Bill Stanfill, an elite Georgia Bulldogs defensive player and an all-time great for the Miami Dolphins, died Thursday in Albany.
Stanfill, 69, was an All-American lineman for the Bulldogs who won the 1968 Outland Trophy, the only UGA player to win that prestigious award given annually to the top college lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
“Bill was probably the greatest athlete as a lineman I ever coached,” former Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley said in a statement released by UGA. “He could have been a great tight end as well. Against the triple option, he was the only player that could take the quarterback, the dive back, and the pitch man. Bill was a great person, great warrior, and a great Bulldog.”
Stanfill once said his quickness, agility and strong hands came from chasing chickens and pigs on the family farm in Cairo. “Them pigs knew what was about to happen, and they didn’t want to be caught,” he would say.
Born Jan. 13, 1947, in Cairo, Stanfill was a star high school athlete for the Cairo Syrupmakers. As a senior, he led the football team as far as a loss in the state semifinals and the basketball team to a victory in the state championship game. He also won three consecutive state discus championships and one shot-put title.
A defensive tackle at Georgia, Stanfill played on SEC champions in 1966 and 1968. He was a consensus All-American as a senior in 1968 after achieving second-team All-American status in 1966 and 1967. Stanfill also was an academic All-American as a senior.
The Stanfill legend continued to grow in the NFL. He was drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins in 1969 and was runner-up for AFL rookie of the year that season. He started at defensive end on two consecutive Super Bowl-winning teams for the Dolphins. The first was the undefeated 1972 team that remains the NFL’s only undefeated champions.
Stanfill, who was selected All-Pro four times in his eight NFL seasons, all with the Dolphins, was inducted into the Dolphins ring of honor in 2010. When he retired from the Dolphins after the 1976 season, he ranked as the team’s all-time leader in sacks. Today, he ranks third behind Cameron Wake (70) and Jason Taylor (131). His 18.5 sacks in 1973 remains tied with Taylor for the Dolphins’ single-season record.
Legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula liked to point out that Stanfill earned each of his sacks.
“This was when we used a lot of three-man lines to get to the quarterback,” Shula once said, meaning Stanfill often had to beat double-teams. “He is one of the greatest ends in Dolphins history.”
Shula also said of Stanfill: "On the field, he was a fierce competitor. His toughness served as an example to the entire team and was a key reason why he was so respected by teammates and opponents alike."
The undefeated Dolphins team defeated the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl, and after the game Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer reportedly said, “You can talk about (defensive tackle) Manny Fernandez, (quarterback) Bob Griese, (fullback) Larry Csonka, and (safety) Jake Scott (also a UGA legend), but Bill Stanfill was the hero of Super Bowl Seven.”
For the Dolphins’ 50th anniversary season last year, the Palm Beach Post ranked Stanfill at No. 20 on its list of all-time great Dolphins.
After his NFL career, Stanfill moved to Albany and began a successful career in real estate and other ventures. According to a recent article in the Albany Herald, Stanfill’s daughter, Kristen, said that her dad died of complications from a fall in which he sustained a broken leg. According to the article, Stanfill’s daughter said her dad had been in hospice and was suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease from concussions he sustained while playing football.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at First United Methodist Church in Albany. Attendees are asked to wear red and black.
Material from DawgNation.com and the Palm Beach Post was used in this article.
