Jim Rassol and Robert Duyos/Sun SentinelDuring Saban's tenure, the Dolphins search for a quarterback led them to a crossroads: Sign Drew Brees, who was recovering from a torn rotator cuff, or Daunte Culpepper, who was recovering from a knee injury. The Dolphins signed the latter on March 14, 2006. Miami was 1-3 with Culpepper that season before he went down with an injury. He played three more seasons in Oakland and Detroit, going 2-14 as a starter. Brees signed with the Saints and threw for 4,418 yards in 2006. He¿s 62-33 as a starter with the Saints, won the Super Bowl in 2010 (at Sun Life Stadium) and broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record in 2011.
Robert Duyos/Sun SentinelDid the Dolphins downturn begin on this day -- Jan. 15, 2000 -- Jimmy Johnson, Dan Marino and the Dolphins had no answers against Tom Coughlin and the Jaguars. The worst playoff loss in franchise history would also mark the end of the Johnson era with the Dolphins and Marino's illustrious career. Johnson, who won titles with the Miami Hurricanes and Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, could not capture the same magic with the Dolphins. Just hours after this game ended, he was gone.
Sun Sentinel fileJanuary 2004: Consider the possibilities if the Miami Dolphins could have hung on to Ron Wolf as a consultant. Wolf hired Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and traded for Brett Favre. The Packers were 92-52 under Wolf and won a Super Bowl. When the Dolphins were interviewing general manager candidates, Wolf recommended Seattle executive Ted Thompson, who worked under him in Green Bay. The Dolphins chose to promote Rick Spielman and hire Dan Marino as a senior vice president. Wolf took his services to Cleveland.
Sun Sentinel wireDec. 25, 2004 to Jan. 3, 2007: Everyone knows how this ends. Nick Saban was brought in after a successful college coaching career to rebuild and revitalize the Dolphins. After two seasons, a 15-17 record and multiple denials about leaving for South Florida for Alabama ("I'm not going to be the Alabama coach"), Saban did indeed leave for Tuscaloosa, where he has won three national titles with the Crimson Tide. Saban later apologized "for any professional mishandling that might have occurred."
Joe Cavaretta/Sun SentinelAs the Dolphins have plodded through six straight non-winning seasons, it has become more and more difficult to sell tickets. With the garish orange seats removed in the stadium's renovations, the gaping sections of unsold seasts won't be quite as noticeable.
Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIREJust hours after he announced he was parting ways with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, Peyton Manning ended up -- where else -- in South Florida. Manning's arrival was chronicled by shaky, grainy video images of him stepping off a plane. Later, his caravan was followed O.J.-style by hovering helicopters. All this set off speculation that Manning soon would be a Dolphin. But the Dolphins meeting with Manning never happened in South Florida. They were forced to meet him in Indianapolis. Manning signed with Denver and the Dolphins signed David Garrard and drafted Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Sun Sentinel fileRevolving QBs Here is the well-documented list of starting quarterbacks since Dan Marino: Jay Fiedler, Ray Lucas, Damon Huard, Sage Rosenfels, Brian Griese, A.J. Feeley, Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon, Joey Harrington, John Beck, Trent Green, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Moore ... at least Ryan Tannehill seems to have stuck his foot out and stopped the rapidly revolving door.
Sun Sentinel fileAfter consecutive 7-9 seasons in 2009 and 2010, Dolphins owner Steve Ross began to look over head coach Tony Sparano's shoulder -- or rather behind his back. Accompanied by GM Jeff Ireland, Ross visited then-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh in California, intent on hiring him as the next coach of the Dolphins. Word of the visit, and a $40 million offer, to Harbaugh leaked out. When Harbaugh rejected the Dolphins' advances and accepted an offer from the San Francisco 49ers, a contrite Ross apologized to Sparano. The pair sat together awkwardly at a press conference on Jan. 8, 2011, announcing Sparanos contract extension. Sparano was fired with three games left in the 6-10 season. Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 49-22-1 record the next four years, reaching the NFC title game three times as well as Super Bowl XLVII.
