When Manny Fernandez signed with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent prior to the 1968 season, neither he nor the team thought it would be a long-lasting relationship.
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| Fernandez runs down Washington runner Larry Brown in Super Bowl VII.(Provided to SportsLine) | |
"I reported to camp with the idea I didn't have a chance," Fernandez once said. "I looked on my contract as an all-expense paid trip to Florida with an open-end ticket home. If I didn't make it in pro football, I probably would have stayed in the Miami area and worked as a lifeguard or something."
As for the Dolphins, they were in their third year of existence in the
American Football League and were looking for a way to draw more fans into the Orange Bowl, which was usually fairly empty on game day. When they saw Fernandez's name on the free agent list, they immediately thought bringing in a player of Latin descent would help boost attendance.
"I certainly hope you make the final squad cut," the team's PR man said at the time. "It will be great having you here to speak to the Cuban population. I'm sure you'll get them interested in football." Fernandez replied, "I hope those Cubans all speak good English because that's the only language I know."
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N O - N A M E S
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LDE -- Vern Den Herder
LDT -- Manny Fernandez
RDT -- Bob Heinz
RDE -- Bill Stanfill
LLB -- Doug Swift
MLB -- Nick Buoniconti
RLB -- Mike Kolen
LCB -- Tim Foley
RCB -- Curtis Johnson
SS -- Jake Scott
FS -- Dick Anderson
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Obviously disappointed by this fact, not to mention Fernandez's poor vision and lousy practice habits, the Dolphins were ready to send him packing.
However, once he put on the game uniform, he became a different player. He was a whirling dervish in the middle of the defensive line, a force against the run and a surprisingly good pass rusher.
"I didn't do the first bit of scrimmaging or hitting until three days before the first cut," he recalled. "I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I was gonna get cut, but the rookie in front of me got hurt. One of the coaches came up to me and asked if I wanted to play. I said 'What the hell do you think I've been doing here all this time, besides getting a suntan?'"
Fernandez was an instant hit, and he became a starter in his rookie season.
For the next six years he was named the team's outstanding defensive lineman and during Miami's perfect season, he made 107 tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries. He saved his best for the biggest game of that year, the Super Bowl VII victory over Washington in which he made 11 tackles and one sack.
"I've never seen Manny play better," Nick Buoniconti said after the game.
"Our defensive line won it. There's only one way to analyze the game."