Remembering Jim Kiick

I still recall the spot “around the table,” where Jim Kiick, a vital member of great Miami Dolphins’ teams, who died days back, sat, when I interviewed him in the early 1990’s, at Rascal’s in New York City.

Mr. Kiick, to me ever so cool (see the Sports Illustrated cover with fellow Dolphins’ great Larry Csonka) and a great clutch player, one of the best at scoring touchdowns close to the goal line, was so friendly as he sat with another player (Theo Bell or George Atkinson?) and fellow interviewer, Lisa Squires.

A post below and my thoughts then, indicated my admiration for the 1973 Miami team, another title team, perhaps better than the undefeated 1972 version.

Jim said are you saying/asking was the ’73 team better? He thought one could make a good case for that thought.

One certainty is that Jim Kiick was a vital contributor to those title teams. He was a phenomenal clutch player. There are many big game examples.

In one such instance, the upstart Cleveland Browns went ahead of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, early in the fourth quarter of their division round clash.

A big pass play, Earl Morrall to the great Paul Warfield, got the Dolphins pretty close, from where Jim Kiick scored the game’s last points, on a slashing, 8 yard touchdown run.

Many such plays and a friendly charisma I was lucky enough to see personally, are two great memories of Jim Kiick. 

Recalling the 1973 Miami Dolphins

Jim Kiick, pictured above.