Mike Stocker/Sun SentinelDec. 20, 2007: Former Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga said he wasn't afraid to spend money to win. So he spent it on Bill Parcells with a four-year, $16 million contract as vice president of football operations. The Parcells era started promising enough. With new GM Jeff Ireland, coach Tony Sparano and quarterback Chad Pennington, the Dolphins finished 11-5 and AFC East champions. But the legacy of the Parcells era will best be remembered for using second-round draft picks on quarterbacks Chad Henne and Pat White, consecutive 7-9 seasons in 2009 and 2010 and the 6-10 team he left behind in 2011 after he cleaned out his office and disappeared without a word.
Sun Sentinel fileSouth Florida has seen 10 Super Bowls, but the league fell out of love with spending the last week in January in South Florida and there hasn't been a Super Bowl down here in five years. Commissioner Roger Goodell strong-armed Stephen Ross into the $350 million renovation of Sun Life Stadium that is under way to make the venue viable for the Super Bowl.
Lou Toman/Sun SentinelMarch 13, 2000: Dan Marino's skills had been in visible decline in the years before he retired, but he was still a franchise quarterback. The franchise hasn't had one since, though Ryan Tannehill shows some promise. Less than three months after Johnson bid farewell, Marino hung them up. Miami has had 17 starting quarterbacks since.
Sun Sentinel fileJan. 16, 2000: The day after the 62-7 debacle in Jacksonville, Jimmy Johnson retired and handed over coaching duties to his heir apparent Dave Wannstedt. On the surface, Wannstedt had a respectable 42-31 (.575) record in Miami, with two 11-5 seasons and consecutive playoff appearances. But Wannstedt's era would become a punch line, known more for bad personnel and coaching decisions and for leaving the franchise in disarray.
John McCall / South Florida Sun SentinelBaltimore, led by South Florida product Lamar Jackson, pummeled the Dolphins in the NFL head coaching debut of Brian Flores. The Ravens piled up 21 points in each of the first two quarters, and the 59 points set a record for points allowed by the Dolphins in a home game. The Dolphins had traded solid veterans Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and Kiko Alonso barely a week beforehand to enhance their chances at picking first in the 2020 NFL draft.
Robert Duyos/Sun SentinelOct. 23, 2011: When Gator Day arrived at Sun Life Stadium, Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer would take center stage in ways Dolphins fans could not imagine. After the awkward halftime ceremony honoring Meyer and the 2009 Gators, things began to unravel for the Dolphins. Tebow, held in check for three-plus quarters, mounted a furious 15-point, fourth-quarter comeback to tie the game in regulation. In the meantime, Dolphins owner Steve Ross was seen on the sidelines buddying up to Meyer, then a retired coach and analyst for ESPN. After Tebow led Denver to an 18-15 OT win over Miami, speculation ran rampant that Ross was greasing the skids for Meyer to consider coaching the Dolphins.
Sun Sentinel fileBill Parcells drafted Chad Pennington in 2000 out of Marshall and grabbed him again when the Jets cut him loose in favor of Brett Favre in 2008. It was a gift. Pennington lead Miami to an 11-5 record and an AFC East title. The Dolphins appeared to have found a franchise quarterback until Pennington injured his throwing shoulder in 2009. Enter Chad Henne. The second-round pick out of Michigan was the heir apparent, but proved to be inconsistent and ineffective. Re-enter Pennington, who was named the starter for a Nov. 14, 2009 game against Tennessee. Pennington lasted two plays before injuring his shoulder again. Henne also was injured in that game, which the Dolphins won behind Tyler Thigpen.
Sun Sentinel fileNov. 9: 2004: It's hard to believe that when the Dolphins last won a playoff game (Dec. 30, 2000: 23-17 in overtime over Indianapolis) Dave Wannstedt was the coach. But in 2004, with the Dolphins 1-8 and the roster in shambles, Wannstedt resigned. Jim Bates took over during the bye week and the Dolphins finished 4-12. They've had two winning seasons since.
Scott Cunningham/Getty ImagesAug. 29, 2011: During a preseason game against Tampa Bay, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee and VP/Special Adviser Nat Moore, a Florida grad, announced the team would honor the 2009 National Champion Florida Gators at Sun Life Stadium. The well-meaning idea was met with outrage by fans of Miami's pro and college football teams. Dolphins' fans hated it because the team was waiting for Tim Tebow to come to town with the Broncos to hold the event. Hurricanes fans hated it because the Gators were to be honored on the `Canes' home field.
