Nick Buoniconti
Nick Buoniconti is a National Football League Hall of Fame linebacker and a member of the Miami Dolphins teams that won the 1972 and 1973 Super Bowl championships.
An All-American linebacker and team captain at the University of Notre Dame, Buoniconti was drafted by the Boston Patriots in 1962. While with the Patriots, he also earned a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston.
In 1969, Buoniconti was traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he was an All-Pro Linebacker. He was captain of the famous Dolphins’ No-Name Defense and anchored the defensive team in the undefeated season of 1972 that went on to become Super Bowl champions in 1972 and 1973. He was named to the Pro Bowl team both years, and his teammates voted him Most Valuable Dolphin in 1973. He retired from football in 1976 as a six-time All-AFL selection, as a member of the all-time AFL team, and with eight Pro Bowl appearances to his credit. On August 4, 2001, Buoniconti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
For 23 seasons, Buoniconti was co-host of the longest-running, critically acclaimed, weekly television sports show, “Inside the NFL,” on the HBO cable network.
Since his son Marc suffered a devastating spinal cord injury during a football game in 1985, Buoniconti has focused most of his attention on raising awareness of, and funds for, spinal cord injury research. He helped found, and serves as a national spokesman and fundraiser for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He and his family also founded the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis to help the Miami Project achieve its national and international goal of finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. To that end, through the direct involvement of the Buonicontis, over $100 million has been raised in support of the Miami Project’s research programs. In that time the Miami Project has grown to become internationally recognized as the leading research center for spinal cord injuries in the world.
Buoniconti has been the recipient of numerous awards for career achievement and philanthropy including: “Man of the Year” by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the “Ernie Davis Award” by the Leukemia Society of America, “Career Achievement Award” by the Leukemia Society of America, and “Career Achievement Award” by the NFL Alumni. He received an Honorary Degree from Suffolk University in 1993, an Honorary Degree from Roger Williams University in 1995, an Honorary Degree from Iona College in 2003, and the Medal of Honor at Ellis Island in 2005.
Buoniconti also serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, the Board of Directors for TravelCLICK, Inc and the Board of Directors for Plum TV.
