Jim Langer, Hall of Fame center and member of Dolphins' 1972 undefeated team, dies at 71
Langer is the second member of Miami's fabled 1972 team to pass away this summer
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
1 min read
Jim Langer, a Hall of Fame center and member of the Miami Dolphins' undefeated team, has died, the Dolphins announced Friday via Twitter. He was 71.
Langer spent the first decade of his NFL career in Miami before spending his final two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He became a starter in 1972, his third season in the NFL. That happened to be the season that saw the Dolphins -- a year after losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl -- become the first team in NFL history to post an undefeated season.
"This is a tremendous loss," Dick Anderson, Miami's former safety and Langer's teammate for eight seasons, told The Miami Herald shortly shortly after the news of Langer's death broke. "We were fortunate to have three of the best offense of lineman in the league ... Jim was the center and leader in all ways both on and off the field. He was a remarkable individual and will be missed."
With Langer's help, the '72 Dolphins also became the first team in NFL history to feature two 1,000-yard running backs in Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris. Miami's punishing ground attack along with their "No Name" defense helped the Dolphins go 32-2 over a two-year span that included victories in Super Bowls VII and VIII. Langer was part of an offensive line that also included Hall of Fame guard Larry Little and fellow guard and perennial Pro Bowler, Bob Kuechenberg.
A six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, Langer helped Csonka carve out a Hall of Fame career while earning MVP honors in Super Bowl VIII, rushing for a then Super Bowl record 145 yards and two scores in Miami's 24-7 win over the Vikings. The Dolphins rushed for a whopping 380 yards and four touchdowns in their Super Bowl wins while becoming the second team in league history to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
Langer, who went undrafted after playing middle linebacker at South Dakota State University, was a first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall Fame, earning enshrinement in 1987. Csonka, Little, quarterback Bob Griese, receiver Paul Warfield, linebacker Nick Buoniconti and head coach Don Shula are also members of Miami's undefeated team that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Nick Buoniconti, the leader of Miami's "No Name" defense, passed away in July at the age of 78.
