The Miami Dolphins record book is full of impressive numbers. Which ones are going to be the hardest, or even impossible, to break?
While the Miami Dolphins have struggled to be anything more than mediocre over the last two decades, the franchise is steeped in a rich history of winning and success.
Miami is still 6th overall in all-time winning percentage, despite having a record of 127-162 from 2004 until the present day. They appeared in five Super Bowls between 1971 and 1984, winning two of them. One of those victories was the crowning achievement for the undefeated 1972 team, which every Dolphins fan holds in their back pocket of every argument. I’ll spare you.
The Miami Dolphins franchise has had some historically great players, and the winningest coach in the history of the league in Don Shula. The team had seven players inducted in to the Hall of Fame between 1983 and 2001, and Dan Marino and Jason Taylor have been inducted since. Do not get me started on Zach Thomas.
With all of those accolades, winning, and elite members of the franchise, there have been a number of impressive records set as well. Taylor’s 139.5 career sacks is good enough for 7th most in NFL history, 131 of them coming in Miami and leading the team list. Marino’s 61,000+ yards has not come close to being touched, with Ryan Tannehill coming in behind him with just over 20,000.
Some of the numbers that you’ll find while sifting through the Miami Dolphins record book are downright impressive. Here are three of the franchise records that may never be broken:
Miami Dolphins unbreakable record #1:
Mark Clayton’s 81 career touchdowns
One of the greatest players in franchise history, Mark Clayton holds many of the team’s receiving records alongside his teammate Mark Duper.
Both players have a strikingly similar number of catches and yards over their careers in Miami, but it is the touchdown totals that set Clayton apart. Along with Nat Moore, the Marks Brothers are both in the top-3 in total touchdown receptions. Duper had 59 scores in 10 seasons, and the next closest outside the top 3 would be Chris Chambers and his 43 TD catches.
Clayton is in a class of his own, however. He sits atop the franchise leaderboard with 81 touchdown catches in a Miami Dolphins uniform, and it is a number that may never be eclipsed.
Of course, Clayton benefitted from having the great Dan Marino throwing him the ball for most of his career, as four of the top six receivers on the list did as well. Having a quarterback that chases and sets records himself is almost always going to benefit his receivers by way of big numbers, and Clayton was no exception.
So why, if the NFL is more pass-happy today than ever before, might Clayton’s touchdown numbers never be broken? As of now, the active Dolphins receiver with the most touchdowns is actually tight end Mike Gesicki, with a whopping 13 scores in his resume. Second on the list is Preston Williams with 7.
Jaylen Waddle certainly seems like the most likely candidate at the moment. The Alabama product had an impressive rookie season, but is still 75 touchdowns behind the Clayton for the top spot.
Miami Dolphins unbreakable record #2:
Ricky Williams’ 1,853 yards in 2002
As a Miami Dolphins fan, sometimes it’s good to sit back and remember how talented Ricky Williams was.
Williams holds both of the top 2 spots on the list for most rushing yards in a season in team history. In his second season in Miami, he rushed for 1,372 yards, which will be a tough number to approach for any featured running back in the backfield for the Dolphins. But it is the record he set in his first season in South Florida that may never be broken.
In 2002, Williams had a career year across the board. He set personal bests in yards and touchdowns, and his 115.8 yards per game was good enough to lead the league. He was named to the Pro Bowl, was a first team All-Pro, and came in fourth in the voting for Offensive Player of the Year.
The total rushing yards for Williams from that season is the number that truly sticks out. He was able to amass 1,853 yards that year, nearly a full 500 more than the second place finisher (Williams again the following season).
The reason that this number may never be broken is three-fold. First, then-Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt used Williams almost exclusively, as a huge portion of the offense was run through him. Second, as the league becomes increasingly pass-happy and tandem backfields are becoming more the norm, there are far less huge rushing totals being put up on a yearly basis.
And finally, the lack of threat. Aside from Williams, Jay Ajayi is the only other running back in team history to have more than 1,270 yards in a season. And unless Chase Edmonds has as many carries in 2022 as he has in his first four seasons combined, this one will be safe for at least another year. Or thirty.
Miami Dolphins unbreakable record #3:
Dan Marino’s 420 career touchdowns
Ah, yes. The king of the Miami Dolphins record book.
Dan Marino holds every significant team passing record by a mile, and the same used to be true when you spoke about the entire NFL. Before the league turned in to the pass-happy, quarterback friendly game that it is today, Marino lived at the top of the record books.
But guys like Drew Brees and Tom Brady have eclipsed many of the former Dolphins’ numbers, and Patrick Mahomes and other young signal callers are putting up big numbers early in their careers. Most of Marino’s career stats have been eclipsed by now, but he’ll likely live on forever atop the list of greatest Dolphins QBs.
There are plenty of records that we could choose from in determining which is the most unbreakable. For this particular list, we’ll go with Marino’s 420 touchdown passes.
The record stood for a good while as the most touchdowns thrown by any quarterback ever, a number that has been eclipsed 6 times over in the 20+ years following. Marino’s retirement. But it will very likely remain as the highest touchdown total for Dolphins quarterbacks, as no one has even come remotely close. Ryan Tannehill threw 123 touchdowns in a Dolphins uniform, and Jay Fiedler is after him on the list with 66 total.
If Tua Tagovailoa hopes to challenge Marino for the top spot in franchise history, he’ll have to throw roughly 39 touchdowns a year for the next 10 years. Good luck.