Rest in Peace Jake Scott | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Rest in Peace Jake Scott

Most of the posters on here are too young to have actually seen Jake Scott play for the Dolphins. To me though, he and Dick Anderson were the best duo to ever play the safety position for the Miami Dolphin. Scott was an all pro safety and the SB MVP during the Dolphins perfect season. One of my saddest days as a young Dolphin fan was when Scott was traded because he and Shula had a falling out. In all the years I have been a fan of the Dolphins, since 1966, no other safety for the Dolphins has ever played as well for the Dolphins as Jake Scott did while he was a member of the team.

May he Rest In Peace.
That was such a stupid trade. One of many by Shula in that era. I don't even have to look up the name. It was Bryant Salter. Plus we had to give up a draft pick to the Redskins. What a joke. Then Larry King devoted his entire evening WIOD radio program to emphasizing how great Salter would turn out, that he loved the trade. I called up and told him he was out of his mind. We just gave away a smart instinctive player for a lanky scrub.

Jake Scott was a 7th round pick only because he wouldn't conform, in an era in which not conforming was unheard of and frowned upon. Scott bolted Georgia and went to Canada. Otherwise his talent level was always elite. From early camp that first year Scott became the whispered name, with everyone saying he was in charge already, like a coach on the field. Keep in mind there were only 6 or 8 coaches period in those days, so there was legitimacy to the term coach on the field. It was needed.

That 1970 season started great then there was a daunting stretch of 6 consecutive games against NFL alumni. This was the first year of the merger. Despite the back to back Super Bowl upsets by the Jets and Chiefs, the NFL franchises were still held in awe and fear by AFL teams. And with good reason. Results heavily favored the NFL in the first season or two.

The Dolphins were not immune. The 6 game midseason stretch against NFL teams was a quite the oddity and drew tons of attention once the schedule was announced. Sure enough, Miami was intimidated and massacred in the early going...back to back lopsided shutouts by the Browns 28-0 and Colts 35-0 followed by a scared wobbly loss on the road to a weak Eagles team. Even when we defeated a pathetic Saints team in unconvincing fashion it was more relief than upbeat. The big bad Colts were coming to town again, just weeks after the 35-0 thrashing at Baltimore.

My family attended the game. White hankies everywhere. But the game started out poorly. Fortunately managed to hold them to a field goal. Then Jake Scott made one of the great and most significant plays in franchise history, even though it is seldom remembered at all. He fielded a punt at roughly the 20 and took off to his right, circling the field like a scared rabbit en route to a touchdown that electrified the Orange Bowl and basically launched the Shula era in Miami. I'll never forget how the Orange Bowl reverberated for seemingly 5 minutes after that play. The Colts were stunned. The Dolphins used it to noticeably surge in energy and confidence. That 3-0 deficit became 21-3 Miami in a hurry. Then a 34-17 rout that was never in doubt.

The Dolphins drew national praise for the first time after that game. The timing was especially significant because it was the first season of Monday Night Football, with Miami's debut the following week at Atlanta. Cosell and Meredith gushed about the Dolphins and how the momentum from the Colts win had carried over. Everyone was bouncing in the hallways in school. Granted, it was elementary school.

Miami won out the remainder of the season, finishing 10-4. The playoff loss at muddy Oakland was frustrating but the team played well. Everyone sensed there were promising years ahead.

I've seen posters in this thread emphasize that Jake Scott was their favorite player from that era. It was surprisingly common. He was always my sister's favorite. I loved Scott but couldn't join the group partially because he was such a hang on and hope tackler. Gad, could Scott be taken for a ride. Sometimes 5-10 yards or more. Dick Anderson would have to arrive and flatten matters.
 
The legend in Athens is he rode his motorcycle over the arch in front of Stegeman Coliseum.
 
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