You can take Marino out of football, but… no, you can’t

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2016 (3373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dan Marino’s name means different things to different people.

To some he’s the legendary Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins quarterback with the rocket arm and pinpoint accuracy. To others who don’t watch football or are too young to have seen him play, he’s the guy who was in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective with Jim Carrey.

And to autistic and other developmentally disabled people and their families, he and his wife and philanthropists who started a foundation in 1992 that has raised more than $53 million to support research, programs and treatment.

Resources and information about autism were in short supply when Marino and his wife Claire found out their then-two-year-old son Michael was autistic.

“I remember coming home from work and we thought he might have issues with his hearing and other things, it just didn’t seem right,” Marino said. “We ended up taking him to the University of Miami and the doctor diagnosed him with autism… Claire and I had no idea what autism was. We thought there were other issues. We had to look at it and learn about it and figure out how to help Michael and then others and then creating awareness.”

Marino will talk about his foundation and a whole lot more when he comes to town as the keynote speaker at the 44th Annual Rady JCC Sports Dinner on June 21 at the RBC Convention Centre.

“I try to make it interactive for people,” Marino said. “Of course, I let people know what’s going on in my life right now and all that kind of stuff. But I make it open with questions and answers. I find it a lot more fun doing that and being interactive with the crowd and the people. Usually, I throw a football for a bit, do some trivia and find a way to get some people to win some autographed footballs. Basically, I throw them into the crowd and they can keep them if they catch them.”

Marino said he was able to achieve his dream in the NFL.

“Besides being a father and being a husband, (playing football) was the best time of my life…. From the time I was a little kid, you never thought you’d have an opportunity like that, to be a quarterback in the NFL and have a good career, for me a great career, and to be in the Hall of Fame one day. That’s what it was all about. When you achieve dreams and work for things in life and are able to accomplish them, it’s very special.”

Marino is currently an adviser with the Dolphins, a position he took on in 2014. He needs to be around in the game in some capacity. After he retired, he spent time in the broadcast booth as a game analyst.

“There’s no doubt, one way or the other, since I was eight years old, I’ve been involved in football,” he said.

If he had to pick the greatest quarterback of all time, it would come down to a choice between fellow Hall of Famers Joe Montana and John Elway.

And as far as he’s concerned, it’s a pick ’em when it comes to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

“You’re going to win with either one of those guys,” he said.

Despite retiring in 1999, he feels the game hasn’t changed a whole lot, aside from the size of players.

“It’s all still about fundamentals, about matchups, blocking your guy and making your tackles, that stuff will never change,” he said. “The philosophy and how you win is still the same.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @scottbilleck