Nick Buoniconti, CHS ‘58, who anchored the Miami Dolphins’ No-Name Defense of the 1970s Super Bowl teams and co-founded The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, died on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. He was 78. Buoniconti’s football accomplishments would be life- defining for most players, from being inducted into the Hall of Fame to winning two Super Bowls to being inducted into the de facto Hall of Fame of two teams, the Dolphins and New England Patriots.
Yet his life’s work, as he defined it, began with the crushing tragedy of his son, Marc, being paralyzed while playing college football in 1985. He sat at Marc’s hospital bedside and promised to do everything he could to see him walk again.
That led to founding The Miami Project with Dr. Barth Green, then raising nearly a half-billion dollars over the following decades to fund medical research for a cure to paralysis.
“Today, with a heavy heart and profound sorrow, my family and the entire Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Buoniconti Fund community mourn the loss of a man who was truly larger than life, my father, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti,” Marc Buoniconti said in a statement. “My dad has been my hero and represents what I have always aspired to be; a leader, a mentor and a champion. He made a promise to me that turned into a revolution in paralysis research. We can best honor his dedication and endless commitment by continuing with our work until that promise is fulfilled and a cure is found.” In recent years, Buoniconti went public with his dementia, which he said resulted in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from playing football.
Nick Buoniconti Zach Thomas and Nick Buoniconti enjoy a moment during halftime ceremonies celebrating the Top 50 players in franchise history. Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants. Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL. December 14, 2015. George Wilson, Sun Sentinel. ORG XMIT: J07LLSPP (Jim Rassol / Sun Sentinel)
Buoniconti helped the Dolphins win back-to-back Super Bowls, including the 1972 team that finished 17-0 — the NFL’s only perfect season. Buoniconti, an undersized overachiever from Notre Dame who was bypassed in the NFL draft, made the Pro Bowl eight times as a middle linebacker during his 14-year NFL career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. “Nick Buoniconti was a true hero of the game," Pro Football Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker said in a statement. “His inspiring Hall of Fame journey that started as a 13th-round draft choice to leading the Dolphins ‘No Name’ defense is one filled with grit, determination, courage and compassion. Nick’s contributions off the field were even greater than what he did on it. He lived a life of honor and nobility and his legacy will live forever through his Bronzed Bust in Canton, Ohio.”
Buoniconti, a native of Springfield, Massachusetts, also had a successful career in broadcasting following his playing career.