Number 66 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 66 days away from the start of the NFL regular season, so we honor the best players who have worn that number for the Miami Dolphins

Author:
Alain Poupart
Publish date:
Jul 4, 2022 9:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Miami Dolphins

The countdown to the start of the 2022 regular season has begun now that we're under 100 days away, so we'll honor every day the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Dolphins.

Today, we're at number 66.

As a reminder about the ground rules, the top three will be determined only by what the players did while wearing that uniform for the Dolphins.

Players who wore 66 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

G Larry Little (1969-80), G Larry Lee (1985-86), G-T Jim Gilmore (1987), T Everett McIver (1996-97), T Kevin Gogan (1999), G Heath Irwin (2000-01), G Jamie Nails (2002-03), G Rex Hadnot (2004-07), G Donald Thomas (2008-09), G David Arkin (2013), G Shelley Smith (2014), G Jacques McClendon (2015), C Travis Swanson (2018), G Solomon Kindley (2020-21)

The breakdown of 66 with the Dolphins

It's back-to-back no-brainers for the top spot because Larry Little is just as big a slam dunk at 66 as Bob Kuechenberg was at 67. Little, who arrived in perhaps the greatest trade in Dolphins history, was a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection in the 1970s and he was rewarded with a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As for the rest of the 66's, Everett McIver started 10 games over two seasons after being claimed off waivers from the Jets. Jamie Nails started two seasons for the Dolphins and his play in 2002, when he helped Ricky Williams lead the NFL with a team-record 1,853 rushing yards, was Pro Bowl caliber. Rex Hadnot started 55 games in his four seasons in Miami, splitting time at right guard and center. Solomon Kindley started 13 games as a rookie in 2020, but he got little playing time in his second season.

Worth noting

Larry Lee, who started five games for the Dolphins in 1986, later became vice president of football operations for the Detroit Lions. ... Gilmore played all three strike-replacement games for the Dolphins in 1987 after appearing in two games with the Eagles in 1986, but he never played another game in the NFL. ... Kevin Gogan started 10 games for the Dolphins in the 13th year of his 14-year NFL career. ... Donald Thomas became an opening-day starter as a rookie sixth-round pick in 2008, but he sustained a season-ending foot injury in the opener and never was able to live up to that promise, even though he did start 12 games in 2009. ... McClendon, who played three games for Miami in 2015 in the final year of his six-year NFL career, currently serves as director of football affairs for the Los Angeles Rams.