When was marino drafted

It was a perfect confluence of circumstances: a historic class of college greats, a rival league adding intrigue and a new medium—cable television—eager to turn the recitation of names into programming gold.

It's no wonder that it has become the stuff of legend. But it is also the stuff of urban legend. Modern fans find it hard to believe that a future Hall of Fame quarterback fell to the bottom of the first round due to ordinary draft forces. Some sinister foul play had to be afoot. The legend: A drug rumor caused Dan Marino to slip to the 27th overall pick in the draft. The rumor was started by someone inside the NFL, perhaps someone in the Dolphins organization, to cause Marino to fall into a successful team's lap.

What we know: The Marino drug rumors were real. Real rumors, anyway. Marvin Demoff, Marino's agent, heard them in the weeks leading up to the draft. The rumors wafted their way down to the media. Ray Didinger covered the NFL for the Philadelphia Daily News in , and he heard the rumors about the popular cross-state college star.

The rumor was pervasive and convincing enough that former Steelers coach Chuck Noll admitted in a Associated Press interview to passing on Marino specifically because of the rumor. The Steelers, of course, were close to the epicenter of all things Marino in —Marino grew up in Pittsburgh and went to Pitt—at a time when being geographically close to a story made a big difference. But the impact of the rumor may have become overstated as the decades passed.

And the rumor does not seem to have originated within the NFL. Teams were more likely to give Demoff football-focused reasons for passing over Marino, and the agent doesn't believe they were beating around the bush. Also, the drug rumors originally suggested that Marino was a partier, not a serious drug abuser.

The Marino drug rumor was so prevalent at the end of the college season that Pitt actually tested Marino for drugs. Pro Football Reference shows us all 28 picks in the first round of the draft:. The Bears took Dent in the eighth round with the No.

Despite so many at the Pro Bowl, the following stars shone brightest:. Being the No. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Terry Bradshaw has spent much of his life playing, reporting and commenting on football.

Professional football player Joe Montana led the 49ers to victories in four Super Bowls, including consecutive wins in and American college football coach Bear Bryant won six national championships at the University of Alabama and retired with a then-record of wins. Michael Oher is a former professional football player and was the subject of Michael Lewis' book 'The Blind Side' and the film of the same name.

In the NFL draft, Marino was the 27th player drafted. It was a banner year for quarterback talent, and five other quarterbacks, including John Elway and Jim Kelly , were chosen before the Miami Dolphins picked Marino.