Skip to main content
Advertising
Presented by

Top News: Fins Weekend, Start Of Minicamp

After another successful Fins Weekend, the Dolphins are now gearing up for the start of their mandatory three-day veteran minicamp Tuesday.

The Dolphins will hold practices Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before completing their offseason program with four days of OTAs next week.

Tight end A.J. Derby and punter Matt Haack will come to the minicamp with bragging rights after Fins Weekend. Derby won the Celebrity Closest to the Pin contest during the golf event, while Haack had the longest drive by a celebrity.

IMG_4970-1

The funds from Fins Weekend, which included a fishing tournament and parties featuring players, coaches, alumni and cheerleaders, benefit City Year Miami through a four-year, $1 million partnership. The Dolphins made a commitment to help young people who are working to transform education in Miami Gardens, sponsoring programs at Miami Carol City and Miami Norland Senior high schools.

Play ball: The 2018 Major League Baseball draft is scheduled for Monday evening and, based on history, one of the players selected just might wind up playing for the Dolphins one day. Yes, a baseball draft pick having an NFL career in Miami. It has happened in the past, most notably with perhaps the greatest player in Dolphins history, Dan Marino. Because the Dolphins selected him in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, Marino was a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 1979, the same year they picked John Elway in the 18th round. For historical perspective, Marino and Elway both were drafted before future MVP and current Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly, who was selected by the Yankees in the 19th round in 1979. Other examples include Ricky Williams, an eighth-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1995, seven years before he joined the Dolphins; Matt Moore, who was a 22nd-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2004 after scouts saw him play in a Southern California semi-pro baseball league and invited him to private workouts with the team; O.J. McDuffie, who was drafted by the Angels (then known as the California Angels) in the 41st round of the 1991 draft; Pat White, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and in later rounds by the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and New York Yankees in 2009, but never played for those organizations except in instructional leagues; and linebacker Corey Jenkins, who was drafted in the first round (24th overall selection) by the Boston Red Sox in the 1995 First Year Player Draft. He played four seasons in the Red Sox minor league system before he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Jenkins made it to Double-A ball before getting released in 1999. The Dolphins selected Jenkins in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft.

Giving back: Second-year players Charles Harris and Davon Godchaux haven't forgotten their roots, which they recently proved with generous donations to their respective high schools. Harris gave Lincoln High in Kansas City a gift of $100,000 to renovate its football field, while Godchaux bought cleats and gloves for the football team at Plaquemine High in Louisiana. Plaquemine High football coach Paul B. Distefano tweeted: "Thank you Davon Godchaux @ChauxDown for your generosity, kindness & thoughtfulness for our kids at PHS! We love you and appreciate you! I could not be any more proud of you!"

Miami Dolphins defensive back Terrell Buckley defends on a play during an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders on December 6, 1998 in Oakland, Ca.  The Dolphins won 27-17. (AP Photo/G. Newman Lowrance)

Call for the Hall: Eight former Dolphins players are on the 2019 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame that was released Monday. The players are CB Terrell Buckley (Florida State), RB Keith Byars (Ohio State), DE/LB Marco Coleman (Georgia Tech), LB E.J. Junior (Alabama), DE Corey Moore (Virginia Tech), CB Troy Vincent (Wisconsin) and FB Boomer Grigsby (Illinois State). The announcement of the 2019 Class will be made Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif., hours before the CFP National Championship is played at Levi's Stadium. The 2019 class will officially be inducted during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2019, at the New York Hilton Midtown.

The Miami Dolphins Foundation hosted the 22nd annual Fins Weekend, complete with golfing, fishing and parties amid the largest gathering of players, coaches, alumni and cheerleaders to give back to education in South Florida.

Related Content

Advertising