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Number 73 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

We're now 73 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:
Jun 27, 2022 8:00 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 73.

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 73 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

T Norm Evans (1966-75), DT Bob Baumhower (1977-86), T Greg Johnson (1988), T Ron Heller (1993-95), G Billy Yates (2003), T Stockar McDougle (2005), G Evan Mathis (2008), DT Julius Warmsley (2016), C Wesley Johnson (2018), G/T Austin Jackson (2020-21)

The breakdown of 73 with the Dolphins

We're back at a number with two players who clearly stood out above the rest, in this case tackle Norm Evans and defensive tackle Bob Baumhower. Evans was a 10-year starter after joining the Dolphins in the expansion draft and made the Pro Bowl twice, in the perfect 1972 season and again in 1974. Baumhower started nine years, but missed a full season because of a leg injury. He made the Pro Bowl five times and was named an All-Pro in 1983. Where Baumhower might have the edge is that he was the best player on the Dolphins defense for a few years, whereas Evans was a good player on an offensive line with two Hall of Famers (Larry Little and Jim Langer). The other player worthy of mention who wore 73 was tackle Ron Heller, who started for two-plus seasons after signing as a free agent.

Worth noting

Ironically, Evans' career with the Dolphins ended the way it began — he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1976 expansion draft. ... Greg Johnson was a fourth-round pick who appeared in one game as a rookie and never played again in the NFL. ... Stockar McDougle started only two of the nine games he played for the Dolphins in 2005 after being a 16-game starter in 2003 and 2004. ... Evan Mathis is a classic guy of a guy who got away because after he played in seven games with no starts in 2008, he went on to start 79 more games in the NFL and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Eagles.