Number 76 and the Three Dolphins Who Wore It Best

Originally posted on FanNation All Dolphins
By Alain Poupart | Last updated 6/24/22

The countdown to the start of the 2022 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 76.

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 76 for at least one regular season game for the Dolphins:

DT Tom Nomina (1966-68), DE Jeff Richardson (1969), T Willie Young (1973), DT Don Reese (1974-75), DE John Alexander (1977-78), OL Rod Walters (1980), T Steve Clark (1982-85), T Tom Toth (1986-89), G Tim Irwin (1994), T James Brown (1996-99), T Marcus Spriggs (2001-02), G Chris Liwienski (2007), T Brandon Frye (2008), T Lydon Murtha (2009-10), DT Anthony Johnson (2014), T Branden Albert (2015-16), DE Jonathan Woodard (2018), G Evan Boehm (2019)

The breakdown of 76 with the Dolphins

When it comes to number 76, there frankly aren't a lot of great options for a top three. Even picking one player who stood out is difficult. Branden Albert was a three-year starter for the Dolphins, but he wore 71 in his first season in 2014, made the Pro Bowl in 2015 but then started fading a bit in 2016, though he was part of an offensive line that helped Jay Ajayi have three 200-yard rushing games. The only other possible top choice for 76 would be tackle James Brown, who started all but two games in four seasons with the Dolphins after being acquired in a rare trade with the New York Jets. In his first season in Miami, Brown helped Karim Abdul-Jabbar became the team's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1978. Among others who wore 76, Tom Nomina started all 30 games he played for the Dolphins during their first three seasons, Steve Clark started five of the 41 games he played over four seasons, and Tom Toth started all 12 non-strike games in the 1987 season.