Larry Csonka was the first running back taken in the 1968 Draft, eighth overall by the Miami Dolphins out of Syracuse. The first two seasons were a struggle. Injuries limited him, and the team around him wasn't ready yet. The arrival of Don Shula in 1970 changed the picture.

Csonka got healthy, tightened his fundamentals, and developed the habit of delivering a forearm before defenders could get a clean shot. From 1970 through 1974, he made the Pro Bowl every year, with first-team All-Pro honors in 1971 and 1973. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 1971, 1972, and 1973. The runs from that stretch became the kind of footage NFL Films still shows: Csonka lowering a shoulder, dragging tacklers, and finishing the play on his feet more often than not. He was the centerpiece of a ground game that wore teams down long before anyone talked about “Beast Mode.”

He helped the Dolphins reach three straight Super Bowls and win the last two. In the perfect 1972 season, he carried for 112 yards in Super Bowl VII. The following year in Super Bowl VIII he set a then-record with 145 yards on 33 carries and was named the game’s MVP. Those two titles remain the only championships in franchise history, and Csonka made the ball-control plan work when the Dolphins needed it most.

After the 1974 season, he left for the World Football League along with Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield. When that league folded, he signed with the New York Giants and played three seasons there with mixed results. In 1979, he returned to Miami for one final year. He rushed for 837 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns, earning the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year Award. He retired after that season.

Roughly 6,737 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns in aqua and orange, five Pro Bowls (1970–1974), two first-team All-Pro selections (1971, 1973), Super Bowl MVP (VIII), two Super Bowl championships (VII, VIII), 1970s All-Decade Team.

Csonka entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. The Dolphins added him to their Honor Roll in 1990 and retired his number 39 in 2002. He remains the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, the fullback who turned a power run game into the foundation of Miami’s only championship teams.