Miami Dolphins legend Manny Fernandez, a defensive anchor for the only team in NFL history to go undefeated, has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 79.
The Dolphins did not disclose Fernandez’s cause of death.
Fernandez starred at Utah before joining the Dolphins in 1968 as an undrafted free agent. He went on to spend his entire eight-year NFL tenure with the Dolphins. That run included three Super Bowl trips, including back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973.
The Dolphins allowed the fewest points in the NFL during each of those title-winning runs, including their perfect 17-0 campaign in 1972. Fernandez is unofficially credited with 35 regular-season sacks, which were not an official NFL statistic until 1982.
With Fernandez as an anchor, the Dolphins’ defensive unit was nicknamed the “No-Name Defense.”
“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 Dolphins said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and teammates as we remember one of the best players in Dolphins history.”
The Dolphins inducted Fernandez into their Honor Roll in 2014.
Notable deaths of 2026
Sonny RollinsKennedy Center Honoree, jazz great Sonny Rollins, salutes photographers on the red carpet as he arrives at the Kennedy Center for a gala evening in Washington on December 4, 2011. Rollins, a Grammy winner known for his virtuoso playing of the tenor saxophone, died at the age of 95 on May 24. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo
