Skip to main content

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 79.

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

DT Al Dotson (1966), T Mike Current (1967), DT Claude Brownlee (1967), DT Jim Urbanek (1968), T Wayne Moore (1970-78), T Jon Giesler (1979-88), T Ike Readon (1987), DE Donnie Gardner (1991), DT Larry Webster (1992-94), T Billy Milner (1995-96), DE Kenny Mixon (1998-2001), DE Ronald Flemons (2004), T Anthony Alabi (2006-07), T Pat McQuistan (2010), DE Derrick Shelby (2012-15), T Sam Young (2016-18)

The breakdown of 79 with the Dolphins

As we arrive to numbers in the 70s, we're now going to be looking at linemen on both offense and defense. The Dolphins have had two first-round picks wearing 79, but only one player who made the Pro Bowl. That one player was tackle Wayne Moore, who started 72 games for the Dolphins in the 1970s, including 12 in 1973 when the Dolphins won the Super Bowl for a second consecutive season. Moore earned his one Pro Bowl selection during that season. Giesler was a nine-year starter after being a first-round pick in 1979 and, while he never made the Pro Bowl, his performance consistently was impressive. Mixon started three of his four seasons with the Dolphins and he was a valuable contributor, even though his statistics weren't overwhelming. Shelby started only nine games for the Dolphins, but he was a very good backup defensive lineman for three-plus seasons. 

Worth noting

Al Dotson, who started seven games for the Dolphins in 1966, was the father of DT Santana Dotson, who had a 10-year career with the Bucs and Packers. ... Current played one game in 1967 wearing 79 and returned as a starter from 1977-79 wearing 71. ... Urbanek was a third-round pick in 1968 who appeared in eight games as a rookie but did not play in another NFL game. ... Gardner, who had one sack in 10 games for the Dolphins in 1991, was the brother of seven-year NFL fullback Carwell Gardner. ... Milner became a first-round bust after he started the final nine games of the 1995 season and was traded to the Rams early in 1996 for tight end Troy Drayton. ... Webster went on to play seven more seasons in the NFL after leaving the Dolphins.

The top three Dolphins players with number 79

1. T Jon Giesler

2. T Wayne Moore

3. DE Kenny Mixon

--------------------------------------------------------

Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.

--------------------------------------------------------

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 96 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 95 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 94 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 93 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 92 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 91 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 90 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 89 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 88 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 87 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 86 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 85 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 84 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 83 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 82 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 81 Best for the Miami Dolphins

RELATED: The Three Players Who Wore 80 Best for the Miami Dolphins