Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans hold the team passing on QB Dan Marino during the 1983 NFL Draft as the biggest mistake in franchise history. That may well be the truth, given that they didn’t win a Super Bowl for another 22 years. Then again, neither did Marino in his 17-year NFL career.
He said on the Pat McAfee Show that he does think about both. Never winning a Super Bowl particularly hurts at this time of year. But he’s changed his tune about potentially playing for his hometown Steelers over the years.
“I thought about it many times during my career. I think at the time, though, it’s probably the best thing to happen to me”, he said, “because I played four years of high school right there at Central Catholic, then played at Pitt right there in Oakland. To leave, I think, made me mature a lot quicker and be able to play a lot quicker than maybe if I would’ve stayed in Pittsburgh. But it would have been fun. It would have been a lot of fun”.
Marino was born in Pittsburgh. He went to high school in Pittsburgh. Then he went to college in Pittsburgh. If you think Kenny Pickett playing for the Pittsburgh Panthers was a big deal, that’s nothing compared to what Marino being the Steelers quarterback would have been.
You may well be familiar with the story. The 1983 NFL Draft was particularly strong for quarterbacks. The Baltimore Colts drafted John Elway first overall. Todd Blackledge, the black sheep of the group, went to Kansas City at seven. Then Jim Kelly came off the board in Buffalo at 14, followed by Tony Eason in New England.
Unlike in 2022 when the Steelers had their pick of any quarterback of the draft, four were already off the board. But Marino was still there at 21 when they came on the clock. They selected Gabe Rivera. Sadly, he suffered a paralytic accident while driving drunk during his rookie season.
Señor Sack could have been a great defensive lineman. But few players lived up to Dan Marino that year, and the Steelers passed on him. Former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll admitted that rumors about Marino’s drug use factored into the decision.
He ultimately retired after 17 seasons, but a couple years back, he admitted he thought about coming to Pittsburgh. “It just didn’t feel right”, he said about his ultimate conclusion, saying he decided to be “a Dolphin for life”.
Marino only played 11 games in his final season in 1999. He went 204-of-369 passing for 2,448 yards with 12 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. He wasn’t exactly in the prime of his career, his 5,000-yard season 15 years behind him.
Signing with the Steelers at 39 in 2000 wouldn’t have made up for the lost time, certainly. But we all have to make the best of our realities. For Marino, that did not include playing for his hometown Steelers. And at least in some way he’s come to realize that way worked out better. Or so he says now.
