Dan Marino Daniel Constantine Marino , Jr . ( born September 15 , 1961 ) is a former American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . The last quarterback of the Quarterback Class of 1983 to be taken in the first round , Marino became one of the most prolific quarterbacks in league history , holding or having held almost every major NFL passing record . Despite never being on a Super Bowl - winning team , he is recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in American football history . Best remembered for his quick release and powerful arm , Marino led the Dolphins to the playoffs ten times in his seventeen - season career . He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 . Early years . Marino was born in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , of Italian and Polish ancestry . He is the oldest child of Daniel and Veronica ( Kolczynski ) Marino , and has two younger sisters , Cindi and Debbie . His father delivered newspapers for the " Pittsburgh Post - Gazette " . Marino grew up on Parkview Avenue in the South Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh , and attended St . Regis Catholic Elementary School . He attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh , where he started in baseball , and won Parade All - American honors in football . He was drafted in the 4th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 1979 amateur draft , but decided to play college football instead . College career . Marino played college football at the University of Pittsburgh from 1979 to 1982 . As a freshman in 1979 , Marino led the Panthers in a 24 - 17 triumph over West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl . He led the Panthers to a last - minute triumph over the Georgia Bulldogs in the 1982 Sugar Bowl by throwing the game - winning pass to tight end John Brown with less than a minute remaining . His team lost the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic 7 - 3 to Southern Methodist and their " Pony Express " of Eric Dickerson and Craig James . His senior year was not his best year , and he finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1982 , after finishing fourth the previous year . Marino finished his four college seasons with 7 , 905 passing yards and 74 touchdowns , with 64 interceptions . Marino ' s selection status in the 1983 NFL Draft plummeted after a subpar senior season at Pitt , rumors of drug use and rumors that knee injuries ( resulting in four knee surgeries ) were hampering his mobility . Five other quarterbacks ( Ken O ' Brien , Tony Eason , Todd Blackledge and Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Elway ) were drafted ahead of him . Professional career . Marino was the first draft pick in the history of the United States Football League , selected by the Los Angeles Express . He did not sign with the team , choosing instead to sign with the defending AFC Champions Miami Dolphins who chose Marino with the 27th overall pick in the NFL draft . After starting the season as a backup to incumbent starter David Woodley , Marino was given his first NFL start in Week 6 versus the Buffalo Bills . Marino and Miami lost that game 38 – 35 in overtime . As a rookie , Marino set several records : he posted a 96 . 0 passer rating , he was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie , he had the lowest percentage of passes intercepted with 2 . 03 , he was the only rookie quarterback to lead a conference in passing , and he had the highest passing completion percentage with 58 . 45 . The following year , Marino broke six NFL full - season passing records , including the records for most touchdown passes ( 48 , stood for 20 years , broken by Peyton Manning with 49 in 2004 , and later by Tom Brady with 50 in 2007 ) and most passing yards ( 5 , 084 , stood for 27 years , broken by Drew Brees in 2011 ) in a season , and was selected as the NFL ' s Most Valuable Player . The Dolphins finished with a 14 – 2 regular season record , clinching home - field advantage for the playoffs . In the first round , the Dolphins avenged their playoff loss of the previous season to Seattle Seahawks 31 – 10 , and they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game 45 – 28 . In Super Bowl XIX , Marino and the Dolphins faced off against San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana in Palo Alto , California . The Dolphins , who had 74 rushing attempts in the previous two weeks , ran the ball only eight times in this game . Marino finished with 29 completions out of 50 attempts for 318 yards , throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions . The Dolphins lost 38 – 16 in what was Marino ' s only Super Bowl appearance . In 1993 , Miami was strongly favored at the start of the year to make it back to the AFC championship game and possibly the Super Bowl . However , after throwing a swing pass at a game in Cleveland , Marino , who was untouched on the play , crumpled to the ground in pain with a torn Achilles tendon and was out for the season . Marino later said , " I felt like I got kicked " . Backup quarterback Scott