Miami Dolphins At 50: Top 10 OLs

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No. 1 – Larry Little

Reading through this list, some Dolphins fans might be thinking “why isn’t Stephenson No. 1?” in a venomous tone.

However, Larry Little is the very definition of the Miami Dolphins franchise and personifies what it takes to play on the offensive line.

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An almost perfect mix of dominance and longevity, Little is the standard for which all present and future Dolphins linemen should hold themselves to.

Some may have been more dominant and some played in more games, but no one quite blended both together as well as Little.

Initially, Little didn’t want to go to Miami as the Dolphins were a floundering expansion team. This is what he told SPORT magazine in their January 1974 issue.

"“I didn’t particularly like the trade. The Dolphins weren’t much then.”"

But after two seasons with San Diego, the Chargers dealt Little to Miami for cornerback Mack Lamb in what is considered to be one of the most lopsided trades in franchise history.

Little paid immediate impact. He started in 10 of 12 appearances and earned a spot at the Pro Bowl in 1969 despite how poor a team Miami was before the AFL/NFL merger.

Don Shula’s arrival in 1970 meant a more concentrated effort on running the football. With Shula’s new style of play, Little would flourish in creating one of the best rushing attacks in league history. He earned four straight Pro Bowls nominations from 1971 to 1974 – the exact time-frame of the Perfect Backfield’s most dominant seasons.

Little received five straight First Team All-Pro selections from 1971 to 1975. He also earned 41 first and second all league and conference honors from 1971 to 1978 and won the AFC Lineman of the Year award for three straight seasons (70-72).

Now if only the modern Dolphins could find themselves a Little of their own.

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