50 moments in Miami Dolphins history

Photo by Brian Miller

On January 7th, 1990 the Miami Dolphins were notified that long time original owner Joe Robbie had passed away leaving the team in the hands of his children. Robbie brought NFL to South Florida in 1966 after being awarded an expansion franchise a couple of years earlier. Through Robbie the Dolphins had seen the best years of their existence. Five Super Bowl appearances, two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, and one Hall of Fame head coach.

Robbie’s death would have a lasting impact on the future of the franchise. His children, unable to keep the team financially stable, opted to sell their remaining shares in the team to current 15% owner Wayne Huizenga. Huizenga would almost immediately remove Joe Robbie’s name from the stadium which he now controlled as well.

In 1987 the Dolphins opened Joe Robbie Stadium which was privately funded by Joe Robbie and his investors. To this day, many Dolphins fans still refer to the current Dolphins stadium as JRS or Joe Robbie Stadium. A bronze statue of Joe Robbie stands outside the stadium.

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