The 100 Greatest Plays in Dolphins History: No. 39

Combining the countdown to the start of the Dolphins regular season with the best plays in franchise history

Author:
Alain Poupart
Publish date:
Aug 4, 2021 8:00 AM EDT

To help count down the days to the start of the Miami Dolphins regular season last year, we marked each day with the corresponding jersey number and came up with the three best players to wear that number.

This year, we're counting down to the start of the regular season with a countdown of the top 100 plays in Dolphins history.

Given that the Dolphins have played 849 regular season games and 41 more in the playoffs, it's an awfully difficult task to narrow things down to 100 plays and then rank them. The plays selected were ranked on the basis of difficulty, uniqueness, immediate and long-lasting impact and historical significance.

The countdown initially appeared in Dolphin Digest in 2019 but has been updated.

We continue with No. 39:

No. 39: Dick Anderson's Pick-Six vs. Pittsburgh in 1973

Setting the stage: The number 44 play in our countdown was the intentional safety the Dolphins took toward the end of this same game when they were leading 30-24. And no one was more instrumental in helping build that lead — and ultimately the victory — than safety Dick Anderson. In a game that helped him win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, Anderson set a still-standing Dolphins record with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

The play: Anderson started his big night early — on the third snap from scrimmage, to be precise. It was a third-and-8 when Steelers quarterback Joe Gilliam went back to pass, and Anderson dove in front of the intended receiver to make the pick. Untouched as he fell to the ground, Anderson got up and sprinted toward the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. He would add a 38-yard pick-six in the second quarter to help the Dolphins build a 30-3 halftime lead.

No. 39: Dick Anderson's Pick-Six vs. Pittsburgh in 1973

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