Sam Madison: A Fan of the Fans
18Oct13 – Sam Madison and OJ McDuffie on the set of the FinSiders broadcast at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility. Sam Madison taking pictures of the web weekend fans as they entered the studio – Photo by Paul L Picken, Jr
Many of us remember watching Sam Madison smothering opposing wide receivers throughout his time in Miami, and forming the far more vocal half of one of the better cornerback tandems in Dolphins history. Playing opposite Patrick Surtain for much of his career, Sam emerged early on as a fan favorite who could cover the best receivers anywhere on the field. Sam also was well known for being able to talk while playing, as you could see his helmet moving constantly as he talked away throughout the game.
Following his selection in the second round of the 1997 draft out of Louisville, Sam went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL. Sam played 12 seasons in the NFL, 9 with the Dolphins and 3 seasons for the Giants. Sam made the pro bowl 4 times in Miami, with nearly 400 tackles, 31 interceptions (two for touchdowns) and a sack in starting 127 out of 138 games for Miami before being released in 2006 and signing a four year deal with the Giants. In 2008, Sam suffered an ankle injury that ended his pro career.
I had the opportunity to meet Sam this past weekend, and so many things stood out to me about him. I didn’t have a true understanding of how much this Dolphins franchise meant to him, nor just how much each and every fan out there means to him. We had a number of Dolphins die-hards at the facility, all of us snapping pictures (of what we were allowed to take pictures of, of course). The person that snapped the most pictures during that time may just have been Sam. We walked in and he signed everything he could get his hands on, he immediately began snapping pictures of all of us, he posed for pictures and said he wanted a copy… it was inspiring.
Fast forward a couple of days, and Sam reached out to me and a few others last night. He wanted to make sure that everyone he got pictures of was able to go out and see them on his blog, and on his facebook page that he has started up. While many of us are bloggers, writers, etc of all things Dolphins, Sam has started a facebook page dedicated to pictures of the fans. If you see him, he may pull you aside and snap a “selfie” with you. He’ll talk passionately about his time in Miami, the current regime, Don Shula, Dan Marino, football… really any topic. As grateful as we are to him for everything that he did in his time in Miami, he just might be that much more grateful to all of us who cheered for him so passionately and remember his playing days fondly. Those of us willing to cheer for him after he left the Dolphins to go to the Giants, simply because we wanted the best for him.
The man bleeds football, and he absolutely loves the Aqua & Orange. I urge you to go and check out his blog, to like his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. Even if you’re not a fan, you just may find an entertaining photo or two… and you might even be in one.
Fins up!
Sam Madison’s Facebook Page, SamCam29, can be at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/39889503989/10151739435033990/?notif_t=group_activity#!/SamcamAndFriends
Sam’s blog can be found here: http://samuelmadison.sportsblog.com
Follow him on twitter: @sammaddie29