pro football player. He wanted to go to Central Catholic High School, which was an athletic power in the city, and his father and mother worked almost every day to raise the money needed to send Dan to the school. Marino rewarded his parents' generosity by working hard in school to become a good student and an outstanding football prospect. Most of the top programs in the nation, including Notre Dame and UCLA, recruited Marino, but home always was where his heart was. It was no surprise when Marino announced that he would attend the University of Pittsburgh.
University of Pitt: Marino enjoyed a prolific career at Pitt, setting numerous school records and being named an All-American his junior year. But Marino's senior season was a disappointment, as his subpar performance raised questions about his ability to succeed on the professional level. Dolphins fans should consider themselves lucky that Marino struggled in his last year in college because if he had shined he never would have been available for Miami to select with the 27th pick in the first round of the 1983 draft. Dan was inducted and enshrined into the College Footbal HOF in 2003!
Miami Dolphins - NFL: Dan was also drafted in baseball by the Kansas City Royals in 1979 as well as being the #1 overall pick in the 1983 USFL draft by the LA Express. He wisely chose football and the Miami Dolphins.
Here is the long list of Dan's professional accomplishments & records:
•NFL MVP 1984 -- 48 TD's & 5084 yards
•Most career TD passes -- 420
•Most career yards passing -- 61,361
•Most career passes attempted -- 8,358
•Most career passes completed -- 4,967
•Most games with 400 or more yards passing -- 12
•Most games with four or more touchdown passes -- 21
•Most seasons with 4,000 or more yards passing -- 6
•Most seasons with 3,000 or more yards passing -- 13
•Most consecutive seasons with 3,000 or more yards passing -- 9
•Most games with 300 or more yards passing -- 60
•Most consecutive games with four or more touchdown passes -- 4
•Most seasons leading league in pass attempts -- 5
•Most seasons leading league in pass completions -- 6
•Most games with 400 or more yards passing -- 4
•Most games with four or more touchdown passes -- 6
•Most consecutive games with four or more touchdown passes -- 4
•Most seasons leading league in yards passing -- 5
•Most consecutive seasons leading league in pass completions -- 3
•Most consecutive games with 400 or more yards passing -- 2
•Most games with 300 or more yards passing -- 9
For his entire 17 year career, Marino burst into national prominence and became the most prolific quarterback in NFL history, but it was also during that time that he started his own family. Marino and his wife Claire were married Jan. 30, 1985, and together they have had four children: Daniel Charles, Michael Joseph, Joseph Donald and Alexandra Claire. The couple also adopted a Chinese girl, Niki Lin, in December of 1998. The adoption took almost a year to finalize, with Claire spending 10 days in China before returning to the family's Weston, Florida home with the child. They more recently adopted a 2nd child from China named Lia. The Marino family was dealt a blow when it learned in 1995 that Michael was autistic. Fortunately, Michael's condition is considered mild, but it still has helped Marino keep his fame and on-field accomplishments in perspective.
There was always more to Dan Marino than quarterbacking the Dolphins and being a devoted family man. An increasingly important part of his life is his charitable work, which was recognized by the NFL when it gave Marino the prestigious Man of the Year award in 1998. Marino has given much of his time and money to support various children's charities. He has founded a few himself including The Dan Marino Foundation. But as he entered his 17th & final season with the Dolphins in 1999, Marino still was as committed as ever to his football career. "I don't know how much time I have left, but I know I'm not done," Marino said. "I love the game and the competition. And I know there's still a lot I'd like to do on the football field."
The pictures below are from when I personally met Dan at the 2003 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festivies on August 9, 2003 in South Bend, Indiana.
It was honestly a dream come true for me! Dan was AWESOME in person and very, very down to earth. Yet another reason why he is so great!
** Disclaimer ** Images on this site may be property of other parties and will be removed upon request if proof of ownership is presented. I make no claim of ownership of or right to display these images. The copyright and originality of this site refers to the url (web address) www.DanMarinoTribute.com and the overall page layout which was constructed by myself from scratch between September 2003 and April 2006. This page WAS NOT modeled after or copied from any other site online. Any similarities between my website and any other Dolphin fan site on the web are purely coincidental!
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