Larry Csonka was the thunder of the legendary Miami Dolphins’ backfield. Mercury Morris? He was the lightning. The duo offered a blend of power and speed that strained opposing defenses on a down by down basis — and made the Dolphins a difficult team to scheme up how to stop. If you crowd the inside Miami hit you outside and vice versa.
But Jim Kiick? The news of Kiick’s passing yesterday is the latest gut-punch in a challenging 2020. But in remembering Kiick on the field, he wasn’t thunder nor lightning. No, instead he was like the storm clouds — he was everywhere. At the time of Kiick’s departure from the Dolphins in 1975, he was second on the team’s all-time yards from scrimmage list with 5,854 yards. That figure is still good for a top-10 overall rank in franchise history today. But remember — Kiick was the third wheel in Miami’s backfield. Csonka averaged over 15 rushing attempts per game from 1972 through 1974. Morris averaged over 12. Kiick? He logged 9.8 attempts per game in 1972 and saw that number dwindle to 5.4 and 6.1 attempts per game in ’73 and ’74.
But, unlike Csonka and Morris, Kiick was involved in the passing game. He caught 40+ passes in three of his first four NFL seasons. While Csonka and Morris combined to catch 40 total passes combined from 1972-1974, Kiick hauled in 66 by himself over that stretch — if there’s a will, there’s a way. And despite losing his starting role to Mercury Morris, Jim Kiick was determined to find a way to make an impact.
And by the time it was all over, despite Morris’ brilliance in both the 1972 and 1973 seasons, it was Kiick who owned more yardage production on the team’s all-time list — Morris checks in 12th on the team’s all-time yards from scrimmage list with 4,368 yards; nearly 1,500 yards behind Kiick.