RIP, Jim Mandich, a Miami Dolphin Till The End

The Mad Dog bled aqua and orange until his last breath. Former Miami Dolphins tight end and local sports radio personality Jim Mandich died Tuesday evening after months of battling cancer. For anyone who has rooted for the hometown NFL franchise, Mandich ranks right up there with Dan Marino and...

By Francisco Alvarado

April 26, 2011

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The Mad Dog bled aqua and orange until his last breath. Former Miami Dolphins tight end and local sports radio personality Jim Mandich died Tuesday evening after months of battling cancer. For anyone who has rooted for the hometown NFL franchise, Mandich ranks right up there with Dan Marino and Don Shula. He was always a Miami guy.

After his playing days were over, he landed his first radio gig in 1983 on WIOD, where he met radio legend Neil Rogers, who turned Mandich's trademark exuberant "alrrriight" into a regular sound bite that followed the pair to 560 WQAM.

Mandich had been the Dolphins' color commentator alongside former teammates Jimmy Cefalo and Joe Rose since 2007. Below is the trio's jubliliant reaction when the Dolphins avoided becoming the first NFL team to lose every game by beating the Baltimore Ravens:

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Francisco Alvarado was born in Nicaragua and grew up in Miami, giving him unique insight into the Magic City and all its dark corners. An investigative reporter with a knack for uncovering corruption, Alvarado made his bones as a staff writer at Miami New Times and remains in dogged pursuit of the next juicy story.

Contact: Francisco Alvarado

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