The best to wear each jersey number
Competition for best at some spots is indeed stiff
South Florida’s three biggest selling points today: sunshine, no state taxes and NFL jerseys. Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins top draft pick, holds the top two spots among NFL jersey sales.
This is quite a feat considering he hasn’t played a game and doesn’t even crack the top five of South Florida players who wore a No. 1 jersey. He might have a pretty good career and never crack that that list too.
The Great Dolphins Hope couldn’t have picked a tougher jersey for his namesake to become the number-sake. With that in mind, whose name is attached to numbers in South Florida legacy? Let’s go 0-99:
0. Shane Larkin. The second-best University of Miami basketball player ever.
1. Ron Fraser, longtime UM baseball coach. Severe apologies to Roberto Luongo, Chris Bosh, Luis Castillo and Garo Yepremian. Best of luck scaling this list, Tua.
2. Tamara James. All-time scorer at University of Miami basketball.
3. Dwyane Wade. Through eterni-three.
4. Ray Hudson. The voice of soccer’s old Fort Lauderdale Strikers number. Over Reggie Roby and Rony Seikaly.
5. UM receiver Andre Johnson.
6. LeBron James.
7. Joey. Mr. Jai-Alai.
8. Andre Dawson in his Marlins stint. 9. Marlins outfielder Juan Pierre.
10. Panthers forward Pavel Bure.
11. UM quarterback Ken Dorsey.
12. Bob Griese. Sorry, Jim Kelly.
Can South Florida sports fans picture anyone other than Dwyane Wade wearing No. 3?
13. Dan Marino.
14. UM’s Vinny Testaverde.
15. Marlins manager Jack McKeon.
16. The late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. 17. Ryan Tannehill.
18. Chris Evert. Tennis doesn’t have numbers, but she’s on here by Grand Slam victory total.
19. Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell.
20. UM safety Ed Reed. 21. Hurricanes running back (and later Dolphin) Frank Gore. Sorry, Jim Kiick and Josh Beckett.
22. Dolphins running back Mercury Morris.
23. UM (and Marlins) catcher Charles Johnson.
24. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins star. Over Frances Savage, UM’s national player of the year in 1992.
25. Randy Guerra. His University of Miami baseball number was retired.
26. UM safety Sean Taylor.
27. Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. Sorry, Scott Mellanby, creator of Panthers’ Year of the Rat.
28. Dolphins cornerback Don McNeal.
29. Satchel Paige. The original Miami Marlin.
30. UM fullback Alonzo Highsmith.
31. Brian Piccolo. His number at what is now St. Thomas Aquinas High. 32. Shaquille O’Neal. 33. Alonzo Mourning. 34. Dolphins running back Ricky Williams. Over Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck.
35. Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins’ face of baseball.
36. UM safety Bennie Blades.
37. Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell.
38. UM running back Speedy Neal.
39. Larry Csonka.
40. Udonis Haslem.
41. Heat forward Glen Rice.
42. Paul Warfield, Dolphins Hall of Famer.
43. Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett.
44. UM linebacker Dan Morgan. Sorry, Chuck
Foreman.
45. Dolphins defensive back Curtis Johnson.
46. Don Shula. His NFL number.
47. Michael Irvin. Sorry, Ottis Anderson.
48. The Dolphins’ Gerald Small. Who else? Joe Borowski?
49. Charlie Hough, the Marlins’ first starting pitcher.
50. UM center Jim Otto. He was “00” in Oakland but Mr. Mid-Century with Hurricanes.
51. Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox. Sorry, Ichiro.
52. UM linebacker Ray Lewis.
53. Bob Matheson. The “53” in the Dolphins’ “53 Defense.”
54. Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas.
55. Panthers defenseman Ed Jovanovski.
56. Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl.
57. Dwight Stephenson, the Dolphins’ Hall of Fame center.
58. Dolphins defensive end Kim Bokamper.
59. Dolphins linebacker Bob Brudzinski.
60. Dolphins guard Jeff Toews.
61. Livan Hernandez. Josh Beckett wore No. 61 for a bit too, meaning both MVPs of the Marlins’ two World Series wore No. 61.
62. Jim Langer, Dolphins Hall of Fame center.
63. Evgenii Dadonov. A few 20-goal years for the Panthers wins this number.
64. UM defensive tackle Jim Burt.
65. Dolphins guard Jeff Dellenbach.
66. Larry Little, the Dolphins Hall of Fame guard.
67. Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg.
68. Jaromir Jagr, Panthers forward. Wore it to honor the Prague Spring in 1968 rising up against the Soviet Union.
69. Dolphins guard Keith Sims.
70. Rent this space.
71. Dolphins guard Todd Wade.
72. Undefeated Dolphins 1972 Team.
73. Dolphins defensive tackle Bob Baumhower.
74. Ugueth Urbina, Marlins reliever in ’03 run.
75. Dolphins defensive tackle Manny Fernandez.
76. UM star Warren Sapp.
77. Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe.
78. Dolphins tackle and Marino’s bodyguard, Richmond Webb.
79. Don Latimer. Hurricanes All-American.
80. Joe Rose, former Dolphin on All-Microphone Team.
81. Ray Bellamy. First black player at University of Miami.
82. UM tight end Greg Olsen.
83. Dolphins receiver Mark Clayton.
84. Dolphins defensive end Bill Stanfill.
85. Nick Buoniconti, Hall of Fame Dolphins linebacker. Sorry, Mark Duper.
86. David Njoku. Not the best tight end in UM history, but the best No. 86.
87. UM receiver Reggie Wayne.
88. Jim Mandich.
Miami!
Allllright,
89. Ted Hendricks, maybe the greatest Hurricane.
90. Dolphins defensive end Marco Coleman.
91. Dolphins defensive end Cam Wake. Unsigned to any 90-man NFL roster out of college, he went to Canada and took No. 91 to remind how he wasn’t deemed better than the 91st player on any team.
92. John Denney, Dolphins long snapper for longest time.
93. Dolphins defensive end Trace Armstrong.
94. Hurricane reserve Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Just for celeb status.
95. Dolphins defensive tackle Tim Bowens.
96. UM defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy.
97. The Bosa Family: John with Dolphins and sons Joey and Nick at St. Thomas Aquinas.
98. Jerome Brown, UM defensive tackle and leader of his team.
99. Jason Taylor, Dolphins Hall of Famer.