Dolphins great Kuechenberg dies at 71

MI A MI» Former Miami Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg, a six-time Pro Bowl selection and member of the only NFL team to achieve a perfect season, died at age 71.

His death Saturday was confirmed by the Dolphins, who had no further details.

Kuechenberg joined the Dolphins as a free agent in 1970, coach Don Shula’s first season, and played for them until 1983. He started every game for the team that went 17-0 in 1972, and started 16 games for the team that repeated as Super Bowl champions in 1973.

Kuechenberg, who played collegiately at Notre Dame, was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a member of the Dolphins’ Honor Roll.

“I was sorry to learn of the passing of Bob Kuechenberg, who was not only one of the best players I ever coached but one of the toughest as well,” Shula said in a statement. “He was one of the key performers on our championship teams.”

Shula said Kuechenberg played with a broken arm in the 1974 Super Bowl and still dominated Hall of Fame defensive tackle Alan Page as Miami beat Minnesota 24-7.

Former teammate Jim Langer, a Hall of Fame center, said he stayed in touch with Kuechenberg, spoke with him in the past week and was shocked to learn of his death.

“He was the kind of guy you’d want in your foxhole,” Langer said. “He played hard and was very intense about the game, which was typical of our team. He was my roommate for 10 years, and we talked football nearly all the time.”