Mitchell had an impressive series of starts before suffering an injury of his own . Mitchell signed a free - agent contract with the Detroit Lions , and Miami signed veteran quarterback Bernie Kosar from the Dallas Cowboys as a backup . Wearing a special shoe on one foot , and having a right calf that was visibly atrophied , Marino was the starting quarterback at the start of the 1994 season . In the season opener , a home game versus the New England Patriots and quarterback Drew Bledsoe , the two quarterbacks put up a combined 894 yards ( Marino , 473 yards ; Bledsoe , 421 yards ) and nine passing touchdowns ( Marino , 5 ; Bledsoe , 4 ) , with Miami winning 39 – 35 . Later in the season , Marino led a comeback win on the road against the New York Jets ( 28 – 24 ) , a game famous for Marino ' s execution of a fake spike for the winning touchdown pass , a play known as " The Clock Play " . The Dolphins finished 10 – 6 that year , and Marino passed for 4 , 453 yards and was named the NFL ' s Comeback Player of the Year . Marino ' s final win was his first playoff road win and his 36th comeback win , as the Dolphins defeated the Seattle Seahawks 20 – 17 on January 9 , 2000 in the final football game ever in the Seattle Kingdome . In the next round ( January 16 ) , also on the road , Marino and the Dolphins lost 62 – 7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars . The Dolphins ' 55 point margin of loss was the worst in AFC Playoff history . Marino was replaced by backup Damon Huard after playing one series in the second half . However , he did end the first half on a high note , leading the Dolphins on an 80 - yard scoring drive and throwing a 20 - yard touchdown pass to receiver Oronde Gadsden with 20 seconds remaining . The Jacksonville game marked the end of Jimmy Johnson ' s coaching career ; Johnson announced his retirement the next day . Before the 2000 season , Marino decided to retire , after declining offers from Minnesota , Tampa Bay and his hometown of Pittsburgh when the Dolphins declined his option on his contract . When asked at his retirement press conference why he decided to retire , he responded : Marino later admitted that he seriously considered the offer from the Vikings , but that he turned it down not because of his arm , but because he wasn ' t sure that his legs could take another season . He also appreciated the fact that unlike many of his contemporaries , he got to play his entire career with one team . Legacy . During Marino ' s career , the Dolphins were perennial playoff contenders , reaching the post - season in 10 of his 17 seasons . He was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls ( 1983 – 87 , 1991 – 92 , 1994 – 95 ) , seven times as a starter , but due to injuries he only played in two of the games ( 1984 , 1992 ) . He was named first - or second - team All - Pro eight times and earned All - AFC honors six times . In 1999 , Marino was ranked number 27 on " The Sporting News " list of the 100 greatest football players , making him the highest - ranking Dolphins player . In 2010 he was ranked number 25 on the NFL ' s " Top 100 Greatest Players " list . Marino was known for his quick release , and despite the fact that he was not skilled at scrambling , Marino possessed an uncanny awareness in the pocket , often sliding a step or two to avoid the pass rush . Marino is currently third , behind Brett Favre and John Elway , on the list of most wins by a starting quarterback , with 147 . His winning percentage was . 613 . Life after football . On Sunday , September 17 , 2000 , at halftime of the Dolphins - Baltimore Ravens game at Pro Player Stadium , Dan Marino ’ s jersey number of 13 was retired . The only other Dolphins jersey number retired at the time was Bob Griese ' s # 12 . Since then # 39 , Larry Csonka , has been retired as well . Marino joined the Dolphins Honor Roll the same day . In a year of accolades from the franchise he led for many years , the Dolphins also installed a life - size bronze statue of Marino at Pro Player Stadium ( now Sun Life Stadium ) and renamed Stadium Street , Dan Marino Boulevard . In 2003 , Marino was honored for his outstanding NCAA career at Pitt with an induction into the College Football Hall of Fame . In early 2004 , Dan Marino briefly returned to the Miami Dolphins as Senior Vice President of Football Operations , but resigned from the newly - created position only three weeks later , saying that the role was not in the best interest of either his family or the Dolphin organization . Marino was a first - ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 . He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 7 , 2005 and was introduced by his oldest son , Daniel . During his induction speech , Dan threw " one last pass " to former teammate Mark Clayton , who was sitting in the audience . Marino is currently an analyst for CBS ' s Sunday pregame show " The NFL Today " . He was formerly a studio analyst on HBO ' s " Inside the NFL " . Ownership in NASCAR . In 1997 , Marino became involved in a marketing role with Team Cheever of the Indy Racing League through