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Most Beloved Miami Sports Stars of All-Time

JCane

JCane

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Help me decide the most BELOVED sports stars the great city of Miami has ever seen. Not necessarily the most successful but who was a fan favorite more than everyone else. Who gave the most back to the community, etc., from the major franchises in South Florida and even the Miami Hurricanes. Top five...who you got?

1. Dan Marino: I don't think there's even a discussion about who sits at the top of this list. Moving on...

2. Dwyane Wade: Wade might be as close to unseating Marino as we'll ever see. Wade has several community outreach program's in Miami, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, brought us an NBA title, NBA Finals MVP, and setup a relief fund for Haiti earthquake victims with the next man on this list...

3. Alonzo Mourning: My favorite Heat player of all-time. It's always great to read about what Alonzo does for South Florida. Youth basketball clinics, youth summits, Honey Shine mentoring program...the list goes on and on. One of THE most passionate players in NBA history.

4. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: Who doesn't love The Rock? Dude is a megastar in Hollywood and in the WWE. The Rock is heavily involved in many charity organizations including Red Cross, Make-A-Wish, Parkinson Society Maritime Region, and also made one of the largest individual donations of $2M to the University of Miami, his Alma Mater.

5. Jeff Conine: Some people may scoff at this, but Jeff Conine is absolutely one of the most adored sports stars in Miami sports. Conine played for the Marlins during both World Series title runs and currently works in the front office for the Marlins as a special assistant to David Samson. Setup the Conine Clubhouse which sits on the campus of Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood. Conine Clubhouse offers a home-style setting for familes with children receiving care at the hospital—free of charge. Jeff also holds an annual Poker Classic which benefits the hospital.
 
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Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor are two that come to my mind.
 
Mike54 said:
Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor are two that come to my mind.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think they're a combo deal.

It's sad that a lot of Dolphin fans decided to "hate" Jason Taylor for playing for the Jets for a season.

One guy that probably won't be mentioned by anyone...

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Here are a few players that come to mind:

Dolphins - Dan Marino and Ricky Williams. Dan is obvious and Run Ricky Run was such an anthem for those 2 seasons, I have never seen a buzz like that from any Dolphins player in my lifetime. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor can be considered here as well.

Heat - Alonzo Mourning and Dwayne Wade definitely lead the pack here but even after one season and change Lebron James and even Chris Bosh the buzz is unlike anything we have seen down here is SoFla and who can forget Shaq. I gotta throw Tim Hardaway in the mix as well.

Marlins - Mr. Marlin Jeff Conine clearly is a fan favorite and top 5 is no stretch for him. However the buzz was never greater than when Dontrelle Willis aka D-Train was taking the mound. The guy had a unique delivery and would dominate at times early in his career until teams figured him out. Livan Hernandez obviously had a huge buzz being from Cuba and helping lead the Fins in 1997 to a World Series win and Josh Beckett in 2003 was unbeatable in the playoffs. My wildcard as a fan favorite tho . . . Chucky Carr. That guy was on SportsCenter every other night for a play . . very much a fan favorite. Miguel Cabrera is the best player we ever had tho.

Panthers - I don't follow hockey nearly as much as the first 3, but 1996 and John Vanbeisbrouck go hand in hand with all Panthers fans. That was a scene and buzz we had in South Florida that was truly unforgettable. Scott Melanby was a fan favorite during that time as well but our best winger had to have been Pavel Bure. Still to this day you have to wonder why we didn't do more to keep Roberto Luongo in net, but it is what it is.

Hurricanes - Much harder to list college guys because many of these guys were here for only 3 years and then thats it. Just to name a few, I'd go Ray Lewis and Ed Reed as the guys people know and Edgerrin James, Bennie Blades, Michael Irvin, Alonzo Highsmith and Ottis Anderson as local products who were big stars at the U. QB play is well known with Jim Kelly, Vinny Testaverdie, Bernie Kosar and Ken Dorsey. Still there are plenty names I have left off but none of them really have that impact in South Florida in there hay day to give them the "buzz" needed to be on this list.

Other - Completely agree with Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. Not really known for his days at the U, but as a wrestler and fan favorite . . . he deserves merit here. Kimbo Slice is Miami born and bred, and definitely had a buzz as his videos went viral on youtube. I have watched the buzz on Venus and Serena Williams in South Florida well before they got major. They have been down here since before 10 years old and they still live in South Florida to this day. They also own stakes in the Dolphins I believe.

Based on all that if I put together a top 5 it would be:

1. Dan Marino - Not unpassable and that is probably due to the lack of a ring, but he clearly is still the "legend" off all South Florida athletics.
2. Alonzo Mourning - The Heat weren't anything until he came. Combined with all his contributions off the court and coming back to help win a title in 2006, i had to put him at #2.
3. Dwayne Wade - "Wade County" need I say more. I'll probably have him above Zo soon and maybe Marino before it is all said and done, but the performance he gave in the 2006 finals is unlike any performance the NBA has ever seen in that kind of moment and only Josh Beckett pitching on 2 days rest to beat the Yankees in Game 6 of the 2003 WS comes anywhere close to that as an individual performance by a SoFla athlete in that type of moment to win a championship.