Sun Sentinel file"I know it's about winning football games," Steve Ross said after buying half the Dolphins in April 2008. But after taking full ownership of the team and stadium less than a year later, Ross seemed more focused on other ways to win the fans over. He rolled out the "Orange Carpet" at Sun Life Stadium and brought in celebrity owners and partners Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett, Fergie and Venus and Serena Williams. But the Dolphins star-studded ownership has not translated to wins or fan support. Miami is 43-53 in the six seasons with Ross as the majority owner.
Sun Sentinel fileJan. 12 to Feb. 3, 2004: Dan Marino's tenure as a Dolphins' top football executive lasted three weeks. After accepting the job as senior vice president of football operations, Marino surprised team owner H. Wayne Huizenga by quickly changing his mind. Marino said he wasn't prepared to make the "significant lifestyle change" that the position would require for him and his family, which includes six children.
Sun Sentinel fileRicky Williams is among the greatest running backs in Dolphins history and he certainly contributed to more highlights than lowlights since arriving in Miami in 2002. The enigmatic Williams failed multiple tests for marijuana, lived in a tent in Australia, studied holistic medicine and yoga in California and played an injury-shortened season with the CFL during his absences. After a season in Baltimore, Williams retired this year, reformed in the minds of Miami fans and forever a Dolphins favorite. But his sudden his retirement/suspension in the summer of 2004 contributed to the Dolphins horrific season. And his greatness only enhances the impact of his absences that season and during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Sun Sentinel fileMarch 3: 2003: In search of stability at quarterback, the Dolphins sent their 2005 second-round pick to Philadelphia for A.J. Feeley. He was 3-5 in eight starts during his single season in Miami and threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (11).
Jim Rassol / Sun SentinelIn the middle of the 2013 season, a lunchroom insult led to tackle Jonathan Martin leaving the Dolphins facility, never to be seen there again. He alleged a locker-room teeming with obscene instances of bullying and harassment, including disgusting text messages allegedly from Incognito. The Pro Bowl guard was released and sat out the 2014 season. Coach Joe Philbin survived, but his detachment from the locker room was excoriated in an investigation the NFL did.
Sun Sentinel fileApril 2010: Oh, no he didn't. Oh, yes he did. During a pre-NFL Daft interview, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland asked Oklahoma St. wide receiver Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. Ireland apologized, but four weeks later, and only after the incident was made public. "No, my mom is not a prostitute," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "I got mad - really mad - but I didn't show it."
Sun Sentinel fileEvery team swings and misses on draft picks, but during the Dolphins downturn they've consistently missed on high draft picks. For instance: 2001, DB Jamar Fletcher, first round; 2003, DB Eddie Moore, second round; 2007: WR, Ted Ginn Jr., first round, QB John Beck, second round; 2008, DE Phillip Merling and QB Chad Henne, second round; 2009, QB Pat White, second round; 2011, RB Daniel Thomas, second round; and 2012, T Jonathan Martin, second round.- Jim Rassol and Robert Duyos/Sun SentinelDuring Saban's tenure, the Dolphins search for a quarterback led them to a crossroads: Sign Drew Brees, who was recovering from a torn rotator cuff, or Daunte Culpepper, who was recovering from a knee injury. The Dolphins signed the latter on March 14, 2006. Miami was 1-3 with Culpepper that season before he went down with an injury. He played three more seasons in Oakland and Detroit, going 2-14 as a starter. Brees signed with the Saints and threw for 4,418 yards in 2006. He¿s 62-33 as a starter with the Saints, won the Super Bowl in 2010 (at Sun Life Stadium) and broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record in 2011.
- Robert Duyos/Sun SentinelDid the Dolphins downturn begin on this day -- Jan. 15, 2000 -- Jimmy Johnson, Dan Marino and the Dolphins had no answers against Tom Coughlin and the Jaguars. The worst playoff loss in franchise history would also mark the end of the Johnson era with the Dolphins and Marino's illustrious career. Johnson, who won titles with the Miami Hurricanes and Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, could not capture the same magic with the Dolphins. Just hours after this game ended, he was gone.
- Sun Sentinel fileJanuary 2004: Consider the possibilities if the Miami Dolphins could have hung on to Ron Wolf as a consultant. Wolf hired Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and traded for Brett Favre. The Packers were 92-52 under Wolf and won a Super Bowl. When the Dolphins were interviewing general manager candidates, Wolf recommended Seattle executive Ted Thompson, who worked under him in Green Bay. The Dolphins chose to promote Rick Spielman and hire Dan Marino as a senior vice president. Wolf took his services to Cleveland.
