Former NFL tight end Jim Mandich, a member of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, has passed away at the age of 62, according to the Associated Press.
Mandich, who in recent years worked as color commentator for Dolphins games and as a radio host at WQAM in Miami, had been battled bile-duct cancer since 2010.
Mandich played college football at Michigan. “I’ve played in a perfect season and in Super Bowls,” Mandich said several years ago. “But I’m proudest of playing for the maize and blue.”
Last year, Mandich candidly criticized former V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells, who left the team during the 2010 season. “He was a hired gun. He was a personality,” Mandich said. “He came in; he leaves two years later. I feel like taking Listerine and washing my mouth out, because it doesn’t feel good to me.”
We send our condolences to Mandich’s family, colleagues, teammates, and friends.