Football Flashbacks: Tony Nathan Talks Miami Dolphins' Career, Bear Bryant, and Upcoming Film "Woodlawn"

Football Flashbacks will be a semi-regular podcast where I talk to former players or coaches. This week’s Flashback involves former Miami Dolphins running back Tony Nathan, who played for Miami from 1979 to 1987, playing in two Super Bowls with the Dolphins. Before that, he was a star running back at Alabama under Bear Bryant, winning a national championship in 1978. And before that, he played football at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama.

Nathan has a new book that came out yesterday, Touchdown Tony: Running With a Purpose, and a film, “Woodlawn” will be coming out later this fall in regard to Nathan’s time at Woodlawn where integration of the football team was just beginning to happen in Birmingham.

Among the things we discuss:

• The famous play from the classic 1982 playoff game between the Dolphins and Chargers, where Nathan caught the hook-n-ladder touchdown to end the half;

• How he stood up to his now-wife’s father when they were high school, to stop potential abuse;
• Being accepted as the running back after some teammates initially resisted;
• How Bear Bryant once ate racoon with Nathan’s family while trying to recruit him;
• Playing with Dan Marino, and how quickly Marino established himself as a star quarterback;
• His then-record 10 receptions as a running back in Super Bowl XIX, and who just broke that record this year.

For those interested, here is a trailer for the film “Woodlawn”, where Nathan’s story in high school will be highlighted.