Miami Dolphins At 50: Kickers and Punters
By Dan Heaning
Mandatory credit: MiamiDolphins.com
Punters
No. 3 – Larry Seiple
The only player to appear on any list twice but for good cause as his two positions couldn’t be any more different.
Drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 1967 NFL Draft, Larry Seiple was brought in to take the punting duties away from linebacker Wahoo McDaniels and quarterback George Wilson Jr.
Playing both tight end and punter, Seiple put together quite a 1969. As a tight end, he led the team with 577 yards receiving on 41 receptions, but also punted the ball 80 times (10th most in franchise history) for 3,263 yards.
While his usage at tight end became limited after that, Seiple continued to punt like the dickens. He played 11 seasons in the aqua and orange racking up 633 career punts and 25,347 yards which ranks him first and second in both respective categories in team history.
Mandatory Credit: MiamiDolphins.com
Kickers
No. 3 – Garo Yepremian
Garo Yepremian spent nine seasons with the Miami Dolphins and in that time he led the league three times in field goal percentage.
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But sadly Yepremian will be widely remembered for a field goal gaffe that turned into Washington touchdown at Super Bowl VII. Since Miami won and the play didn’t have a significant impact on the outcome, it could be viewed as funny. However, remembering Yepremian in strictly this light is a misnomer as he was one of the best kickers in this franchise’s existence.
During his career, Yepremian made 165 field goals which ranks him third in team history. He’s also second in scoring with 830 points thanks to three-pointers and 335 extra points. Yepremian had a career year in 1971 when he scored 117 points. That point total places him in a tie for sixth in single season scoring.
Yepremian was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1973 and 1978, the All-Pro First Team in 1971 and 1973, and 12 first team all league and conference honors from multiple publications.
He passed away on May 15, 2015 at the age of 70.