Dan Marino was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 15, 1961. He was a standout quarterback for Central Catholic High School, winning Parade All=American honors. He also won an offer from the Kansas City Royals to play baseball.
He grew up very close to Pitt Stadium, where he would build a career with the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. Part way through his Freshman year he became the starting quarterback. The next three years the Panthers won 11 against just 1 loss, and went to the Fiesta, Gator, and Sugar Bowls. His best year was his Junior year, completing 226 of 380 passes, 37 of them for touchdowns.
Partly because he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his disappointing Senior season at Pitt, he was not drafted by the NFL teams until the 27th pick. Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula couldn’t believe he was still available, but he was extremely happy. Although not starting until the sixth game, Marino led the conference in passing, and led the Dolphins to the Conference Title. He was Rookie of the Year, and the first rookie quarterback to start in the Pro Bowl. He also posted the highest passer rating (96.0) and the highest completion percentage (58.4) for rookies.
In only his second season as a Dolphin he set records that still stand, including 48 touchdown passes and 5,084 yards, the first time anyone exceeded 5,000 yards. The Dolphins made it to the Super Bowl that year, but Joe Montana and the 49ers defeated the Dolphins. Marino’s biggest regret is not having a Super Bowl win.
Marino holds 24 NFL records, including the all-time record for pass attempts, completions, yardage, and touchdown passes, and shares seven more. Showing his durability and consistency, he took the fewest games ever to record 100 touchdowns (45), 200 touchdowns (89), and 300 touchdowns (138). Though playing on bad knees the last few years and new coach Jimmy Johnson emphasizing the running game, Marino remained a force to concern any defense until his retirement. He is now featured as a football analyst for HBO Sports.