Dolphins have best “Alumni Association” in the NFL

The Miami Dolphins have the best NFL Alumni Association in the NFL says one former member of the team. He does however go a step further to explain.

It wasn’t long ago, well it was actually. Way back when Don Shula left the Dolphins and Jimmy Johnson took over the teams history was put on a shelf as Johnson tried in vain to carve out his and his teams own history for the organization.

Part of that process left retired veterans out of the organizations daily business. Not as in making decisions for the club but being a part of the team outside of normal meet and greet events. Today, that is a lot different and it comes down to not only the teams decisions to bring players back into the mix but singularly, Nat Moore.

Moore serves as the Dolphins Alumni Association President and has for some time. His involvement with the team and its rich history brings players not only back into the teams fold but they do far more than simply meeting with fans. Although that is a part of it.

Last weekend a group of us met Hall of Fame center and former Miami Dolphins great Dwight Stephenson. Stephenson talked about, among other things, the Dolphins alumni group calling it the best in the NFL.

Stephenson backed those comments almost immediately. He said that many players around the NFL have called him and asked how they can grow their alumni groups. He specifically named Tony Dorsett saying that Dorsett was impressed with the Dolphins alumni association and wanted tips on how to improve theirs.

Dorsett wasn’t the only one. I have personally spoken with former NFL players who have little or no contact with their previous teams due to a lack of leadership and direction from their former clubs. Miami however does it right.

Stephen Ross has been at the forefront of this since arriving in Miami and while former owner Wayne Huizenga began the task of building a better association, Ross is really the driving force behind the push to keep former players part of the Dolphins family. Nat Moore has taken that task and run with it.

Miami does a lot for their former players and frankly it’s too much to get into here but one thing is for certain, former Dolphins are beginning to be more prevalent to newer fans who may have never seen them play but are getting chances to meet them now. That is a testament to the Miami Dolphins brand and the vision of the team under Stephen Ross.