FORMER DOLPHINS HEAD COACH DON SHULA
"I don’t believe that there is anyone who has made more of an impact on the NFL than Dan Marino in his 17-year career. He has all the passing records and is one of the winningest quarterbacks in this history of the league, and those accomplishments are how players should be judged.
"Dan brings an excitement to the quarterback position, even during practice, and especially during the last two minutes of games, when he has brought us back to win more times than I can count. Whether it was the clock play against the Jets or any of his other great comeback wins, I always had the feeling that with Dan at quarterback, we were never out of the game, no matter what the score.
"To me, Dan is the greatest competitor among the over 2,000 athletes I have coached. His will and determination are legendary and I’ve never been around someone who wants to win as much as Dan. I think back to some of our greatest times together, such as his incredible season in 1984, when he threw for over 5,000 yards and 48 touchdowns and led us to a Super Bowl in only his second year in the league, or his magnificent Monday night game against the Bears in 1985 when we stopped their quest for an undefeated season by playing the finest half of offensive football I’ve been around, scoring 31 points by halftime. Dan was a leader on the field and in the locker room, and developed a unique relationship with his receivers, especially the Marks Brothers, Mark Clayton and Mark Duper.
"I take pride in not only drafting Dan, but being a part of his success in the 13 years I coached him. He won more games for me than any quarterback has won for his coach in NFL history, and I thoroughly enjoyed our relationship and accomplishments. It was an honor for me to be able to coach him for so long.
"As much as he has accomplished as a player, he has done even more with his family and in the community. He came here alone, fresh out of college, and over the years has built a beautiful family and a devotion and dedication to our community second to none.
"I want to congratulate Dan on a great career, both on and off the field, and I hope that in his retirement he, Claire, and their family can have as many happy moments and memories as Dan gave all of us over the years."
FORMER DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK BOB GRIESE
"Twenty years ago I retired, and now I see Dan doing the same thing – same position, same team, same town. He’s probably one of the most popular people who ever lived here, and has meant a great deal not only to the Dolphin franchise, but to the South Florida community.
"I think the world of Dan, not only for everything he’s done on the football field, but for being such a good family man as well. His dedication to winning is only surpassed by his dedication to Claire and their children, and I admire him for being not only a champion football player, but also for being a champion husband and father as well."
"I marvelled at how he was so composed when things didn’t go well on game day. He never had a negative word for anyone. Sometimes you get frustrated at the coaches, or at the receivers when they ran a wrong pattern, but he was always positive in situations when it was tough to be that way.
"I want to congratulate Dan for everything he has done for the Dolphins and for South Florida, and now that he’s retired, he’ll find that everyone thinks of him as a young man again."
FORMER DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER MARK CLAYTON
"I can honestly say I played with The Man. Even though Dan didn’t win the big one, he still has a lot to be proud of. He had a hell of a ride and he simply was the best that ever played. He left a mark on the game that will never be duplicated.
"When Dan, Dupe (Mark Duper) and I were in our prime, nobody did it better. And when people came out to see us play, the three of us put on a show. We were truly entertainers. And after Dan has his grandkids in his arms and I’m holding mine, we can tell them that I caught more touchdowns from him than anybody else ever."
FORMER DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER MARK DUPER
"There’s no question that Dan had a great career and was such a big help to me. Even now I try to follow him as much as I can and I rooted for him every time I saw him. I think he’s still a great quarterback and above everything else, I would love to have seen him win a Super Bowl. But even without a ring on his finger, there’s no doubt that Dan is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever in the NFL. Statistics don’t lie, and Dan owns all of them."
"It was a special thrill playing with him and Mark (Clayton). We had a great offense, and sometimes it just seemed like we were playing pitch and catch out there. He had total faith in us, and we had complete faith in him. He knew we would get open, and we knew he would get us the ball where we wanted. Even after I retired I enjoyed sitting back on the veranda when the Dolphins were on TV watching him throw and thinking about all the good times we had playing together. It was a treat playing with him and I consider him one of my closest friends."
MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH JACKIE SHERRILL
(MARINO’S COACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FOR THREE YEARS)
"Dan is probably the most competitive and focused quarterback who I have ever been exposed to. We’d come out of the tunnel for a game that was on national TV, and the players would be looking at the fans and going crazy. But Danny was oblivious to all of that. The only thing he was thinking about was competing against his opponent.
"When he first came to Pitt, because of his throwing motion, I asked him who taught him how to throw the football. He said his dad taught him how. I told him not to let anyone change his throwing motion because he had the best throwing motion I had ever been exposed to.
"As a family man, Danny is what every father would like to be. He is a tremendous family person, and he has earned the right to make the decision of whatever he wants to do. You look at playing that position for that many years in the NFL, and it’s phenomenal."
FORMER DOLPHINS TIGHT END KEITH JACKSON
"You have to admire Dan’s greatness on the football field. But it was the things off the field – the way he took losses, the way they left a bad taste in his mouth – that is the mark of a true champion. I saw this, not only because he was a friend of mine, but also I lived next door to Dan. He would be up all night saying, ‘How can I get better? How can I get better?’ That is what made him so great, his desire to win. He hated to lose and that speaks volumes to his greatness."
FORMER DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER JIM "CRASH" JENSEN
"Dan made it easy for me as a player because he knew when I was going to make my breaks. Every time I got my head around, the ball was right on the money. I give Dan a lot of the credit for my success as a player.
"I am going to miss seeing him play. He is just a great competitor…such a fiery guy. Dan certainly is going to miss the game. He is going to miss it, but he also will have a chance to enjoy his family and his life a little more."
NEW YORK JETS DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS BILL PARCELLS:
"Dan's one of the great quarterbacks to have ever played the game of football. He's certainly among the top three or four quarterbacks in the history of the league.
"I think it's pretty fair to say that there are a lot of cornerbacks around the NFL that will be sleeping a lot better now that he's retired."
FORMER BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK JIM KELLY
"Dan leaves the game when he has done just about everything a quarterback can do. We would all love to walk away from the game with a championship under our belt. Unfortunately not everyone does. But he’s left his trademark on the game of football. He is the best, not only on the field but off of it too. I’m honored to say I played against him and something even more special – that he’s a true friend. Great career, buddy."
FORMER DOLPHINS AND HALL OF FAME CENTER DWIGHT STEPHENSON
"Dan is one of the greatest teammates whom I ever had. It was a real pleasure to play with a guy who went out every time and practiced what he preached in terms of the hard work. Dan Marino did all of the things that winners need to do. He did it with class and he had a style about him. He was a real class guy. I just think he did everything that a winner could do when he was out there on the football field and in life."
DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVER O.J. McDUFFIE
"It’s really sad to hear that Dan may be retiring, but in a way I’m glad because I couldn’t bear to see him play for anyone else. Everyone knows about Dan the football player, but people don’t really know about the individual. He is just a great person to his teammates and his family. Dan made me look good so many times…Shoot, he made me! I’m gonna’ miss him."
DOLPHINS LINEBACKER ZACH THOMAS
"We take it for granted when he’s here everyday, but it truly has been an honor to play with one of the greatest players – not just the best quarterback – but one of the greatest players in the history of this league. I almost wish I could go back and enjoy each day as his teammate. I got more of a thrill intercepting Dan in practice than I did any of my interceptions in games. Just to be able to play with him is something special, because when you think of the Miami Dolphins, you think of Dan Marino."
DOLPHINS TACKLE RICHMOND WEBB
"This is a sad day for a lot of Dolphin fans and Dan’s former teammates. You never really can appreciate something until it’s gone. And I think that’s what a lot of Dolphin fans and people around the NFL are going to realize. Dan Marino will definitely be missed in the NFL. He is a future Hall of Famer. Off the field, I think he’s been what NFL players should try to pattern themselves after as far giving time to the community and being a family man. Dan was able to teach people a lot of lessons, not only how to handle yourself on the field, but the way to carry yourself off the field."