**Everybody's top 3 should have those 3 names**

4. Jeff Conine - The guy was an original 1993 Florida Marlin, on the 1997 championship team and the 2003 championship team and still has a position in the front office and is always on the TV broadcasts. Multiple charities in South Florida and holds the title of "Mr. Marlin". Fan favorite as the people know him as . . . Jeff cOOnine from the Marlins announcer and Niner . . . multiple nicknames always indicate fans. If he had the big time stats, he potentially could rival Marino in this list but either way it would be a injustice to leave him off a top 5 list.

5. Jason Taylor - This was tough for me and he won't be here for long as I think Lebron passes him as soon as he helps bring a ring down here, but JT deserves this spot. To me this list needs to consist of people who put in a tenure as an "icon" in South Florida Sports. Sure the Rock, Venus and Serena transplanted here before there careers skyrocketed and have enjoyed successes professionally . . . but I still don't consider them South Florida icons . . . they are more icons from South Florida and that makes a difference to me. Jason Taylor has enjoyed 13 seasons down here and would be a no brainer on this list if not for the "lack" of success the Dolphins have experienced during his tenure. He has charities tied to South Florida and despite the nonsense that some fans wanna give him for "going to the Jets" if the Fins don't offer you a contract and another team will, and that other and only team is the Jets, the man has a right to continue his career. Still he will forever be a Fin and fan favorite and rounds out my top 5.
 
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Your list is relative for the past 25 years but you are missing some if your list is going to be considered "All-Time". Here are just a few from only one franchise.

Larry Csonka
Jake Scott
Dick Anderson
Nick Buoniconti
John Offerdahl
and of course....Don Shula.
 
Pat Riley always comes to mind when you talk about the Heat prior to recent. I'm not a Heat fan, but his slicked back hair always seemed to be the face I pinned to he team.
 
Kdawg954 said:
Panthers - I don't follow hockey nearly as much as the first 3, but 1996 and John Vanbeisbrouck go hand in hand with all Panthers fans. That was a scene and buzz we had in South Florida that was truly unforgettable. Scott Melanby was a fan favorite during that time as well but our best winger had to have been Pavel Bure. Still to this day you have to wonder why we didn't do more to keep Roberto Luongo in net, but it is what it is.
Click to expand...

Vanbiesbroeck was truly incredible in that '96 season. Hockey is the game I grew up playing and even though I was never a Panthers fan I remember just being brokenhearted when the Avs beat the Panthers in the finals after the performance Vanbiesbroeck put on to get them there. I played goalie from age seven through college and Vanbiesbroeck was always my favorite goalie and I still think that run they had, beating Cam Neely, Mario Lemieux and Eric Lindros to reach the finals, was historic whether or not they won it all.

I don't know that he would make a lot of peoples top 5's because I know hockey isn't real big down there, but kudos for mentioning the Beezer; we would certainly make my top 5.
 
This is pretty much spot on for me except you have to add Shula in there. If the Heat win it all soon you will see Lebron soar up that list especially if (a big if) he comes up big in the championship series like DWade did in 2006.


Kdawg954 said:
Here are a few players that come to mind:

Dolphins - Dan Marino and Ricky Williams. Dan is obvious and Run Ricky Run was such an anthem for those 2 seasons, I have never seen a buzz like that from any Dolphins player in my lifetime. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor can be considered here as well.

Heat - Alonzo Mourning and Dwayne Wade definitely lead the pack here but even after one season and change Lebron James and even Chris Bosh the buzz is unlike anything we have seen down here is SoFla and who can forget Shaq. I gotta throw Tim Hardaway in the mix as well.

Marlins - Mr. Marlin Jeff Conine clearly is a fan favorite and top 5 is no stretch for him. However the buzz was never greater than when Dontrelle Willis aka D-Train was taking the mound. The guy had a unique delivery and would dominate at times early in his career until teams figured him out. Livan Hernandez obviously had a huge buzz being from Cuba and helping lead the Fins in 1997 to a World Series win and Josh Beckett in 2003 was unbeatable in the playoffs. My wildcard as a fan favorite tho . . . Chucky Carr. That guy was on SportsCenter every other night for a play . . very much a fan favorite. Miguel Cabrera is the best player we ever had tho.

Panthers - I don't follow hockey nearly as much as the first 3, but 1996 and John Vanbeisbrouck go hand in hand with all Panthers fans. That was a scene and buzz we had in South Florida that was truly unforgettable. Scott Melanby was a fan favorite during that time as well but our best winger had to have been Pavel Bure. Still to this day you have to wonder why we didn't do more to keep Roberto Luongo in net, but it is what it is.

Hurricanes - Much harder to list college guys because many of these guys were here for only 3 years and then thats it. Just to name a few, I'd go Ray Lewis and Ed Reed as the guys people know and Edgerrin James, Bennie Blades, Michael Irvin, Alonzo Highsmith and Ottis Anderson as local products who were big stars at the U. QB play is well known with Jim Kelly, Vinny Testaverdie, Bernie Kosar and Ken Dorsey. Still there are plenty names I have left off but none of them really have that impact in South Florida in there hay day to give them the "buzz" needed to be on this list.