FirstPlus Mortgage , the sponsor of the car . In 1998 , Marino co - owned a NASCAR Winston Cup racing team with driver Bill Elliott . The team ' s car number was # 13 , Marino ' s uniform number , and had primary sponsorship from FirstPlus Mortgage , whose company colors , coincidentally , were turquoise , orange , and white - similar to aqua and coral , the team colors of the Miami Dolphins . The team chose rookie driver Jerry Nadeau to pilot the car at the start of the season ; he was later released and the team went through a rotation of drivers . The team failed to qualify for several races , but did post a top - 5 finish at Phoenix International Raceway late in the season with Ted Musgrave driving . The team only lasted the 1998 season and closed afterward . Personal life . Marino opened two restaurants in South Florida called Dan Marino ' s Town Tavern , with one location in Coral Springs and one on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale . The name changed around 2005 to Dan Marino ' s Fine Food and Spirits . By 2006 , both original locations had closed and the restaurant opened other locations in Miami , St . Petersburg , Las Vegas and Orlando . As of late 2010 , the Miami and Las Vegas stores remain in service . On April 27 , 2008 , Marino received an honorary doctorate degree in broadcast journalism from his alma mater , the University of Pittsburgh . Marino also delivered the Class of 2008 commencement speech . Marino is also a Laureus World Sports Academy founding member and is a voter for the Laureus World Sports Awards . In January 2013 , Marino admitted to fathering a child with Donna Savattere in 2005 , a fact that he had previously only shared with his wife . Marino had paid Savattere millions dollars to keep the news of their daughter , Chloe , from the public . Appearances in other media . Marino acted in the 1994 comedy " " alongside Jim Carrey and Courteney Cox ( he played himself ) and made a cameo appearance in the Adam Sandler film " Little Nicky " wherein he asked Satan for a Super Bowl ring . In 1999 , he voiced himself in a guest - starring role in " The Simpsons " Season ten episode " Sunday , Cruddy Sunday " . Marino also had cameo roles in " Holy Man " and " Bad Boys II " . He worked as a project consultant on Oliver Stone ' s " Any Given Sunday " , and some observers noticed a resemblance between him and Dennis Quaid ' s character , Jack Rooney . Marino ' s actual house was used as the fictional quarterback ' s house in the film In 1995 , Hootie and the Blowfish featured Marino in their music video for their single " Only Wanna Be with You . " Marino is currently featured in advertisement campaigns for Hooters , NutriSystem weight loss programs , Maroone , Papa John ' s , Nutrasource . com and Empi Select ( a TENS device ) . Previously , Marino endorsed Isotoner gloves and FirstPlus Mortgage against whom he later filed suit due to contracts related to his racing team . In April 2012 , Marino became the AARP ' s “ Men ’ s Life Ambassador " , through which he planned to share his point of view and expertise on a variety of men ’ s interests , including health , fitness , sports , lifestyle , entrepreneurship , aging and community service , primarily through the website . Dan Marino Foundation . The Dan Marino Foundation was established in 1992 by Marino and his wife , Claire , after their son , Michael , was diagnosed with autism . The foundation has distributed over $ 22 million to research , services , and treatment programs serving children with neurodevelopment disabilities . The Dan Marino Center , which opened in 1995 along with the Miami Children ' s Hospital , is an integrated neurodevelopmental center specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children at risk for developmental and psychological problems . The center saw more than 48 , 000 children last year alone . Marino has teamed with other celebrities to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder s , including fellow NFL great Doug Flutie , whose son also has an autism diagnosis . On November 7 , 2005 , the National Basketball Association ' s Miami Heat honored Marino ' s charitable works and recognized his service to South Florida with a halftime tribute , as well as a large donation to the Marino Foundation . Though a Heat jersey with his name and # 13 was unveiled , this did not constitute retirement of his number by the Heat , and is currently worn by Heat guard / forward Mike Miller . On March 23 , 2010 , The Dan Marino Foundation held its first " Walk about Autism " . Over 6000 walkers participated , as well as 420 volunteers provided by the Miami Dolphins Special Teams . The money raised benefited several funds including the Autism Societies of Miami - Dade and Broward ; the University of Miami - Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities ; the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities ; and the Dan Marino Foundation . NFL records set by Dan Marino . This list documents records set by Marino , some of which have since been tied or broken . Career stats . Regular season . League Leader