This is a moderated phorum for the CIVILIZED discussion of the Miami Dolphins. In this phorum, there are rules and moderators to make sure you abide by the rules. The moderators for this phorum are JC and Colonel.
It was so sad to hear of the passing of Nick Buoniconti. In the 70s, my two favorite players were Bob Griese and Nick. He was a fierce competitor and a class act. God speed Nick. We'll miss you.
He was the best. Probably a better person after football than on the field. All the stations here locally had news features on him due to his Citadel connection (Marc).
Absolutely my favorite after Griese who I followed here in 1967 from Purdue.
"Nick Buoniconti, a Hall of Fame football star who anchored the Miami Dolphins’ dominant defense on their undefeated 1972 team and later raised half a billion dollars for research to cure paralysis while becoming one of the most distinguished and accomplished alumni in franchise history, died on Tuesday night after a bout with pneumonia."
From the above he was a Hall of Famer as a humanitarian as well as a player.
Good he went in a manner to let his family say Goodbye but not so slow and painful as if with cancer.
Snippet from an archived Sports Illustrated article I found about Nick:
"Buoniconti was the only player to survive telling Shula, in front of the team, to 'shut the f--- up.' "
That should tell anyone all they need to know about the level of respect that Nick had from his teammates and his coach. This is why he was Captain of the defense, a successful executive, lawyer, agent, and founder of a billion+ dollar charity. This is why he was so revered.
Zach Thomas always kind of reminded me of Nick. Not the biggest or fastest guy, but preparation and smarts made up for a lot of physical shortcomings. It's a travesty that Zach hasn't made the HOF. He's a Hall of Famer in my mind. Call me crazy, but I'd still take Zach over Ray Lewis.