The Miami Dolphins family lost one of its own this week with the passing of former defensive lineman Jackie Cline, who has died at the age of 66 after a courageous battle with cancer.
For those who remember the late 1980s Dolphins squads coached by the legendary Don Shula, Cline represented the kind of steady, versatile presence that helped keep a defense afloat through the inevitable injuries and the grind of an NFL season.
Cline arrived in Miami in 1987 after a short stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the players’ strike that year. Assigned on waivers, the 6-foot-5, roughly 280-pound product of the University of Alabama and McAdory High School in McCalla quickly settled into a role that suited him well.
Under Shula, he became a reliable reserve who could line up at defensive end or nose tackle depending on the need. In an era when the Dolphins were still fighting to recapture the glory of earlier decades, depth along the defensive line was essential, and Cline provided it without fanfare.
His most productive stretch in aqua and orange came in 1988. That season he appeared in 14 games and started nine of them, recording a career-high four sacks. The following year he remained a key backup, seeing action in 15 contests with two starts while also contributing on special teams.
Across his three seasons with the Dolphins he played in 36 games, made 11 starts, and accounted for five of his six career NFL sacks. Those numbers only begin to capture the value of a player who could step into the rotation when starters went down and who brought the physical toughness and football intelligence developed during his college days under Bear Bryant and his earlier professional experience with the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL.
Cline’s time in South Florida was the most stable and substantial portion of his NFL career. After leaving Miami he had brief stops elsewhere before finishing with the Detroit Lions in 1990, but it was in the Dolphins organization that he found his longest stretch of consistent opportunity.
Teammates and coaches of that era often spoke of the quiet professionalism that marked players like him—men who understood their role, prepared diligently, and delivered when called upon. In the Shula system, that kind of reliability was never taken for granted.
After football, Cline returned home to Alabama, where he owned Greenpond Grocery and lived a grounded life with his wife of 45 years, Vickie, their two children, and eventually four grandchildren. He enjoyed the simple pleasures of fishing, golf, and watching football on weekends.
Those who knew him well have emphasized that his greatest victories came not from statistics or championships but from the character he displayed every day—the same grit and perseverance that defined his play on the field and later sustained him through illness.
For Dolphins fans who recall the late-1980s teams, Jackie Cline’s name may not dominate highlight reels, yet his contribution was real. He was part of the fabric of those defenses, a player who answered the call when the depth chart thinned and who embodied the workmanlike ethos Shula demanded.
The organization and its supporters extend their condolences to his family and friends. In the long history of the Miami Dolphins, Cline remains one of the many who wore the uniform with pride and left the game a little better for having been part of it.
