Bill Stanfill, who was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998 after a standout career at Georgia and won two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins, died Thursday. He was 69.
Jason Butt of the Macon Telegraph reported Stanfill's death was a result of health complications as he received treatment following a bad fall.
The Georgia native stayed in his home state to play college football and made a massive impact across three seasons with the Bulldogs. He was voted to the All-SEC team each year from 1966 through 1968 and was named a consensus All-American in his final year with the program.
In addition, the defensive tackle captured the Outland Trophy in 1968 as the best interior lineman in college football.
The Macon Telegraph report included comments from longtime Georgia head coach Vince Dooley about the rare, wide-ranging impact Stanfill made on the defense: "Bill was probably the greatest athlete as a lineman I ever coached. 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."
The Dolphins selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 1969 NFL draft. He shifted to defensive end at the professional level and quickly showcased why he was worth the first-round investment, making his first of five Pro Bowl appearances as a rookie.
Stanfill also earned a first-team All-Pro selection in 1972 and helped the Dolphins win NFL championships in back-to-back seasons (1972 and 1973). The 1972 squad remains the only team to complete an entire undefeated season in league history.
He earned a place in the Dolphins Honor Roll in 2010 and was named to the franchise's 50th anniversary team in 2015. David Dwork of CBS Miami passed along comments from the lineman about the latter honor last year:
I think every starter on the three Super Bowl teams should be on this list because it was not all individual talent that got us that far. It was 11 guys on defense and 11 guys on offense that were all working together and that's what put us in the Super Bowl three straight years. It all rolled into one from the coaches on down. Certainly Coach (Bill) Arnsparger was a genius and Coach (Don) Shula's record speaks for itself. Along with the other defensive coaches, Mo Scarry and Tom Keane, they all did a great job putting us in the right place at the right time.
Other accolades on his impressive resume include a place on the 50th anniversary All-SEC team and selection into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
