Jim Kiick may not have been a Hall of Famer like his fellow back and teammate Larry Csonka, but he brought an excellent skill set to the Miami Dolphins after arriving as a fifth-rounder from Wyoming in 1968. The two had already crossed paths at a college all-star game, where they spent more time partying than practicing, and the chemistry carried over once they landed in the same backfield.

Kiick was a power runner with good receiving hands and above-average blocking ability. He earned Pro Bowl spots in his first two seasons, and in 1969 he led the league in rushing touchdowns with nine. He also cleared 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his first four years. Once Don Shula arrived and the Dolphins began winning, Kiick’s role shifted as Mercury Morris took more outside carries, but he remained a reliable piece in the middle of the offense. He scored the decisive touchdown in Super Bowl VII, capping the only perfect season in NFL history, and added another score the following year in Super Bowl VIII. Those short-yardage bursts were his specialty.

He was part of Miami’s three consecutive AFC Championships and the back-to-back Super Bowl wins. The nickname “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” stuck because Kiick and Csonka looked the part and played the part, with Kiick often the one clearing space or catching a swing pass when the defense loaded up on Csonka. He never needed a thousand-yard season to matter. He just needed to be the guy who could do a little bit of everything without making the offense predictable.

Along with Csonka and Paul Warfield, Kiick signed with the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League after the 1974 season. When that league folded, he returned to the NFL with the Denver Broncos and finished up with a brief stop in Washington before retiring. As a Dolphin, he accumulated 3,644 rushing yards, 2,210 receiving yards, and 31 touchdowns across seven seasons. The Dolphins later named him to their 50th Season All-Time Team.