Ok this is long but I promise this story is worth it so just hang in there:
I'm a lifelong Dolphin fan born and raised in Utah (that's another long story). In January of 2000 me and a fellow Dolphin fan drove up to Seattle to watch Miami play the Seahawks in the wildcard round. I had a few Dolphin items that I was going to try and get signatures on and while I was hoping to get as many autographs as possible, obviously Dan was my main target. We ended up arriving at the Kingdome at 7am on game day. A security guard showed us where the Dolphin's team buses unloaded and we set up shop right at the entry doors, behind a rope. We hung out for hours as other Dolphin fans showed up and finally the buses arrived. I got some pretty awesome autographs on a collectible Dolphin's football. Zach, Jason Taylor, and OJ McDuffie were all very gracious as they signed my ball. I think I ended up getting 27 signatures.
Dan was on the last bus and was one of the last players to enter the stadium. I was in a prime spot and thought for sure I'd get Dan to stop. He waved to all of us but didn't stop to sign anything. I was pretty bummed but figured I'd get another shot after the game. After pulling out a dramatic come from behind victory, me and my buddy hurried back down to the team buses and got the exact same spotvright by the doors. One of the first people out was Wayne Huizenga. He gave my buddy a high five and then gave me a huge bear hug! I asked him "Are we gonna beat J'ville next week"? And he replied: "You know it baby"! (I still haven't forgiven him for that)
So the team files out and I get a few more autographs. Tim Ruddy actually stopped and talked to us for a bit. I told Tim to take care of Dan and keep him upright. He chuckled and said "The old man's doing a pretty good job of taking care of himself". The team buses loaded up and we sat there for so long that we started wondering if Dan had slipped out another exit. After a while Dan finally came out. When he did, I immediately asked him for his autograph and he completely ignored me. Walked right passed me as if I wasn't even there. I was super bummed and a little pissed. I knelt down and put my Dolphin items in my backpack and was ready to get out of there. As I turned around to leave, I saw why Dan had walked right passed me. Behind me was a family of 4. It was a mom and a dad with two young sons. All of them were in Dolphin gear from head to toe. The younger of the 2 sons was in a wheel chair and it was quite clear to see that he was terminally ill. He was probably around 7 years old. He had a Marino jersey on and his wheelchair was decked out in Dolphin decor. It had flags, stickers, the whole bit. Dan greeted the family and gave the mom a hug (she was in tears the whole time). He knelt down, shook the young boys hand and started talking with him. I couldn't hear what was being said but I was so moved by the expressions on all 4 of their faces. You could tell how much this meant to them.
I expected Dan to talk to them for a few mins, take some pics, and jump on the bus. 15 minutes later, Dan was still talking with the young boy. Finally, a Dolphin staffer came out of the first bus and told Dan they had to get going. Dan didn't say anything to him, he just brushed him off. They took a few pics, Dan was talking with the parents and about 10 minutes later the same staffer appeared (looking a bit more nervous) and once again told Dan that they needed to go. Once again, Dan ignored him. To this day, I always find it funny that there was 3 team buses, yet none of them would leave until Dan was on his bus. Dan continued talking with the family for about another 10 minutes before that poor staffer showed up again (this time looking like he was about to pee his pants. He pleaded with Dan: "Dan, we REALLY need to go. The entire team is going to miss it's flight". This time, Dan shot the scariest look I've EVER seen in my life. I really thought the staffer was gonna cry. Finally, Dan calmly said to him: "Well, it looks like you're gonna have to book us all a new flight". The staffer slinked away back to his bus looking completely defeated.
Dan spent the next 5 minutes hugging all 4 of the family members. He saved his last hug for the boy in the wheel chair and once again, knelt down and talked with him for the last few minutes. Finally, Dan told the family goodbye and went to his bus. As he walked away I looked at the family. The parents were just sobbing and the little boy had a look of joy on his face that I will never forget for the rest of my life. What he did for that family in about a half hour's time was extremely moving. I instantly realized that what I had just seen was so much more important than me getting his autograph. They say don't meet your heroes because they'll usually let you down and while I'm sure Dan has his bad days, I couldn't have been more grateful/impressed with what I saw from him that day. It was one of the coolest moments of my life and I wasn't even involved!
By the way, that was the last victory of Dan's career.
