Dan Marino and Friends Bahamas Weekend deemed a success

Mon, May 29th 2017, 11:00 AM

Local football fans got an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names to ever suit up for the Miami Dolphins this past weekend, as National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and other former Dolphin players returned to New Providence to host the annual Dan Marino and Friends Bahamas Weekend.
Some of the notable Dolphins alumni who attended this year included Marino, Dick Anderson, Ronnie Brown, Mark Clayton, Mark Duper, Oronde Gadsden, Jim Jensen, OJ McDuffie, Terry Kirby, Sam Madison, Nat Moore, Joe Rose, Pat Surtain, Jason Taylor and Shawn Wooden.
The three-day event included a charity golf game at the One & Only Ocean Club's Golf Course, a football and cheerleading clinic for kids ages six to 17 at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, and a flag football game between the Dolphins legends and a team called "The Bahamas Legends".
"It's always better in The Bahamas," Marino said. "I look forward to this weekend each year, getting together with my former teammates and really enjoying the great hospitality of the Bahamian people while giving back."
Marino said that the kids camp was one of the events he and the other legends enjoyed the most this past weekend.
"We come out and take pictures and run through drills with the young players, and that's the one thing we wanted to do that we said we would do," said Marino.
According to senior marketing director for sports tourism in the Ministry of Tourism Virginia Kelly, the Dan Marino and Friends Weekend remains one of the marquee events on the sports tourism calendar because of the impact it has on the nation's youth, and also for the exposure it provides The Bahamas each year.
"The partnership with the Dolphins organization is a very important one for us here in the islands of The Bahamas," she said. "We know that the technical football and cheerleader training and invaluable lifelong lessons the alumni shared with our youth will resonate in their hearts and minds for years to come."
Proceeds from the Dan Marino and Friends Bahamas Weekend, for the first time, will benefit The Bahamas' Resources and Education for Autism and Related Challenges (REACH), a non-profit organization that aims to provide parents with comprehensive knowledge and tools in all areas of this neurobiological disorder.
"REACH is really happy to receive this donation. We try and help a lot of kids along the spectrum in The Bahamas. We're hoping that the funds will go a long way," REACH Chairman Dwayne Gibson said.
Proceeds from the event will also benefit the Miami Dolphins Alumni Player Assistance Fund, which provides financial support to assist former players in need.

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