The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE ‘Marks Brothers’ were considered the Miami Dolphins’ best wide receiver tandem to play with Hall of Fame quarter-back Dan Marino.

But ask either Mark Clayton or Mark ‘Super Duper’ Duper and both of them will tell you that it was quite disappointing that during their 10-year tenure, the Dolphins didn’t go on to win the National Football League’s Super Bowl title.

The duo were here for the first time together over the weekend as they joined Marino in the launching of the five-year deal with the Bahamas as the island destination for the Miami Dolphins Legends.

While he has been in the Bahamas and more particular Grand Bahama, on a number of occasion with Nat Moore, another legendary wide receiver for the Dolphins, Duper said they couldn’t ask for a better location to have their reunion because “the people here are so friendly.

“It’s good to know that we have been retired for like 20 years, but the people say remember the Mark brothers, which is a big boost to our egos.”

Although they have been able to generate some success and was probably regarded as the best wide receivers to play together from 1983-1992, Clayton said people also remember the fact that they never got over the hump with Marino as quarter-back and Don Shula as the coach.

“It just wasn’t meant to be,” said Clayton, about the one negative knock on their careers.

“We played in several AFC Championships, but it just wasn’t our day. We played in the Super Bowl (twice in 1983 and 1985), but it just wasn’t our day again. I put it on the fact that it just wasn’t our time.”

Even now as they reflect on their careers, Clayton said being in the Bahamas and watching how much the people remembered them brought back a lot of memories of how difficult it was for them that they never went on to win a Super Bowl title.

“These people here are so warm and friendly, how can you frown on them,” he said.

“They even told us how they wanted us so bad to win a Super Bowl title. I told them we wanted to win it too, but we have too many positive things like the hotel, the food to let the disappointment get to us again.”

As Dolphins Ring of Honors members and probably future NFL Hall of Famers, the ‘Marks Brothers’ lamented on the fact that they are hoping that eventually Miami will get a chance to celebrate another championship ring as they last did back-to-back in 1973 and 1974.

The fans were hoping that this would have been the year for the resurgence as the Dolphins reeled off their first three victories, only to skid down the stretch where they finished 8-8 and just shy of getting into the playoffs.

“It was a lack of concentration and a lack of planning,” Duper pointed out.

“That’s on both the coaches side and the players side. It’s a situation where you know you have to be together in order to win a big game.”

Clayton concurred on the lack of experience for the Dolphins, now coached by Joe Philbin and led by quarter-back Ryan Tannehill and wide receiver Mike Wallace.

“They got a taste of success early and it looked like they were going to make some things happened,” he said. “But they just ran out of gas. But I think the experience that they gained will help them out in the long run in the future.”

As for Clayton and Duper, they just simply wanted to continue to enjoy the hospitality of the Bahamian people, many of whom still remember them as a formidable duo on two opposite ends of the Dolphins’ offensive line that just missed out on the opportunity to pull off the big one.