Tua Tagovailoa will be the first quarterback in Miami Dolphins history to wear No. 1.
Tagovailoa, recruited by the Dolphins with the fifth overall pick of the past draft, is the most anticipated quarterback since Dan Marino, considered the best player in the team’s history.
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With the University of Alabama, Tagovailoa wore number 13, but that jersey was retired by the Dolphins in honor of Marino.
Tagovailoa did not consider asking Marino for permission to take his jersey out of retirement and instead chose to wear 1.
“I don’t care much about the number I have. I understand that number 13 is retired and that is how it should be, ”said Tagovailoa shortly after the draft. “Dan Marino is the GOAT (the greatest in history). It’s like the mayor around here and I respect him.
After the Dolphins announced the number of their new quarterback, Tagovailoa posted a photo on Twitter in which he already has the jersey with his new number.
For the Audience of 1🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/kZYXaYVD1R
– You. T 🇦🇸 (@Tua) May 6, 2020
In the 2019 season, 17 players were assigned number 1, which was most notably used by Cam Newton, then quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and Kyler Murray, passer for the Arizona Cardinals.
Tagovailoa will be the seventeenth in Dolphins history to wear No. 1 in a regular-season game. Several of those who have used it were specialists, such as punter Matt Turk (2000-04) and kickers Garo Yepremian (1970-78), Dan Carpenter (2008) and Cody Parker (2017).
Hall of Fame member and former Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon also wore number 1.
At other South Florida teams, former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh’s number 1 jersey was retired in 2019. Luis Castillo, second baseman for the Miami Marlins, went to the Major League All-Star Game three times with the 1 on his back from 1997 to 2005 and the NHL Florida Panthers goalkeeper Roberto Luongo used that number from 2000 to 2006 and from 2014 to 2019.
