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Whitefish’s Betters Honored Among Top 50 Miami Dolphins

Whitefish resident named one of the 50 best Miami Dolphin players of all time

By Dillon Tabish

Doug Betters returned to primetime on Monday night inside Sun Life Stadium.

The Whitefish resident and former All-Pro defensive end was honored at halftime of Monday Night Football as one of the 50 best Miami Dolphin players of all time. Betters was recognized at midfield alongside other former greats. The list includes Dan Marino, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris. The celebration was part of the Dolphins’ 50th anniversary as a franchise.

Betters, the 1983 Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Pro defensive end, helped lead Miami to two Super Bowls and five AFC East titles throughout his professional career. In the 1970s and 80s, Miami fans were very familiar with No. 75, who was a vaunted member of the Dolphins’ menacing defense featuring a collective of intimidating players known as the “Killer B’s,” considered one of the best defensive units in NFL history.

He played 10 seasons from 1978 to 1987 and had 64.5 career sacks, third most among Dolphins’ players. In 1983, he put together a career year and recorded 16 sacks in 16 games, winning the NFL’s top award for defensive players. All told, he recorded more than 450 tackles in 146 games, carving out a place among the all-time greats in Miami’s franchise history.

»»» Click here to view a documentary on Betters’ produced by the Miami Dolphins.

Betters played three seasons at the University of Montana, earning All-Big Sky Conference twice, in 1975 and 1976.

He transferred to the University of Nevada the following year, earning All-American honors and the attention of the NFL.

In 1978, the Miami Dolphins selected the 6-foot-7 defensive lineman in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

Betters served as an assistant coach for the Montana Grizzlies in 1995 and 1996.

In 2008, Betters was inducted into the Dolphins’ Honor Roll, a rare achievement that fewer than 20 players had earned at the time. Betters’ name now hangs from the team’s stadium rafters alongside such greats as Dan Marino, Don Shula and the 1972 undefeated team.

Betters bought a home in Whitefish in the 1980s and in 1985 founded the Whitefish Winter Classic, a beloved annual tradition and one of the longest running and most successful charity events in Montana, raising nearly $2 million for local children in need of medical care.

Last year marked the event’s 30th anniversary and the final Winter Classic in its traditional form hosted by Betters and organized by his wife, Jennifer Prendergast.

The nonprofit organization tied to the Classic — For the Children — remains active and provides financial assistance to families with children in need of medical treatment outside the valley.