Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™ Captains Program Join For Football Unites Cultural Tour
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November 6, 2018
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Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™ Captains Program Join For Football Unites Cultural Tour
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™ Captains Program, a diversity and inclusion initiative that brings together middle school students from various backgrounds, held their fourth group event at the FOOTBALL UNITES™ Cultural Tour, which featured stops in Liberty City and Little Haiti on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Current players Stephone Anthony, Jerome Baker, Leonte Carroo, Xavien Howard, Durham Smythe and Jamiyus Pittman along with alumni Arturo Freeman, Lorenzo Hampton, Anthony Harris, Jim Jensen, Nat Moore, Ed Perry, Troy Stradford and Jed Weaver, cheerleaders and staff took part in the event.
“This FOOTBALL UNITES™ Cultural Tour went to Little Haiti, Liberty City we were able to see different cultures and have these kids come together,” said Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. “It shows kids the good way of life and puts in a good aspect for them so they can see better for themselves and better for their environment. It was great interacting with the kids, hearing their stories and seeing the different cultures.”
“We are trying to get the players acclimated with all the different parts of Miami. Liberty City is obviously an important part of the fabric of the City of Miami so we want to get people and get the players out in the community to meet with people and meet these kids,” said Vice Chairman, President & CEO of the Miami Dolphins Tom Garfinkel. ”There is a lot of polarization right now going on in society and in the country and we want to bring all kinds of different people together and really have some fun. Getting everyone together enjoying each other and talking and having conversations I think that is really important.”
FOOTBALL UNITES™ Captains meet once a month for a day of learning about tolerance, acceptance and leadership. Dolphins players and alumni join these students to share their stories, perspectives and experiences. The Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) assists with programming and program evaluation. Youth of the Boys & Girls Club of Broward County, North Miami PAL, North Miami Beach PAL, Greater Miami Pop Warner Tamiami Colts Jr. Varsity, Temple Beth Am Day School as well as community leaders participated in this event.
“It was truly gratifying to have everyone, especially the youth, experience the neighborhood that I grew up in so that they could learn the history and also see all the changes that have taken place,” said Senior Vice President of Special Projects and Alumni Relations Nat Moore. “South Florida has such a proud and unique background and the Miami Dolphins recognize that and want to celebrate that and that is what we are doing through the FOOTBALL UNITES™ program.”
The group began with a tour of Little Haiti making stops at Chef Creole and the Little Haiti Cultural Center.
“The Miami Dolphins organization brought them (the youth) to Little Haiti to educate them about heritage and tradition and also they were hungry so they had some of Chef Creole’s famous liberty freedom soup,” said Owner and Chef of Chef Creole Wilkinson Sejour. “Everybody these days is guessing, your neighbor you don’t know who they are and you have a misconception about everything. But when you’re able to have a liaison and you have the Miami Dolphins organization that has the man power to provide and get the resources together in order to educate you about everything it is a no brainer.”
Afterwards, the group toured Liberty City and visited Charles Hadley Park to learn about the community and watch a performance.
“What the Dolphins are doing here today is great. They bring kids from all across South Florida to have them on this cultural tour and by coming by Liberty City Optimists in Liberty City we are telling them about our great program and our great city and the history of our city,” said Founder of Liberty City Optimists Luther Campbell. ”Especially in this climate of the world, NFL players and organizations are coming out and being a part of the community not just saying it. That is one good thing about the Dolphins they don’t just say things they go out and they’ll invite people into their world as well as come out into our world, which is a great thing.”
“I think the kids really enjoyed having some of the Dolphins players and alumni here It is a wonderful organization, this is a very diverse community and we should and need to respect each other’s cultures and race,” said Miami-Dade County Vice Chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners Audrey Edmonson.
This tour marks the third of four FOOTBALL UNITES™ Cultural Tours scheduled throughout the year. These unique experiences are a result of a joint partnership with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau to provide local youth, community leaders and law enforcement the opportunity to experience the richness, diversity and history of South Florida.
Miami Dolphins Announce Week 9 PlayFootball Award Winners
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November 5, 2018
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Miami Dolphins Announce Week 9 PlayFootball Award Winners
Miami, FL – The Miami Dolphins announced their PlayFootball Week 9 award winners in a program designed to celebrate youth football in South Florida. For each home game, the Dolphins will identify a high school coach of the week, high school player of the week, youth player of the week and team mom of the week. Award recipients will receive tickets to a Dolphins home game, be presented with a plaque on the field at Hard Rock Stadium and receive acknowledgement of their accomplishment in the game program and through the Dolphins’ social media platforms. The Dolphins also will recognize a team of the week who will be on field during the national anthem.