- Sun Sentinel wireDec. 25, 2004 to Jan. 3, 2007: Everyone knows how this ends. Nick Saban was brought in after a successful college coaching career to rebuild and revitalize the Dolphins. After two seasons, a 15-17 record and multiple denials about leaving for South Florida for Alabama ("I'm not going to be the Alabama coach"), Saban did indeed leave for Tuscaloosa, where he has won three national titles with the Crimson Tide. Saban later apologized "for any professional mishandling that might have occurred."
- Joe Cavaretta/Sun SentinelAs the Dolphins have plodded through six straight non-winning seasons, it has become more and more difficult to sell tickets. With the garish orange seats removed in the stadium's renovations, the gaping sections of unsold seasts won't be quite as noticeable.
- Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIREJust hours after he announced he was parting ways with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012, Peyton Manning ended up -- where else -- in South Florida. Manning's arrival was chronicled by shaky, grainy video images of him stepping off a plane. Later, his caravan was followed O.J.-style by hovering helicopters. All this set off speculation that Manning soon would be a Dolphin. But the Dolphins meeting with Manning never happened in South Florida. They were forced to meet him in Indianapolis. Manning signed with Denver and the Dolphins signed David Garrard and drafted Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
- Sun Sentinel fileRevolving QBs Here is the well-documented list of starting quarterbacks since Dan Marino: Jay Fiedler, Ray Lucas, Damon Huard, Sage Rosenfels, Brian Griese, A.J. Feeley, Gus Frerotte, Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon, Joey Harrington, John Beck, Trent Green, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Moore ... at least Ryan Tannehill seems to have stuck his foot out and stopped the rapidly revolving door.
- Sun Sentinel fileAfter consecutive 7-9 seasons in 2009 and 2010, Dolphins owner Steve Ross began to look over head coach Tony Sparano's shoulder -- or rather behind his back. Accompanied by GM Jeff Ireland, Ross visited then-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh in California, intent on hiring him as the next coach of the Dolphins. Word of the visit, and a $40 million offer, to Harbaugh leaked out. When Harbaugh rejected the Dolphins' advances and accepted an offer from the San Francisco 49ers, a contrite Ross apologized to Sparano. The pair sat together awkwardly at a press conference on Jan. 8, 2011, announcing Sparanos contract extension. Sparano was fired with three games left in the 6-10 season. Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 49-22-1 record the next four years, reaching the NFC title game three times as well as Super Bowl XLVII.
- Mike Stocker/Sun SentinelDec. 20, 2007: Former Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga said he wasn't afraid to spend money to win. So he spent it on Bill Parcells with a four-year, $16 million contract as vice president of football operations. The Parcells era started promising enough. With new GM Jeff Ireland, coach Tony Sparano and quarterback Chad Pennington, the Dolphins finished 11-5 and AFC East champions. But the legacy of the Parcells era will best be remembered for using second-round draft picks on quarterbacks Chad Henne and Pat White, consecutive 7-9 seasons in 2009 and 2010 and the 6-10 team he left behind in 2011 after he cleaned out his office and disappeared without a word.
- Sun Sentinel fileSouth Florida has seen 10 Super Bowls, but the league fell out of love with spending the last week in January in South Florida and there hasn't been a Super Bowl down here in five years. Commissioner Roger Goodell strong-armed Stephen Ross into the $350 million renovation of Sun Life Stadium that is under way to make the venue viable for the Super Bowl.
- Lou Toman/Sun SentinelMarch 13, 2000: Dan Marino's skills had been in visible decline in the years before he retired, but he was still a franchise quarterback. The franchise hasn't had one since, though Ryan Tannehill shows some promise. Less than three months after Johnson bid farewell, Marino hung them up. Miami has had 17 starting quarterbacks since.
- Sun Sentinel fileJan. 16, 2000: The day after the 62-7 debacle in Jacksonville, Jimmy Johnson retired and handed over coaching duties to his heir apparent Dave Wannstedt. On the surface, Wannstedt had a respectable 42-31 (.575) record in Miami, with two 11-5 seasons and consecutive playoff appearances. But Wannstedt's era would become a punch line, known more for bad personnel and coaching decisions and for leaving the franchise in disarray.