Other - Completely agree with Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson. Not really known for his days at the U, but as a wrestler and fan favorite . . . he deserves merit here. Kimbo Slice is Miami born and bred, and definitely had a buzz as his videos went viral on youtube. I have watched the buzz on Venus and Serena Williams in South Florida well before they got major. They have been down here since before 10 years old and they still live in South Florida to this day. They also own stakes in the Dolphins I believe.

Based on all that if I put together a top 5 it would be:

1. Dan Marino - Not unpassable and that is probably due to the lack of a ring, but he clearly is still the "legend" off all South Florida athletics.
2. Alonzo Mourning - The Heat weren't anything until he came. Combined with all his contributions off the court and coming back to help win a title in 2006, i had to put him at #2.
3. Dwayne Wade - "Wade County" need I say more. I'll probably have him above Zo soon and maybe Marino before it is all said and done, but the performance he gave in the 2006 finals is unlike any performance the NBA has ever seen in that kind of moment and only Josh Beckett pitching on 2 days rest to beat the Yankees in Game 6 of the 2003 WS comes anywhere close to that as an individual performance by a SoFla athlete in that type of moment to win a championship.

**Everybody's top 3 should have those 3 names**

4. Jeff Conine - The guy was an original 1993 Florida Marlin, on the 1997 championship team and the 2003 championship team and still has a position in the front office and is always on the TV broadcasts. Multiple charities in South Florida and holds the title of "Mr. Marlin". Fan favorite as the people know him as . . . Jeff cOOnine from the Marlins announcer and Niner . . . multiple nicknames always indicate fans. If he had the big time stats, he potentially could rival Marino in this list but either way it would be a injustice to leave him off a top 5 list.

5. Jason Taylor - This was tough for me and he won't be here for long as I think Lebron passes him as soon as he helps bring a ring down here, but JT deserves this spot. To me this list needs to consist of people who put in a tenure as an "icon" in South Florida Sports. Sure the Rock, Venus and Serena transplanted here before there careers skyrocketed and have enjoyed successes professionally . . . but I still don't consider them South Florida icons . . . they are more icons from South Florida and that makes a difference to me. Jason Taylor has enjoyed 13 seasons down here and would be a no brainer on this list if not for the "lack" of success the Dolphins have experienced during his tenure. He has charities tied to South Florida and despite the nonsense that some fans wanna give him for "going to the Jets" if the Fins don't offer you a contract and another team will, and that other and only team is the Jets, the man has a right to continue his career. Still he will forever be a Fin and fan favorite and rounds out my top 5.
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Taking everything into account, my top five consists of:

(Random order)

Wade
Marino
Shula
Riley
Mourning

I have to agree with JCane regarding Wade, as being able to pass Marino. If the Heat win another title or two, Wade will be the most successful pro athlete Miami has ever had. I love Marino as much as anyone else, and he is definitely one of the top QBs of all time, and when all is said and done, Wade will go down as probably the third best shooting guard in the history of the league. I just feel truly blessed that I was able to watch two of the greatest athletes to ever play professional sports, and they were right in our backyard. And we still get to see LeBron try and work his way up to that status, which is a plus!
 
fin-atic said:
This is pretty much spot on for me except you have to add Shula in there. If the Heat win it all soon you will see Lebron soar up that list especially if (a big if) he comes up big in the championship series like DWade did in 2006.
Click to expand...

Yea I thought about Shula, but I figured JCane wanted the list to be more about athletes than coaches, but obviously the head coach with the most wins in NFL history would be right at the top of this list and in addition to Shula, Joe Robbie definitely belongs and Pat Riley but the thing with Pat is it's like he is an icon in LA and NY also . . . but he definitely developed the Heat organization into the grand team it is today.
 
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Kdawg954 said:
Yea I thought about Shula, but I figured JCane wanted the list to be more about athletes than coaches, but obviously the head coach with the most wins in NFL history would be right at the top of this list.
Click to expand...

If we are talking strictly about players, then its:

Wade
Marino
Mourning
Conine
Zach
 
Wishfishin said:
Your list is relative for the past 25 years but you are missing some if your list is going to be considered "All-Time". Here are just a few from only one franchise.

Larry Csonka
Jake Scott
Dick Anderson
Nick Buoniconti
John Offerdahl
and of course....Don Shula.
Click to expand...

This was meant to be more of a Beloved list, rather than an All Time list. We can go on for days about All Time lists, and many of them include Dolphins, but I can't say any of those guys meant more to their franchise than the guys I have listed and the love the fans had for them and the off the field stuff they do for their community. Then again I am an early 80's baby and I don't know everything about what they did back then either.

Plus 25 years ago, there was no Heat, Panthers or Marlins so much of the Sports History down here back then is limited to just football teams.

Hell I wanted to put Jim Mandich . . . he was a good TE, but the fans loved him even more when he became the face of Miami Dolphins radio. .
 
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