This weekend, the Miami Dolphins community lost a respected and beloved member of their family as former head coach Tony Sparano passed away.
As a writer, I usually make a conscious effort to avoid bias and not write from the perspective of a fan. However, with his untimely passing, now feels like a time to put that aside and appreciate former head coach Tony Sparano as a Miami Dolphins fan.
We have heard plenty of people say what a great human, husband and father he was. We’ve heard plenty of his former players heap praise upon him. But that’s not what we are focusing on here. We are praising him ourselves for what we remember, because most of us didn’t play for him or know him personally. Nevertheless, he still impacted us in a major way as fans, both diehard and casual.
There are two things Dolphins fans will remember Sparano for above everything else. He quietly had a massive impact on the NFL. His most notable contribution was the re-introduction of the “Wildcat” offense on the pro level, which you can still see just about every week in various games today.
In Week 3 of the 2008 season, Sparano unleashed the Wildcat, utilizing running back Ronnie Brown to massacre the New England Patriots, 38-13, and thoroughly out-coaching a shell-shocked Bill Belichick. Lining Brown up in the quarterback spot left the defense dumbfounded as he gashed the them for five touchdowns (four rushing, one passing).
The Dolphins continued to evolve this offense and perfect it with a combination of Brown and Ricky Williams, revitalizing the latter’s career. Other teams tried to duplicate Sparano’s genius, but nobody did it quite like his Dolphins initially. Teams are still running this offensive scheme today, but it will never be perfected like his Dolphins perfected it when he was at the helm.
That transitions us right to his greatest accomplishment, something Dolphins fans will cherish forever. Since 2002, only one coach has bested Belichick and the Patriots in the AFC East. In 2008, propelled by that Wildcat assault, Sparano’s Dolphins dethroned the Pats and won the AFC East with an 11-5 record in a season that saw Miami win 11 of their last 14 games.
Sparano won the NFL Alumni’s Coach of the Year award. He also helped Brown to a career year and Pro Bowl appearance. Chad Pennington was all but written off and ended up winning Comeback Player of the Year and was even an MVP finalist. Veteran great Joey Porter also had a career year and was named to the All-Pro Second Team. It was the team’s first playoff appearance since 2001 and they’ve only been back once since. It’s safe to say this was their best and most exciting season since Dan Marino retired.
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While Sparano may not have sustained success long-term in South Beach, he undoubtedly rejuvenated a fan base that desperately needed something to hang their hat on. He also did wonders for a lot of players’ careers who needed the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Most notable, he unleashed Ronnie Brown on the league, gave Ricky Williams a second chance and allowed Reggie Bush be the feature back he always knew he could be. The impact he had on fans and players careers cannot be measured.
We as Dolphins fans will always look back on Sparano fondly. As a franchise that hasn’t exactly been stellar for a long time now, we appreciate the moments we get to savor. We will never forget coach Sparano. He will forever be cemented in Dolphins lure as the man who outcoached and dethroned Bill Belichick, even if just for one year.