Manny Fernandez, a star defensive lineman on the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins who had 17 tackles in that season’s Super Bowl win, has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 79.
The Dolphins said in a statement that Fernandez will be remembered as “one of the best players in Dolphins history.”
Fernandez joined the Dolphins in their third season in 1968 and became a foundational piece of their two Super Bowl wins and three Super Bowl appearances in the early 1970s. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2014. He played his entire eight-year NFL career with the Dolphins.
Fernandez was named the Dolphins’ “Outstanding Defensive Lineman” from the time he was a rookie in 1968 through the second Super Bowl-winning season in 1973. He was named to the Dolphins’ All-Time team in 2007.
His 17 tackles in the 1972 Super Bowl showcased a superb performance by a defensive tackle, as Miami beat Washington 14-7 to complete the only undefeated season in NFL history, going 17-0. That didn’t win him the game’s MVP, which went to safety Jake Scott for his two inteceptions. But Fernandez’s game ranked him as the 10th best player in any Super Bowl by Yahoo! Sports in 2014.
FILE – Former Miami Dolphins player Manny Fernandez (75) is presented a football by former player and current Dolphins senior vice president of special projects and alumni relations, Nat Moore (89) during the Dolphins All-Time 50th Anniversary Team ceremony during half time at an N FL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
FILE – Defensive tackle Manny Fernandez of the Miami Dolphins, shows where he broke his jaw in two places and lost nine teeth in a motorcycle accident, in New Orleans, Jan. 14, 1972. Fernandez and Dolphins safety Jake Scott plan a motorcycle tour of the country after they play the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI in New Orleans Jan. 16. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly)
FILE – In this Oct. 10, 1971, file photo, Miami Dolphins defensive end Bill Stanfill (84) and defensive tackle Manny Fernandez (75) tackle New England Patriots quarterback Jim Plunkett (16) for a loss. (Lour Toman/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula leads his veterans to the practice field on July 11, 1973 in Miami, for their first day of workouts for the 1973 season. Leading the way, from left are: Dick Anderson, safety, Manny Fernandez, defensive tackle, defensive end Bill Stanfield and Shula. (AP Photo/ Jim Kerlin)
FILE – In this undated file photo, former Miami Dolphins lineman Manny Fernandez chats with Michael Silverstein, 8, of Coral Springs, while signing autographs during the Kids Konvention at the Coral Square Mall. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – In this Jan. 7, 1974, file photo, Miami Dolphins defensive linemen, from top to bottom, Bill Stanfill, Bob Heinz, Manny Fernandez and Vern Den Herder pose in Houston during the Dolphins picture day for Super Bowl VIII. Former Georgia and Miami Dolphins star Bill Stanfill has died. He was 69. The university issued a statement on behalf of Stanfill’s family saying he died Thursday night, Nov. 10, 2016, in Albany, Ga. (AP Photo/File)
FILE – Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross presents former player Manny Fernandez with a plaque as he is inducted into the team’s hall of fame during halftime of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
FILE – In this Aug. 12, 2010, file photo, Miami Dolphins alumni Nat Moore, left, Keith Byars, center, current Boca Raton High football coach, and Manny Fernandez attend a Miami Dolphins pep rally at the Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton. (Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Jim Rassol / Sun Sentinel
Manny Fernandez shakes hands with Dolphins owner Steve Ross as he is inducted into the Ring of Honor on Dec. 21, 2014.
FILE – In this undated file photo, former Miami Dolphins lineman Manny Fernandez chats with fans while signing autographs during the Kids Konvention at the Coral Square Mall. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Washington Redskins running back #43, Larry Brown, is stopped in his tracks by Miami Dolphins defender #75, Manny Fernandez, who grabs him around the neck during action at Super Bowl VII in Los Angeles, January 14, 1973. The Dolphins defeated the Redskins 14-7, to complete the season undefeated. (AP Photo)
FILE – In this Dec. 21, 2014, file photo, former Miami Dolphins player Manny Fernandez is inducted into the Honor Roll at SunLife Stadium during a game against the Minnesota Vikings in Miami Gardens. (Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Manny Fernandez, a star on the Miami Dolphins 1972 undefeated team, died at age 79. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee )
FILE – A Miami Dolphins fan celebrates former player Manny Fernandez induction into the team’s honor roll during half time at an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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FILE – Former Miami Dolphins player Manny Fernandez (75) is presented a football by former player and current Dolphins senior vice president of special projects and alumni relations, Nat Moore (89) during the Dolphins All-Time 50th Anniversary Team ceremony during half time at an N FL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
“His consistent and selfless contributions on the field were instrumental to the Dolphins’ success throughout the early 1970s, particularly in the team’s three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, in which he produced some of the most memorable defensive performances in the history of the game,” the team said in a statement.
No cause of death was announced by the team. Fernandez is the sixth starter of the 1972 team’s famed “No-Name Defense” and believed to be the 23rd player on that team’s roster to have died. The six coaches on the team have also passed, including head coach Don Shula in 2020.