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Draft Memories: Bob Baumhower

MIAMI, FL : Defensive tackle Bob Baumhower #73 of the Miami Dolphins reacts against the Buffalo Bills at the Orange Bowl in 1982 in Miami Florida, Florida.  (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
MIAMI, FL : Defensive tackle Bob Baumhower #73 of the Miami Dolphins reacts against the Buffalo Bills at the Orange Bowl in 1982 in Miami Florida, Florida. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)

What stands out to you the most from your draft-day experience?

Bob Baumhower: "I went to Palm Beach Gardens High School for three years before I moved to Alabama, and when I lived there the Dolphins were doing their undefeated thing, so I was a huge Miami Dolphin fan. I played in the Senior Bowl and the Dolphins were the coaches for the Southern team and when I got the call from the Dolphins, it was like it was too good to be true. I couldn't have gone to a better team."

Where were you on draft day?

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Baumhower: "I was in my apartment in Tuscaloosa. We lived in Bryant Hall until the spring of our senior year when we were allowed to move out, so I wound up sharing an apartment with Andy Gothard, a teammate of mine. We were in the apartment together and I had some friends, like Richard Todd (an Alabama grad who was playing for the Jets at the time) and it was a real casual afternoon. I was just waiting on the call. It was a whole different animal back then."

Was there something about your interviews with prospective coaches before draft day that stood out?

Bob Baumhower

Baumhower: "(Defensive Line Coach) Mo Scarry sticks out. Mo was my position coach at the Senior Bowl. He taught a lot of the same techniques I learned at Alabama, so that was great. And the things I talked to Mo about he seemed to be real interested in – what kind of person you were, your work ethic, things like that. That seemed to matter to him. Being able to work with him on a daily basis at the Senior Bowl probably went a long way to get me drafted by Miami."

How did you celebrate being drafted? Baumhower: "I really didn't celebrate. I was really excited and the first thing I did was call my mom and dad because they were Dolphin fans as well. But I didn't do anything specifically to celebrate."

What was it like to know you were going to be coached by Don Shula?

Miami Dolphins nose tackle Bob Baumhower (73) pressures Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann (7) during the Dolphins 27-17 loss to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.  (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)

Baumhower: "It was a very, very exciting thing for me just to be going to South Florida, but I can tell you that when I went to Miami, everyone there felt he was the best coach in the NFL and I agreed with that. I remember I was talking to the press and I was talking about coming from a school that had Bear Bryant, who I said was the best coach in football, and I corrected myself really quick. I said "in college football" and added, "Now I get to play for the best coach in pro football." I remember that like it was yesterday. And I tell people it was a gift that kept on giving – to play for a team like the Dolphins, a man like Coach Shula, and a man like Mo Scarry. It was just the best."

What advice would you give to this year's class of draft choices?

MIAMI, FL : Defensive tackle Bob Baumhower #73 of the Miami Dolphins rushes the pocket against the Buffalo Bills at the Orange Bowl in 1981 in Miami Florida, Florida.  (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Baumhower: "Don't be intimidated. If you get drafted by a team the caliber of the Dolphins back then, don't be intimidated. Just work hard and don't get discouraged. When I joined the team, there were days when I didn't think I could play in the pros because I was practicing against Jim Langer, Larry Little, and Bob Kuechenberg. I was a pinball going up against them and there were times I didn't think I could play the game. So my advice is, believe in yourself, don't get discouraged, and take it one day at a time."

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