Dolphins History Lesson: Players of the Month

Jason Sanders became a three-time winner of the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month when he was honored for his performance in November, in the process tying a team record held by Jason Taylor.

Sanders and Taylor now are the only two players to win AFC Player of the Month honors three times as members of the Dolphins since the award first began for offense and defense in 1986 and for special teams in 1993.

This marked the 22nd time a Dolphins player has won a monthly AFC award, including the October 1990 AFC Defensive Player of the Month award shared by defensive end Jeff Cross and linebacker John Offerdahl.

Dolphins players have won the award for defense 11 times, for special teams eight times and for offense three times — by Dan Marino twice and by Scott Mitchell once.

Special teams have dominated this award for the Dolphins lately. Of the last eight times a Dolphins player has won a monthly award, it's been for special teams seven times.

The last player to win for defense was Cameron Wake, who was honored for his work in October 2012.

The last offensive player to win the monthly award for the Dolphins was Mitchell for October 1993, which is when he was put into the starting lineup after Marino sustained his season-ending torn Achilles injury at Cleveland.

Sanders' award for November was his second in a row and his third in four months of NFL action. The last NFL player to win the award three times in a four-month span was quarterback Peyton Manning, who won in October and December of 2012 and September of 2013 while a member of the Denver Broncos.

Along with Sanders, Taylor and Marino, the only other Dolphins player to win an AFC monthly award more than once was kicker Dan Carpenter.

Several great Dolphins players never won the award, among them Ricky Williams, Sam Madison, Mark Clayton and Mark Duper.

Here's the complete list of Dolphins Player of the Month winners:

November 2020 — K Jason Sanders, special teams

October 2020 — K Jason Sanders, special teams

December 2019 — K Jason Sanders, special teams

October 2014 — WR Jarvis Landry, special teams

October 2012 — DE Cameron Wake, defense

October 2010 — K Dan Carpenter, special teams

November 2009 — WR Ted Ginn Jr., special teams

November 2008 — K Dan Carpenter, special teams

October 2008 — LB Joey Porter, defense

November 2006 — LB Jason Taylor, defense

October 2003 — CB Patrick Surtain, defense

November 2002 — DE Jason Taylor, defense

October 2002 — DE Jason Taylor, defense

December 2001 — S Brock Marion, defense

October 1999 — K Olindo Mare, special teams

December 1998 — LB Robert Jones, defense

September 1998 — LB Zach Thomas, defense

October 1993 — QB Scott Mitchell, offense

September 1992 — LB Bryan Cox, defense

October 1990 — DE Jeff Cross/LB John Offerdahl, defense

October 1988 — QB Dan Marino, offense

November 1986 — QB Dan Marino, offense

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