 Fernandez, circa 1967 | |||||||
| No. 75 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Defensive tackle •Defensive end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1946-07-03)July 3, 1946 (age 79) Oakland, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | San Lorenzo(Ashland, California) | ||||||
| College | Utah | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1968: undrafted | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL/AFL statistics | |||||||
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Manuel Jose Fernandez (born July 3, 1946) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive lineman for eight seasons with theMiami Dolphins of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUtah Utes. He played in three consecutiveSuper Bowls for the Dolphins in the 1971, 1972, and 1973 seasons.[1]
AtSan Lorenzo High School inSan Lorenzo, California, he playedfootball,wrestled, and threw thediscus.
Fernandez attendedChabot Junior College before enrolling atUtah under head coachMike Giddings. Fernandez wore number 65 at Utah and was a three-yearletterman.[2]
Fernandez wentundrafted and signed with the Dolphins.
Fernandez was a strong contender forMVP ofSuper Bowl VII. WroteNick Buoniconti, "It was the game of his life–in fact, it was the most dominant game by a defensive lineman in the history of the game, and he would never be given much credit for it. They should have given out two game balls and made Manny Fernandez the co-MVP withJake Scott."Larry Csonka also said he thought Fernandez should have been the MVP. The MVP was selected byDick Schaap, the editor ofSport magazine. Schaap admitted later that he had been out late the previous night, struggled to watch the defense-dominated game, and was not aware that Fernandez had 17tackles. Fernandez also recorded asack against theWashington Redskins' quarterbackBilly Kilmer.
"Winning the car never entered my mind until I heard that Jake won it," Fernandez said in the January 1974 issue ofSport magazine.[3] "I was happy for Jake, he played a helluva game for a guy who was healthy but he had two bad shoulders."
The following year, Fernandez recorded 5 tackles and 1 sack inSuper Bowl VIII against theMinnesota Vikings. Two years earlier, Fernandez recorded 6 tackles, 1 sack and recovered a fumble in the Dolphins loss to theDallas Cowboys. In his three Super Bowls Fernandez recorded three sacks and 28 tackles.
For his career Fernandez had 35 career sacks, a high number for anose tackle, with a career high of 8 in 1971, which led the Dolphins.[4] In Dolphin history only one nose tackle (Bob Baumhower: 39.5) recorded more sacks. Fernandez recorded 5.5 sacks in post-season play which is currently 3rd in Dolphins history behind defensive endsKim Bokamper (8) andTrace Armstrong (6).
Fernandez was 2nd teamAll-Pro in 1970 and 1973, and an All-AFC selection in 1971 and a second-team All-AFC choice in 1972 and 1973, marking four consecutive season with post-season honors. Fernandez is also credited with being one of the first nose tackles in the NFL, since the Dolphins played the famed "53" defense (which was a3–4 defense) in 1972 through 1974, which put Manny over thecenter. Likely, no team played the 3–4 defense more until the New England Patriots when went to the 3–4 full-time in 1974.
In 2007 was voted to the Dolphins All-Time team.[5][6] Fernandez had previously been voted to the 1990 Dolphins Silver Anniversary Team that celebrated the Dolphins' 25 years in the NFL. From 1968 through 1973 Fernandez was voted as the Dolphins' "Outstanding Defensive Lineman", even though Pro Bowlers likeBill Stanfill andVern Den Herder were on the same line.
In January 2001, Fernandez was named toPro Football Weekly's All-Time Super Bowl team.[7] In 2006,USA Today named him to their All-time Super Bowl team.[8]
In 2013, PresidentBarack Obama honored the entire 1972 Perfect Season Dolphins at an event in theWhite House, but Fernandez declined to attend.[9][10][11] He told sports columnistDave Hyde ofFt. Lauderdale'sSun Sentinel "I'll just say my views are diametrically opposed to the President's... Enough said. Let's leave it at that. I hope everyone enjoys the trip who goes."[12]
On December 21, 2014, Fernandez was inducted into the Miami Dolphin Honor Roll at Sun Life Stadium.[13] On January 30, 2014, Frank Schwab from Yahoo! Sports ranked Manny Fernandez as the tenth-best player of all time in the past 48 Super Bowls.[14]