Jim Kiick was a running back who played for the Miami Dolphins during their 1972 perfect season.
- Died: June 20, 2020 (Who else died on June 20?)
- Details of death: Died of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 73.
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Two Super Bowl wins
Kiick played college football at Wyoming, where he was named MVP in the 1966 Sun Bowl and was selected as a 1968 College All-Star. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 1968 draft, leading the Dolphins in rushing in 1968 and 1969 and selected as an All-Star both years. In 1972, when coach Don Shula (1930 – 2020) led the Dolphins to the NFL’s only perfect season, Kiick started at Super Bowl VII. With Kiick, the Dolphins also won Super Bowl VII. Kick and fullback Larry Csonka were friends and teammates who became notorious for their exploits and were nicknamed “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” The two wrote a memoir together, 1973’s “Always on the Run.” In 1974, Kiick was drafted by the new WFL team the Memphis Southmen, playing for them for a season before the WFL failed. He returned to the NFL, playing for the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins before his 1977 retirement.
Kiick on his style
“Running is instinct. I don’t really watch films of the team we’re about to play. To me, a running back can’t get that much out of films. Running is something that’s natural.” —from a 1973 conversation with Csonka in Esquire
What people said about him
Full obituary: Miami Herald
