The Miami Dolphins have had a rich history with their quarterbacks, at least until Dan Marino retired and the football gods shunned them for two decades.
There are three levels of Dolphins fans alive today. Those who remember the early days of the late 60s, who squirmed through those early failures to be rewarded by Don Shula. The next are the Marino-era fans and finally, those who never got to see him play (and have seen only mediocre QB play since).
The Shula years brought Miami Bob Griese, Don Strock, David Woodley, Earl Morrall, and, of course, Marino. It also brought the team one of the worst players in NFL history.
In the 1966 AFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected a quarterback with the second overall pick in that year's draft. His name was Rick Norton. In that same year, the Cleveland Browns drafted Norton in the NFL Draft; they took him in 29th overall in the second round. It's one of the few times the Browns got lucky.
Norton opted for the Dolphins, but the Dolphins clearly had no idea what they were drafting. Norton started two games his rookie season completing only 21 of 55 passes with three TDs. He threw six interceptions. The Dolphins would draft Bob Griese a year later.
Rick Norton was one of the worst Dolphins draft picks in team history
In his four seasons with the Dolphins, Norton managed to start just 11 games while throwing six touchdowns and an incredible 30 interceptions. He won only one game in his NFL career. Norton was so bad that he only completed 41.1% of his passes with Miami.
A high-school standout, Norton gained attention around the country as one of the top young quarterbacks. He played for the Kentucky Wildcats, where he would earn postseason honors. In 2013, Norton sadly passed away at 69 years old.
Norton's legacy is the NFL is not a good one, but the dreadful finish to the 1966 season helped the 'Fins secure Bob Griese in the draft.
The Norton selection was especially notable because the Dolphins owned the first and second picks in that year's draft. They took running back Jim Grabowski number one overall. Grabowski would opt to play for Green Bay in the NFL instead.
Interestingly enough, that '66 draft produced one of the best and most underrated receivers in Dolphins history, Howard Twilley, who was taken in round 12.