Miami Dolphins fans attending the Week 3 home opener this Sunday against the Denver Broncos are in for a very special bonus feature. In big news that dropped Thursday morning, recently “unretired” Dan Marino will once again be a “QB1” and lead the charge at Hard Rock Stadium when the brand new Wynwood Walkthrough, presented by Pepsi, debuts.
The new concession storefront will allow fans to grab and go without stopping for checkout, which is a first at Hard Rock Stadium. The game plan is simple, the Wynwood Walkthrough will have fully stocked shelves with chips and sips from PepsiCo beverages and Frito-Lay snacks, utilizing Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology, to get fans back to their seats quicker than ever.
Buy Dolphins TicketsMarino has had a long-standing relationship with Pepsi and was the perfect man to lead a team of legends that includes Randy Moss, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.
“The topic of unretirement is fun for fans and media to talk about and certainly something I’ve thought about a few times since I retired, but I’m proud to say I left everything I had on the field playing for the best fans in the NFL,” said Marino. “But, when Pepsi offered me the chance to be part of gameday as their QB1 to quarterback the opening of the new, fast high-tech shop and give back to the fans, it was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.”
I had the amazing opportunity to discuss this venture with No. 13 on a Zoom call on Thursday. Marino shared some thoughts on the Dolphins current wide receiver duo, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, in comparison to his famous targets, the Marks Brothers, in Clayton and Duper. An admittedly easy question, I certainly wasn’t throwing this legend a hardball…
Marino will be there on Sunday to celebrate the grand opening of the Wynwood Walkthrough presented by Pepsi, and he’ll be signing autographs for the first 50 fans in Section 142 on the 100 level after the stadium gates open at 11 a.m.
The 2-0 Dolphins will have Marino rally the crowd in hopes of helping see a 3-0 start for the second time in as many seasons for Miami. That would mean it’d be the first pair of consecutive 3-0 starts since 1994-96.
Marino finished his career in 1999 after 17 seasons, 420 touchdowns, 61,361 passing yards, and he arguably set the stage for the passing game for the 21st century. At the time of his retirement, he was the record holder in nearly every significant statistical quarterback category. He was 147-93 as a starter and led 33 fourth-quarter comebacks (eighth in league history) coupled with 47 game-winning drives which is fifth-best all-time.
He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and can be very heavily credited for painting the football world aqua and orange with his play in the 1980s and 1990s, spreading the fanbase across the country and internationally, unlike any individual player had done for a football franchise.
Let’s all raise a Pepsi for “QB1,” and on behalf of Dolphin fans around the globe: “Thank you, Dan.”