- John McCall / South Florida Sun SentinelBaltimore, led by South Florida product Lamar Jackson, pummeled the Dolphins in the NFL head coaching debut of Brian Flores. The Ravens piled up 21 points in each of the first two quarters, and the 59 points set a record for points allowed by the Dolphins in a home game. The Dolphins had traded solid veterans Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and Kiko Alonso barely a week beforehand to enhance their chances at picking first in the 2020 NFL draft.
- Robert Duyos/Sun SentinelOct. 23, 2011: When Gator Day arrived at Sun Life Stadium, Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer would take center stage in ways Dolphins fans could not imagine. After the awkward halftime ceremony honoring Meyer and the 2009 Gators, things began to unravel for the Dolphins. Tebow, held in check for three-plus quarters, mounted a furious 15-point, fourth-quarter comeback to tie the game in regulation. In the meantime, Dolphins owner Steve Ross was seen on the sidelines buddying up to Meyer, then a retired coach and analyst for ESPN. After Tebow led Denver to an 18-15 OT win over Miami, speculation ran rampant that Ross was greasing the skids for Meyer to consider coaching the Dolphins.
- Sun Sentinel fileBill Parcells drafted Chad Pennington in 2000 out of Marshall and grabbed him again when the Jets cut him loose in favor of Brett Favre in 2008. It was a gift. Pennington lead Miami to an 11-5 record and an AFC East title. The Dolphins appeared to have found a franchise quarterback until Pennington injured his throwing shoulder in 2009. Enter Chad Henne. The second-round pick out of Michigan was the heir apparent, but proved to be inconsistent and ineffective. Re-enter Pennington, who was named the starter for a Nov. 14, 2009 game against Tennessee. Pennington lasted two plays before injuring his shoulder again. Henne also was injured in that game, which the Dolphins won behind Tyler Thigpen.
- Sun Sentinel fileNov. 9: 2004: It's hard to believe that when the Dolphins last won a playoff game (Dec. 30, 2000: 23-17 in overtime over Indianapolis) Dave Wannstedt was the coach. But in 2004, with the Dolphins 1-8 and the roster in shambles, Wannstedt resigned. Jim Bates took over during the bye week and the Dolphins finished 4-12. They've had two winning seasons since.
- Scott Cunningham/Getty ImagesAug. 29, 2011: During a preseason game against Tampa Bay, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee and VP/Special Adviser Nat Moore, a Florida grad, announced the team would honor the 2009 National Champion Florida Gators at Sun Life Stadium. The well-meaning idea was met with outrage by fans of Miami's pro and college football teams. Dolphins' fans hated it because the team was waiting for Tim Tebow to come to town with the Broncos to hold the event. Hurricanes fans hated it because the Gators were to be honored on the `Canes' home field.
- Sun Sentinel file"I know it's about winning football games," Steve Ross said after buying half the Dolphins in April 2008. But after taking full ownership of the team and stadium less than a year later, Ross seemed more focused on other ways to win the fans over. He rolled out the "Orange Carpet" at Sun Life Stadium and brought in celebrity owners and partners Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett, Fergie and Venus and Serena Williams. But the Dolphins star-studded ownership has not translated to wins or fan support. Miami is 43-53 in the six seasons with Ross as the majority owner.
- Sun Sentinel fileJan. 12 to Feb. 3, 2004: Dan Marino's tenure as a Dolphins' top football executive lasted three weeks. After accepting the job as senior vice president of football operations, Marino surprised team owner H. Wayne Huizenga by quickly changing his mind. Marino said he wasn't prepared to make the "significant lifestyle change" that the position would require for him and his family, which includes six children.
- Sun Sentinel fileRicky Williams is among the greatest running backs in Dolphins history and he certainly contributed to more highlights than lowlights since arriving in Miami in 2002. The enigmatic Williams failed multiple tests for marijuana, lived in a tent in Australia, studied holistic medicine and yoga in California and played an injury-shortened season with the CFL during his absences. After a season in Baltimore, Williams retired this year, reformed in the minds of Miami fans and forever a Dolphins favorite. But his sudden his retirement/suspension in the summer of 2004 contributed to the Dolphins horrific season. And his greatness only enhances the impact of his absences that season and during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
- Sun Sentinel fileMarch 3: 2003: In search of stability at quarterback, the Dolphins sent their 2005 second-round pick to Philadelphia for A.J. Feeley. He was 3-5 in eight starts during his single season in Miami and threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (11).
