Miami Dolphins mourning the loss of Nick Buoniconti at 78

Today the Miami Dolphins are suffering through the pains of losing one of it’s greatest treasures, linebacker Nick Buoniconti, who passed last night.

The Miami Dolphins have lost linebacker and Pro-Football Hall of Fame linebacker, Nick Buoniconti who passes away at the age of 78 after well-documented battle with CTE.

A member of the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins Super Bowl championship team, Buoniconti was a fixture in the NFL for decades. First on the field and then as a broadcast team member for HBO’s Inside the NFL. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Drafted in the 13th round of the 1962 draft, Buoniconti was a force with the New England Patriots. The Notre Dame product was traded to Miami in 1969 where he immediately made the Dolphins a contender. Diminutive in size, Buoniconti towered over his competition.

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I only met Buoniconti one time and it was a passing moment that didn’t so much as include a handshake. He was regal then and there was something about him that was special. It was more than a Hall of Fame player, I’ve met a few of those before. Buoniconti was different.

In his later years, Buoniconti struggled with neurological issues that he believed was a result of the physical beating. During an HBO documentary about his life and troubles with the CTE symptoms, Buoniconti said he would make his brain available to CTE science in an effort to find better solutions and treatment.

The football world is mourning the loss today and our prayers are genuinely with his family and friends. It is a bitter loss but knowing that the recent years have been a struggle for him emotionally and physically we can’t help but smile and hope that the memories and his legacy have found peace for those closest to him and no more pain for him.

Rest in peace Mr. Buoniconti and than you for those memories.