Manny Fernandez Dies at Age 79, Won 2 Super Bowls as Part of Dolphins' 'No-Name Defense'

Manny Fernandez, two-time Super Bowl champion with the Miami Dolphins, has died at age 79.

The team announced his death Tuesday.

Fernandez was part of the No-Name Defense, which helped the 1972 Dolphins go undefeated, winning the Super Bowl that year as well as the subsequent one.

"His consistent and selfless contributions on the field were instrumental to the Dolphins' success throughout the early 1970s, particularly in the team's three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, in which he produced some of the most memorable defensive performances in the history of the game," the Dolphins said in a statement.

"Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and teammates as we remember one of the best players in Dolphins history."

Fernandez starred for the dominant 1970s defensive unit whose nickname was coined by late former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry.

Landry's Cowboys went on to defeat the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI after the 1971 season, but Fernandez and the Dolphins came back with the historic undefeated 1972 season followed by the two championship wins.

That perfect 1972 season was led in large part by the defense, which shut out three opponents while leading the NFL with just 12.2 points allowed per game.

Fernandez finished the 1972 season with five sacks and a stolen handoff, then capped off the run with 17 tackles and a sack in the Dolphins' Super Bowl VII win over Washington.

During the Dolphins' three straight Super Bowl appearances from 1971 to 1973, Fernandez recorded a total 28 tackles and three sacks.

He told the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson in 2022 he had succeeded as a defensive lineman despite weighing in at 250 pounds because he was "stronger and quicker," as well as "a little smarter" than his opponents.

Fernandez was initially signed by the Dolphins, then an AFL team, in 1968 as an undrafted free agent out of Utah.

He played eight seasons for the Dolphins, including two in the AFL and six in the NFL. He was later inducted into the team's Ring of Honor both as a member of the 1972 undefeated team and as an individual.

Fernandez finished out his NFL career with unofficial totals of 35 regular-season sacks and 4.5 playoff sacks in 113 total games with Miami.