I woke up this morning to some upsetting news. The voice of my Miami Dolphins, Jim "Mad Dog" Mandich, lost his battle with bile-duct cancer late last night. Before I explain how much the Mad Dog meant to me, I'm gonna tell you guys a little bit about the man himself. Jim Mandich was born in Solon, Ohio and was an All-American tight end for the University of Michigan before he was made a first-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 1970. At the time, Mandich was a long-haired flower child and notoriously arrived at his first Dolphins training camp in a colorful hippie van. Needless to say, Coach Shula was not impressed; but he soon would be. Mandich had a renowned work ethic and was a part of Miami's two Super Bowl championships; including the perfect season in 1972. He was also a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers 1979 Super Bowl season. In 2004, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
He wasn't the flashiest player. He didn't run the fastest 40 yard dash. He didn't rack up all the receiving stats you see out of top-tier TEs these days. He was an old-school player and he was an old-school kind of guy. After his playing days, he parlayed that attitude into a multi-million dollar career in trucking and construction. That kind of attitude was readily identifiable in his later work as a color commentator for the home team and as a sports radio host. He wasn't afraid to pull any punches and he always said exactly what was on his mind. More than that, Mad Dog was a personality. He was funny and personable. Listening to his show, you can sense the passion that the man had for sports and life. He was a homer. He loved his Dolphins like no other and he wasn't afraid to admit it. From now until forever, whenever I think about the Mad Dog I will think about this moment: It's a Monday night game against the Denver Broncos and the Fins are down by two with about 8 seconds left on the clock; there is only enough time for the Dolphins to attempt a 53-yard field goal to win the game. Olindo Mare, our kicker, comes up and knocks it right between the uprights and the Dolphins win. As soon as you can tell it's good, Jim starts screaming "YEEEEAAHHHH!!! YEAHHHHH!! YEAHHH!!" Look up the clip on wqam.com. If you didn't know any better you'd have thought that the Dolphins had just won the Super Bowl. The man was pure heart and emotion.
The Mad Dog definitely holds a special place in my heart. I'd listen to his show with great frequency right up until he left WQAM last year due to his illness. Whenever I'd be out working with my dad, we'd listen. Sure, it was just a sports radio show, but it would bring me and my dad together. We'd get into conversations about the Dolphins or the Marlins or whatever the "topic of the day" was. Jim made us laugh together. Jim was one of us. I guess you can say he "made our toes tingle" and he "lit a fire up our fanny". He had some lines on him. He referred to sex as "bangy dangy". He encouraged his listeners to call in "if you're riding around with the windows down" and he referred to his favorite beer, Heineken, as "green lizards". Those lines and that personality are what made listening to Mad Dog so unique and special. You'd listen to him once and you felt like you've known him forever.
Listening to the radio today, all you heard was people calling in praising the man. It didn't even feel sad. It felt like he was winning an award or something. His life was being celebrated. An endless stream of people called in with stories about the Mad Dog picking up their tabs at bars and restaurants, showing up to their charity event, and just being an all-around great guy. Jim Mandich was an incredible asset for his community and his people loved him. Every teammate and colleague that they had on had only wonderful things to say about him. More than anything, the conversation centered around how outstanding a MAN he was, how reliable a teammate he was, and how giving a friend he was to anybody who he encountered. That right there is how I want to be remembered. When I die, I want to go out like the Mad Dog. We will miss you, Jim. Keep the beers cold for us.
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