- Jim Rassol / Sun SentinelIn the middle of the 2013 season, a lunchroom insult led to tackle Jonathan Martin leaving the Dolphins facility, never to be seen there again. He alleged a locker-room teeming with obscene instances of bullying and harassment, including disgusting text messages allegedly from Incognito. The Pro Bowl guard was released and sat out the 2014 season. Coach Joe Philbin survived, but his detachment from the locker room was excoriated in an investigation the NFL did.
- Sun Sentinel fileApril 2010: Oh, no he didn't. Oh, yes he did. During a pre-NFL Daft interview, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland asked Oklahoma St. wide receiver Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. Ireland apologized, but four weeks later, and only after the incident was made public. "No, my mom is not a prostitute," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "I got mad - really mad - but I didn't show it."
- Sun Sentinel fileEvery team swings and misses on draft picks, but during the Dolphins downturn they've consistently missed on high draft picks. For instance: 2001, DB Jamar Fletcher, first round; 2003, DB Eddie Moore, second round; 2007: WR, Ted Ginn Jr., first round, QB John Beck, second round; 2008, DE Phillip Merling and QB Chad Henne, second round; 2009, QB Pat White, second round; 2011, RB Daniel Thomas, second round; and 2012, T Jonathan Martin, second round.
Jim Rassol and Robert Duyos/Sun Sentinel
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During Saban's tenure, the Dolphins search for a quarterback led them to a crossroads: Sign Drew Brees, who was recovering from a torn rotator cuff, or Daunte Culpepper, who was recovering from a knee injury. The Dolphins signed the latter on March 14, 2006. Miami was 1-3 with Culpepper that season before he went down with an injury. He played three more seasons in Oakland and Detroit, going 2-14 as a starter. Brees signed with the Saints and threw for 4,418 yards in 2006. He¿s 62-33 as a starter with the Saints, won the Super Bowl in 2010 (at Sun Life Stadium) and broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record in 2011.
ExpandBy Keven Lerner
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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What else can go wrong for the Miami Dolphins this preseason?
The Dolphins’ team charter, carrying players and coaches back to South Florida after their 30-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, backed into another plane while leaving the gate early Thursday morning.
Both planes were damaged and the Dolphins return to South Florida was delayed several hours.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson, the Dolphins charter, an American Airlines 767, was pushed by a ground crew into another parked American Airlines MD-80 in a cargo area of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport used for sports charters.
The incident happened before the jet reached the tarmac and before the plane was in contact with air traffic control.
“It rocked the entire plane,” Dolphins broadcaster Joe Rose said on his sports radio show (WQAM 560-AM) early Thursday morning.
“It was crazy … I just couldn’t believe it,” said Rose, who was aboard the plane.
“You knew right away something wasn’t normal,” Rose said. “Those were sounds — and the way the plane rocked, that huge plane — it wasn’t normal.”
The collision damaged a wingtip on the Dolphins’ charter. There were no injuries.
“The next thing you know we’re getting off the plane,” Rose said. “We’ve got everyone looking at the damage to the wing. And we could see the damage to the other plane, it got ripped really bad, too.”
Rose also said HBO’s “Hard Knocks” crew was on board and began filming the incident for the final episode, set to air next Tuesday.
The airport mishap was a fitting end to a difficult Dolphins preseason in which they finished 0-4 and have been outscored 96-43.
Rose said the team was stranded for more than three hours at the airport until they could board a replacement plane. The FAA said the charter left Dallas Fort Worth Airport at around 4 a.m.
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“So tired and haven’t even left Dallas yet,” receiver Brian Hartline said on Twitter. “Aaaaand the rumor is we backed into another plane… On the runway #awesome! Anyone else awake?”
The replacement plane landed in South Florida safely Thursday morning around 7:30 a.m.
“8:08 am. Just got home from Dallas. Longer trip ever!” quarterback Matt Moore said on Twitter.
“Eight hour ordeal .. What a day #4thumbs down,” linebacker Cameron Wake tweeted.
“This is not real life … team plane backed into another plane right before take off,” defensive end Jared Odrick tweeted.