One of the greatest moments for one of the greatest players of all-time came during the 1994 NFL season: The Dan Marino Fake Spike
On November 27, 1994, in a game against division rival New York Jets, Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino would lead a play that is so iconic that it’ll likely never be forgotten.
Leading up to The Fake Spike
In this late November matchup between Pete Carroll’s New York Jets and Don Shula’s Miami Dolphin’s, the Fins found themselves in a tight spot down 17-0 in the 3rd quarter.
To that point, Dan Marino had thrown no touchdowns and two interceptions in his duel against Jets QB Boomer Esiason (yes, I know his duel was actually against the Jets D).
And then something downright magical happened.
Dan Marino and Wide Receiver Mark Ingram, father to current Saints RB Mark Ingram II, would begin to heat up. They were so in sync that Marino would go on to throw four second half touchdowns to Ingram alone one of which has gone down in history.
The Fake Spike
As the clock ran down late in the game, nearly 30 seconds left in regulation, and with the Jets leading by three Dan Marino rushed to line of scrimmage with the intention to spike the ball.
As Marino took the snap, the Jets defenders all responded as most would when expecting a spike – they did very little with most standing nearly still. Marino, the absolutely legend that he is, saw this and immediately looked to his right and saw his top target, Mark Ingram, in one on one coverage along the sideline. There would be no spike today.
He throws the ball to Ingram! TOUCHDOWN!
This epic play and their 28-24 victory would help propel these 1994 Miami Dolphins to an 8-4 record en route to a division title and playoff berth.
This play is also easily one of the most iconic for Miami’s incredible former quarterback and hall-of-famer Dan Marino.
While Miami continues their journey to find their long-term solution at Quarterback, possibly finding that solution in Tua Tagovailoa, we’ll always have this moment from Fins Fan hero Dan Marino