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(CNNSI.com) -- Five other quarterbacks were taken before Dan Marino in the 1983 draft but the gunslinger from Pittsburgh wasted no time in showing that he was the best of the bunch right out of the gate. Marino became the first rookie quarterback ever to be named a starter in the Pro Bowl. And in his second year, he began rewriting NFL record books. His 5,084 passing yards and 48 touchdowns in 1984 are still single season records. And he capped it off by taking the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX where they lost to Joe Montana's San Francisco 49ers. "They definitely played the best of any team we faced this year," Marino said afterward in the locker room. "In a big game like this, they did what they had to do to stop us. And we didn't get the job done when we had to offensively. "We didn't make the throws and we weren't able to run the ball as well as we wanted. In some cases, guys were open. I didn't get the ball to them. I probably could have played a better game." Marino's passing was often the only dimension of the Dolphins' Offense, yet he still managed to conquer defenses that focused almost exclusively on stopping him. His will to win was legendary and he imposed that will on his team. Many a receiver felt the wrath of Marino if they dropped a well-aimed missile or ran a wrong pattern. His arm was powerful and accurate enough to make any throw, though he would even resort to trickery if it meant a win. On Nov. 27, 1994, at Giants Stadium in the closing seconds in a game against the New York Jets, Marino used a fake spike as a diversion and threw a touchdown pass and give the Dolphins a dramatic 28-24 victory. Over his 17-year career, Marino took the Dolphins to the playoffs 10 times. His 147 career wins are second only to John Elway's 148. But while Elway's career ended with two Super Bowl rings, Marino's happy ending would never materialize. His relationship with head coach Jimmy Johnson was a rocky one and soured dramatically his final season. His cannon right arm, which threw for more touchdowns and yards than any other quarterback in history, was weakened by a neck injury. And his final game was perhaps the most disappointing of his career, an embarrassing 62-7 playoff disaster at Jacksonville. "I've never experienced a game like that in my life," he said standing before the press afterward. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've never been in a game like this." "We didn't challenge at all and nothing went right for us early. And it just snowballed. And like I said, I've never really experienced anything like this." Even though the South Florida sun has now set on his brilliant career, the disappointment of his final season and going out without a Super Bowl championship cannot diminish a career whose blazing path will end up in Canton at the Hall of Fame.
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