Dolphins Rookies Have A Hall Of A Time In Canton

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Dolphins Rookies Have A Hall Of A Time In Canton

June 19, 2008
   
By Andy Kent
Special for MiamiDolphins.com

Class was in session one more time for the Miami Dolphins' 2008 rookie class as a field trip on June 9th to Canton, Ohio designed to serve as a history lesson for the 25 rookies left a long-lasting impression.

Former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Michael Irvin, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, inspired NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league to schedule the tour of the Hall for all rookies after expressing how he wished someone had taken him through the Hall when he was a rookie.

The Dolphins players were accompanied by former Dolphins receiver and alumni coordinator Nat Moore, who is a member of the Dolphin Honor Roll, and he was privy to the initial reactions of the rookies as they were indoctrinated on some of the changes that have taken place in the game over time and to learn more about some of the great players from bygone eras.

"They had a chance to go back and look at how the game was started, and it was kind of interesting for me speaking to the young men, the rookies, because it was so long ago when I played," Moore said. "You're talking to them about some of the changes and you start to realize that, heck, they weren't born until 1985, 1986 or 1987, where a lot of the changes that have been made, they don't even have a clue that it used to be that way."

As for the importance of the trip, that was not lost on any of Miami's rookies. They were fresh off of the team's mandatory mini-camp and three days away from the last organized team activity before July's training camp, so their minds were sharp and they were well aware of how much the game's history means to the current Miami coaching regime.

"It was an eye-opening experience to see how many people have come before us and the path they paved for us to be able to do what we do today," said rookie guard Shawn Murphy, whose father, Dale Murphy, is a candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame. "And it's obvious from that trip that the NFL had very humble beginnings, and now it's turned into the greatest show in America.

"It's very humbling to learn about the history and the player that came before us. My favorite exhibit was the section on the modern era, because it was great to learn the history but you felt a little removed from it, but the modern era they have all these exhibits in there that you feel a little more connected to."

Left tackle Jake Long was the first overall pick of April's draft out of Michigan and he was drawn to the bust of fellow former Michigan tackle Dan Dierdorf, even posing for a snapshot in front of it. Quarterback Chad Henne, who relied on Long to protect his blind side for four years in college, made sure to check out Dan Marino's bust, and the others soaked in the accomplishments of the 214 enshrinees, gasping at highlights of the great Walter Payton on film.

"It was awesome. It was a great trip and it was fun because I've never been there," Long said. "I was a huge Barry Sanders fan growing up as a big Lions fan, so I saw Barry's bust and his jersey and that was pretty cool to me. I definitely think it was a worthy trip because it shows you the struggles people went through to let us be here and be playing this great game. It was an honor to be here and to play in this league and I think it was a great experience."

Reactions like those of Long's, Murphy's and Henne's is what Moore and those at the Hall were hoping to induce. Moore took pride in being able to reveal to the receivers that they didn't always have it as easy as they do know with the rules prohibiting any contact by defensive backs after five yards, pointing out how smart the league has been about the game and about making changes for the better.

Moore also got to tell stories about the 1972 Perfect Season and how those Dolphins were the epitome of a team all the way around.

"It was important for them to learn about how Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick all shared time in the backfield wit no petty jealousies, and how a Paul Warfield averaged almost 20 yards per catch," Moore said. "It was a great experience for some of these guys just to learn the history of the Dolphins. They had heard about Marino and some of the more recent guys, but they didn't have a clue of the guys before them.

"I think the real key when they started looking at the busts was to look at when they first started the inductions to where they are and how the first year they made up for all those guys that had come before and there were no limits to how many could go in. And then you start seeing where only three went in and then five and you started to understand why guys had to wait so long to get there, because there were so many great players from the same era."

If there was one major difference Moore wanted to make the rookies aware of it was how the players of his era actually had to work another job in order to make ends meet and couldn't devote the entire offseason to getting ready got training camp. This also forced those players to prepare for life after football.

"One of the big pushes about this deal was to get the young guys to not only learn the history of the game, but to take advantage to the things that are offered to them right now, especially from an education standpoint, like the chance to go back to school or to the business schools," Moore said. "This was a chance to learn a lot more about what their entitlements are as they go through their career so they don't squander their money."