The program concludes at the Dolphins-Jaguars game where the Dolphins will honor yearly award winners in all categories with the exception of the team of the year.
Week 9 Winners:
- High School Coach of the Week: Matt DuBuc from Cardinal Gibbons High School. The Chiefs defense carried them to a 21-0 victory over Hallandale and held them to 89 total yards. The Chiefs, ranked third in Class 5A by the Associated Press, also have secured their first district title since 1994.
- High School Player of the Week: Tyler Larco from Miami Palmetto Senior High School. Larco booted four field goals including the game winner in a 33-30 victory over previously unbeaten South Dade to keep the Panthers alive in the race for a district title.
- Youth Player of the Week: Dereion Darby from Delray Rocks 9U of the American Youth Football League. Darby scored twice including the game winning touchdown in a 12-6 overtime win against the Cooper City/Davie Colts to remain undefeated. He finished the game with one reception for 57 yards and a touchdown and nine carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
- Team Mom of the Week: Brooke Walker from Pembroke Pines Optimist Bengals of the American Youth Football League. Walker has been a dedicated volunteer with PPO for over 10 years. This year, she and her husband, Eric, retired from volunteering, but when the PPO needed help, Walker came back to help run the concession stand, which is a large part of the park’s revenue, and oversaw bookkeeping on her personal time. Walker also supported Eric coming back to help a football team that needed a coach. With all the hours she volunteers, Walker still finds time to enjoy her daughter cheering and helping their team.
- Team of the Week: Dillard High School.
The Junior Dolphins program encourages youth players and coaches to learn, teach and play football in a fun and safe environment. The Junior Dolphins program is designed to give kids access to learn the fundamentals of football using the NFL’s top resources. To grow the game, the Junior Dolphins program will work to educate coaches, parents and youth on the health and safety of football with a strong emphasis on character development. Junior Dolphins is building the next generation of Dolphins Fans.
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
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November 2, 2018
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have activated center Jake Brendel off injured reserve and placed cornerback Cordrea Tankersley on injured reserve.
Brendel has played in 17 career games, all with the Dolphins, during his NFL career (2016-17). He was signed to Miami’s practice squad on Oct. 11, 2016 and promoted to the active roster on Nov. 19, 2016. Brendel appeared in one regular season game and the AFC Wild Card game at the end of the 2016 season before playing in all 16 regular season games in 2017. He was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 3, 2018.
Tankersley played in six games this season and recorded four tackles (two solo) and one special teams stop. He’s played in 17 career games with 11 starts during his two-year NFL career (2017-18). Tankersley started 11 games in 2017 and made 31 tackles (24 solo) and had seven passes defensed. He originally entered the NFL as a third-round pick (97th overall) by the Dolphins in the 2017 NFL draft.
| Name |
Pos. |
Hgt. |
Wgt. |
Birthdate |
Exp. |
College |
Hometown |
Acq. |
| Jake Brendel |
C |
6-4 |
299 |
9/10/92 |
3 |
UCLA ’16 |
Plano, Texas |
FA, ‘16 |
Miami Dolphins Take Elementary School Students to Halloween Shop With A Fin Presented by Dade County Federal Credit Union
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October 31, 2018
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Miami Dolphins Take Elementary School Students to Halloween Shop With A Fin Presented by Dade County Federal Credit Union
Aventura, FL – Miami Dolphins players Cornell Armstrong, Kalen Ballage, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Mike Gesicki, Connor Hilland, Jalen Lewis, Quentin Poling, Jason Sanders and Kenny Stills, cheerleaders and staff in partnership with Dade County Federal Credit Union took students from Bennett Elementary in Broward county and Golden Glades Elementary from Miami Dade county costume shopping at Spirit Halloween in Aventura on Tuesday afternoon.
“Its cool to get out here and be with them, this is a special time in their life so we are trying to get them the best from what we can here in the store,” Ballage said. “Being that same kid and looking up to people that were doing what we are doing now, playing in the NFL, I think its great to just have us around the kids and be great role models to them. It reminds me of my childhood in every way, I was a football player for Halloween like six years in a row. It would have been awesome to have this when I was younger but unfortunately I didn’t have that opportunity. Now I am able to give back to them and they can have fun and this would be something that they remember forever.”
