RIP Mercury Morris

[matt_garth]

 

[User 149557]

I’m not going to say it.

 

[User 1019]

Say what?

 

[User 149557]

Say what?

A very distasteful champagne joke.

 

[User 1019]

Ah

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Can’t be too many of those ’72 Dolphins left.

 

[garrow]

Fins legend. RIP.

 

[maumann]

The speed running back behind Csonka and Kiick on the depth chart and primary kick returner. Gained exactly 1,000 yards in 1972. After football, wound up serving three years in prison for trafficking cocaine. Was a mandatory 15-year sentence but his claim of entrapment was originally dismisssed.

RIP, Mercury.

 

[playthrough]

Can’t be too many of those ’72 Dolphins left.

Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield ... that's all I got off the top of my head

 

[User 1019]

I think Griese is still alive, isn't he?

 

[daytonadan1983]

Larry Little is alive

 

[wicked]

I will make the comment.. no one to pop the champagne when the last undefeated team of the year loses.

Quite frankly, they seemed like assholes about it every time. And Mercury Morris IIRC was the ring leader of it.

 

[Songbird]

Barely born to have seen him.

 

[Slacker]

Gained exactly 1,000 yards in 1972.

First gained exactly 991 yards that season, as I recall, until a push for further research resulted in the NFL discovering exactly 9 more yards that had not been credited to him.

Loved the Merc, but I never did hear the story of how that went down.
But I'd bet the investigation began with a phone call from Shula to Rozelle.

 

[Slacker]

I will make the comment.. no one to pop the champagne when the last undefeated team of the year loses.

Quite frankly, they seemed like assholes about it every time. And Mercury Morris IIRC was the ring leader of it.

The further story is that they have not been assholes about it.
It was just a friendly thing among themselves until some media jock-sniffers blew it up.

Tim Tebow knows the same feeling after media types blew him up to be Super Jesus, which he never asked prayed for. And I say that as a Not a Tebow Fan clubber.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

First gained exactly 991 yards that season, as I recall, until a push for further research resulted in the NFL discovering exactly 9 more yards that had not been credited to him.

Loved the Merc, but I never did hear the story of how that went down.
But I'd bet the investigation began with a phone call from Shula to Rozelle.

"All I need is 9 more yards ..."

 

[Della9250]

It's actually more than I guess we think. Still alive:

Jim Del Gaizo
Bob Griese
Larry Csonka
Ed Jenkins
Howard Twilley
Paul Warfield
Otto Stowe
Marv Fleming
Doug Crusan
Larry Little
Norm Evans
Howard Kindig
Al Jenkins
Vern Den Herder
Manny Fernandez
Bob Heinz
Maulty Moore
Doug Swift
Larry Ball
Curtis Johnson
**** Anderson
Charlie Babb
Mike Howell
Lloyd Mumphord
Henry Stuckey
Larry Seiple

 

[playthrough]

Ah, shame on me to not remember Doug Crusan, part of the small club of Indiana U players with a Super Bowl ring.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

First gained exactly 991 yards that season, as I recall, until a push for further research resulted in the NFL discovering exactly 9 more yards that had not been credited to him.

Loved the Merc, but I never did hear the story of how that went down.
But I'd bet the investigation began with a phone call from Shula to Rozelle.

Real good chance, given his clout on the Competition Committee.

Pete ruled with an iron fist, and Pete played favorites.

Exhibit A, his buddy from his PR days with the Los Angeles Rams, Tex Schramm.

The original NFL Anti-Christ.

 

[Jesus_Muscatel]

It's actually more than I guess we think. Still alive:

Jim Del Gaizo
Bob Griese
Larry Csonka
Ed Jenkins
Howard Twilley
Paul Warfield
Otto Stowe
Marv Fleming
Doug Crusan
Larry Little
Norm Evans
Howard Kindig
Al Jenkins
Vern Den Herder
Manny Fernandez
Bob Heinz
Maulty Moore
Doug Swift
Larry Ball
Curtis Johnson
**** Anderson
Charlie Babb
Mike Howell
Lloyd Mumphord
Henry Stuckey
Larry Seiple

It's actually more than I guess we think. Still alive:

Jim Del Gaizo
Bob Griese
Larry Csonka
Ed Jenkins
Howard Twilley
Paul Warfield
Otto Stowe
Marv Fleming
Doug Crusan
Larry Little
Norm Evans
Howard Kindig
Al Jenkins
Vern Den Herder
Manny Fernandez
Bob Heinz
Maulty Moore
Doug Swift
Larry Ball
Curtis Johnson
**** Anderson
Charlie Babb
Mike Howell
Lloyd Mumphord
Henry Stuckey
Larry Seiple

A lot more than I would have anticipated. NFL teams had "taxi squads" in those days, and active rosters of 40 players on game day. Long snappers? Get real. Kick returners? Nah, not really. Substitution patterns? Nope.

(Well, very rare. "Nickel" packages and hands teams for kickoff returns were about it.)

There's a lot of prominent ex-Dolphins on this list ... Griese, Csonk, Larry Little, Fleming, Fernandez, **** Anderson, Seipel (the punter), Den Herder.

George Allen's WFT was actually a slight favorite in the Supe, on account of Miami's lack of schedule strength. If Jurgensen had played, instead of Billy Kilmer, their chances would have been considerably better.