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Manny Fernandez arrived in Miami as an undrafted player in 1968. He left eight years later as one of the greatest Dolphins to ever put on a uniform.
The team announced Tuesday that Fernandez had died at the age of 79. He was inducted into the Dolphins’ Ring of Honor in 2014 — one of the few players from the legendary 1972 squad to receive that individual recognition, separate from the group induction the entire undefeated team received.
His position, nose tackle, isn’t one that typically draws MVP attention. Fernandez drew it anyway.
During the 1970 NFL season, he pulled in down-ballot MVP votes – a remarkable nod for a defensive lineman – as the Dolphins made the first of five straight playoff appearances. They lost that postseason run early, but the trajectory was clear. Miami was building something special.
The following season, the Dolphins reached the Super Bowl, where they fell to the Dallas Cowboys. What came next, though, is the stuff of NFL legend. In 1972, Fernandez and the Dolphins ran the table – undefeated through the regular season, undefeated through the playoffs, finishing with a 14-7 Super Bowl win over Washington. Fernandez racked up 17 tackles in that game, and plenty of people felt he deserved the MVP trophy that went elsewhere.
They came back and won it all again the following season too, with Fernandez recording sacks in both Super Bowl victories.
Over his eight-year career, he’s credited with 35 sacks – unofficial figures, since the NFL didn’t formally recognize the stat until 1982. The numbers don’t fully capture what he meant to those Dolphins teams, but they’re a starting point.
His legacy only grew after retirement. Fans voted him onto the Dolphins’ All-Time team in 2007, and he’s appeared on numerous All-Super Bowl teams over the years. In 2015, Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab ranked Fernandez the 10th greatest Super Bowl player ever.
In their statement Tuesday, the Dolphins called Fernandez “one of the best players in Dolphins history.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
