The segment began as former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, now a studio host for Amazon Prime's NFL coverage, surprised current 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy with a FaceTime call during the broadcast, which featured none other than Marino, a sports icon revered by Purdy's dad.
Purdy, who revealed during the interview that he wears #13 in honor of Marino, shared a fun family anecdote about his connection to Marino, and how it began the day he was born.VIDEO: Brock Purdy meeting his childhood hero, Dan Marino 👏
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 22, 2023
When Marino answered, and Brock Purdy’s face INSTANTLY LIT UP with a smile because he was meeting him for the very first time.
“My dad and I loved you growing up, you’re the reason I wear 13.”pic.twitter.com/QwZEImq0Ie
"I think actually the day I was born, you guys were playing the Jets – December 27, 1999 – and my dad always says I got to see you play the day I was born," Purdy shared while speaking to Marino.
Fitzpatrick, chiming in with a grin, joked, "You probably threw a few touchdowns that day, huh Dan?"
Marino responded with a chuckle, "You know, I'd have to look it up, but I bet I had at least three."
Little did they know at that moment that Marino's memory was just as sharp as his throwing arm during his playing career. A quick Google search reveals that Marino did indeed throw three touchdowns in the game against the Jets on December 27, 1999. (He conveniently leaves out he also threw three interceptions in the game, but we'll chalk that up to selective memory, something most Dolphins fans have learned to master themselves over the years.)
Oddly enough, the game on Purdy's first birthday is one of a limited number of Dolphins games you'll find on YouTube.
It's as if the stars have all aligned. Well, other than in this feel good story.
Spoiler alert: The Dolphins lost the 1999 game. But until recently, what else is new?
Marino's career with the Dolphins, spanning 17 seasons, remains the stuff of NFL legend. Unfortunately, Purdy himself saw none of it live.
The Dolphins would finish that same 1999 season with a 9-7 record and upset the number-three-seed Seattle Seahawks 20-17 in the Wild Card round, before their playoff journey came to a crashing halt in a humiliating 7-62 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round, a game memorable for the lopsided score, but more so as Marino's final appearance in the NFL.
Now that Marino is a big part of the Miami Dolphins front office and mentoring Tua Tagovailoa, it's good to see him getting a moment to talk about his playing days, and even better to see a younger generation appreciating his play as much as Dolphins fans did for nearly two decades.
For those 'Phins fans that just became Brock Purdy fans, you'll be pleased to learn he threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers 30-12 recent rout of the Giants, continuing Purdy's unbelievable streak of having never lost a game as a starter in the NFL.