“For the Miami Dolphins to reach out it kind of levels the playing field,” Principal of Golden Glades Elementary School Andy Harrison said. “Some of our students don’t necessarily have costumes so it helps level the playing field for them to come in and get the items of their choosing for Halloween. They were excited but when they got to the store and saw the different costumes and the Dolphin Players and cheerleaders you really saw the excitement.”
This event was a follow up to a financial literacy session held by Dade County Federal Credit Union earlier that day to 25 of the students from each of the elementary schools.
“We are proud to serve as the preferred credit union of the Miami Dolphins and be able to give these kids an experience they will never forget as well as help promote financial literacy in South Florida,” Vice President of Marketing and Business Development of Dade County Federal Credit Union Mauricio Morales said. “By providing the kids with an educational component before they have an opportunity to shop with their favorite player, we are giving them the “playbook” on how to spend and the importance of saving money to help achieve any goal they set.”
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
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October 31, 2018
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have signed defensive tackles Ziggy Hood and Sylvester Williams and activated linebacker Mike Hull off injured reserve.
Hood is a 10-year NFL veteran who has played in 134 career games with 73 starts. He’s totaled 225 tackles (139 solo), 14 sacks, 10 passes defensed, one forced fumble and five fumble recoveries in his career. Hood played the past three seasons (2016-18) with Washington. He appeared in five games for the Redskins in 2018 and totaled three tackles (two solo) before he was released on Oct. 16, 2018. Hood originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (32nd overall) by Pittsburgh in the 2009 NFL draft.
Williams is a six-year NFL veteran who has played in 81 career games with 63 starts. He’s totaled 120 tackles (83 solo), six sacks, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery while spending time with Denver (2013-16), Tennessee (2017) and Detroit (2018). He played in six games with four starts for the Lions this season, totaling six tackles (four solo), before he was released on Oct. 25, 2018. Williams originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (28th overall) by Denver in the 2013 NFL draft.
Hull has played in 35 career games with four starts for the Dolphins (2015-17) and totaled 42 tackles (27 solo), one interception, one pass defensed and one fumble recovery. He also has 27 career special teams tackles (19 solo) and finished third in the NFL with 18 special teams tackles in 2016. Hull was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 3, 2018 and has yet to appear in a game this season.
| Name |
Pos. |
Hgt. |
Wgt. |
Birthdate |
Exp. |
College |
Hometown |
Acq. |
| Ziggy Hood |
DT |
6-3 |
305 |
2/16/87 |
10 |
Missouri ’09 |
Amarillo, Texas |
FA, ‘18 |
| Mike Hull |
LB |
6-0 |
235 |
5/25/91 |
3 |
Penn State ’15 |
Canonsburg, Pa. |
FA, ‘15 |
| Sylvester Williams |
DT |
6-2 |
328 |
11/21/88 |
6 |
North Carolina ’13 |
Jefferson City, Mo. |
FA, ‘18 |
Miami Dolphins place Taylor on injured reserve
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October 30, 2018
Miami Dolphins place Taylor on injured reserve
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have placed defensive tackle Vincent Taylor on injured reserve.
Taylor has played in eight games this season and has 27 tackles (15 solo), two sacks and one blocked field goal. He originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick (194th overall) by Miami in the 2017 NFL draft. During his career, Taylor has played in 21 games and made 45 tackles (26 solo), two sacks, one pass defensed and three blocked kicks.
Eaton and the Miami Dolphins unveil state-of-the-art Ephesus LED Sports Lighting System at South Plantation High School’s Paladin Stadium
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October 30, 2018
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Eaton and the Miami Dolphins unveil state-of-the-art Ephesus LED Sports Lighting System at South Plantation High School’s Paladin Stadium
Miami, FL – Representatives from the Miami Dolphins, power management company Eaton, the Broward County School District and South Plantation High School, officially flipped the switch on Saturday night, turning on the new state-of-the-art Ephesus LED sports lighting and control system awarded to South Plantation High School’s Paladin Stadium as winners of the community programming initiative – “Light Like the Pros.”
The capabilities of the system were demonstrated for the crowd during a half-time ceremony of the South Plantation versus Plantation annual rivalry game on October 27, featuring Twan Russell of the Miami Dolphins, Laurie Green representing Ephesus Lighting and NGU Sports Lighting and Christine Henschel from South Plantation H.S. After sending the stadium into complete darkness, with the push of a button, fans were treated to an electrifying light show more familiar to the fans at Hard Rock Stadium than a high school football venue.
“We’re honored to work with Eaton and bring an Ephesus LED Sports Lighting System to South Plantation High School through the ‘Light Like the Pros’ program,” said Miami Dolphins Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs Jason Jenkins. “With the new system, we’re certain Paladin Stadium will continue to serve as a valuable space for the surrounding community.”
The lighting solution, valued at more than $100,000, was mounted directly on the field’s four existing poles and the innovative AirMesh control system which allows for dynamic scenes and light shows. The All-Field Series provides high schools, colleges and municipalities with a high-quality, cost-effective, versatile and controllable outdoor LED sports lighting solution. Engineered to satisfy the specific needs of such facilities, its multiple mounting options, low weight and low Effective Projected Area (EPA) make it one of the first LED fixtures designed to easily retrofit into existing sports lighting infrastructure. The enhanced engineered optics efficiently deliver uniform light on the field to significantly reduce unwanted spill light and sky glow. The Broward School District can expect to virtually eliminate maintenance and reduce energy costs at Paladin Stadium by 70 percent over its prior legacy sports lighting system.
“South Plantation is an Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration Magnet School so the new Ephesus lights that we have just installed through the partnership with Ephesus and the Miami Dolphins has really gone a long way to help support our mission of trying to conserve energy use” said South Plantation High School Principal Christine Henschel. “These new LED lights are fantastic and far more energy efficient than any other lights we have in the district.”
Many deserving high schools in both Broward and Miami/Dade counties participated in the “Light Like the Pro’s” essay contest administered by the Miami Dolphins Foundation and sponsored by Eaton last fall. South Plantation High School’s essay demonstrated the numerous limitations of its current system as well as an enthusiastic community that supports both athletics and academics. With an enrollment of 2,400 students, South Plantation is Florida’s only Everglades Environmental Magnet program and it ranks as one of Broward County’s leaders in community outreach, diversity, and leadership development. The school’s football team broke barriers in 2012 by becoming the first school in the state to have a female quarterback play and complete a pass in a varsity game.
“We are excited to provide the players and fans at Paladin Stadium with one of the most technically advanced LED sports lighting systems at a high school stadium anywhere in America,” said Mike Quijano, Director of Business Development and Product Marketing, Eaton’s Ephesus Lighting business. “We know that by showcasing our innovative technology at Paladin Stadium, the entire South Florida sports community will see the many benefits of LED sports lighting, including superior control, an enhanced fan experience, dramatic energy savings and more.”
Paladin Stadium also serves as the home field for Stranahan High School in Ft. Lauderdale, a school without a stadium, and as a result, the lights serve double-duty during the football season. This high-usage has resulted in numerous fixtures being out and leaving dark spots on the playing surface. Due to its antiquated scheduling system and numerous Florida weather delays, the lights have gone out several times in the middle of games, requiring an additional 20-minute delay to cool down and restrike the metal halide lights. This has resulted in South Plantation being forced to overschedule the lights, adding stress on the system and wasting energy. In contrast, Eaton’s Ephesus LED sports lighting system can be monitored remotely, programmed from an app and instantly turned on and off with the push of a button.
Eaton’s Ephesus LED lighting solutions are at sports and entertainment venues of all sizes across North America. Hundreds of facilities have made the switch to Eaton’s LED sports lighting system including: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins); PNC Park (Pittsburgh Pirates); Bridgestone Arena (Nashville Predators); United Center (Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks) and the historic Martinsville Speedway in Virginia — the first NASCAR track with LED lighting. For more information, visit Eaton.com/Ephesus.
Eaton is a power management company with 2017 sales of $20.4 billion. We provide energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. Eaton has approximately 96,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit Eaton.com.
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
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October 29, 2018
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have waived safety Maurice Smith and defensive tackle Jamiyus Pittman.
Smith has played five games for the Dolphins this season and 11 in his career after he originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with the Dolphins on May 5, 2017. He has totaled four solo tackles and two passes defensed.
Pittman has played in three games and has one assisted tackle this season. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with the Dolphins on May 10, 2018 and has also spent time on the team’s practice squad. Pittman was a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection at Central Florida as a senior in 2017.
