Number 59 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

The countdown to the start of the 2024 regular season has begun now that we're under 100 days away, so we'll honor every day the best players to wear the corresponding number for the Dolphins.

Today, we're at number 59.

The top players at each number so far have been Jason Taylor at 99, Jared Odrick at 98, Phillip Merling at 97, Paul Soliai at 96, Tim Bowens at 95, Randy Starks at 94,  Trace Armstrong at 93, John Denney at 92, Cameron Wake at 91, Marco Coleman at 90,  Nat Moore at 89, Keith Jackson at 88, Andre Tillman at 87, Oronde Gadsden at 86, Nick Buoniconti at 85, Bill Stanfill at 84, Mark Clayton at 83, Brian Hartline at 82, O.J. McDuffie at 81, Irving Fryar at 80, Jon Giesler at 79, Richmond Webb at 78, A.J. Duhe at 77, Branden Albert at 76, Manny Fernandez at 75, Mark Dennis at 74, Bob Baumhower at 73, Terron Armstead at 72, Todd Wade at 71, Kendall Langford at 70, Keith Sims at 69, Robert Hunt at 68, Bob Kuechenberg at 67, Larry Little at 66, Jeff Dellenbach at 65, Ed Newman at 64, Mark Dixon at 63, Jim Langer at 62, Tim Ruddy at 61, and Bert Weidner at 60.

As a reminder about the ground rules, the top three will be determined only by what the players did while wearing that uniform for the Dolphins.

Players who wore 59 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

LB Jack Thornton (1966), LB Doug Swift (1970-75), LB Guy Roberts (1977), LB Steve Shull (1980), LB Bob Brudzinski (1981-89), LB John Grimsley (1992-93), LB DeWayne Dotson (1995), LB Derrick Rodgers (1997-2002), LB Billy Strother (2004), LB Donnie Spragan (2004-06), LB Derek Smith (2008), LB J.D. Folsom (2009), LB Ikaika Alama-Francis (2010-11), LB Jonathan Freeny (2012), LB Dannell Ellerbe (2013-14), LB Chase Allen (2017-18), LB Jamal Davis II (2019)

The breakdown of 59 with the Dolphins

No Dolphins player has made the Pro Bowl wearing 59, but there have been some good linebackers who have worn that number. Doug Swift made the Dolphins roster as a rookie free agent in 1970 and went on to start 71 games, including all 42 during the three seasons that ended with the team going to the Super Bowl. Swift had three interceptions during the 1972 perfect season. Bob Brudzinski came to the Dolphins after they gave the Los Angeles Rams second- and third-round picks for his services and he started his first seven years in Miami. He was a key component of the Killer B's defense that helped Miami reach the Super Bowl in the 1982 season. John Grimsley was a five-year starter with Houston coming off a knee injury when he joined the Dolphins in a trade in 1992 and proceeded to start 20 games for Miami. Derrick Rodgers was a six-year starter for the Dolphins after arriving as a third-round pick out of Arizona State. He had five sacks as a rookie in 1997 and two interceptions in 2002 in his final season with Miami before leaving to join the Saints as a free agent. Donnie Spragan was a part-time starter in his three seasons with the Dolphins. Dannell Ellerbe had 101 tackles in 2013 after arriving as a free agent from Baltimore, but he sustained a hip injury in the 2014 opener and was traded to New Orleans the following offseason in the deal that brought Kenny Stills to Miami.

The top three Dolphins players with number 59

1. LB Doug Swift

2. LB Bob Brudzinski

3. LB Derrick Rodgers

Dolphins 59's among the NFL's all-time best

Longtime Steelers linebacker Jack Ham is the only Hall of Famer who predominantly wore 59, and others who stood out with that number include London Fletcher and Luke Kuechly. Even though we put Swift first on our list, Brudzinski might have a better case for a top 10 spot because he played 13 NFL seasons to Swift's six.