FORMER MIAMI DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE TACKLE BOB HEINZ DIES AT 79

Bob Heinz, a Miami Dolphins defensive tackle, has died at his home in Fresno, California, aged 79. He died of natural causes on 31 October 2026. Heinz won two Super Bowl rings with Miami, in Super Bowl VII and VIII, playing for the team from 1969 to 1977. The Dolphins confirmed his death in a statement on X, calling him "a member of the 1972 Perfect Team, a two-time Super Bowl champion and a key part of Miami's legendary No-Name Defence."

Heinz, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, played college football at the University of the Pacific and was later inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame. The Dolphins picked him in the second round of the 1969 draft; he stood 6ft 6in and weighed 265lb. He played under head coach Don Shula in the "No-Name Defence", a nickname coined by Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, who called the unit "a bunch of no-names." Heinz started at defensive tackle for the 1972 Dolphins' 17-0 season, the only undefeated and untied campaign in NFL history, and for Miami's 1973 title defence. He missed the 1975 season through injury and ended his career with Washington in 1978.

Heinz's death makes him the 22nd member of the 1972 roster to die, the Dolphins said. His son, John Heinz, said in an email that "what I loved most about my dad was just his loving good nature." He added that his father "was a giant of a person and looked every bit the part of the 'big tough football player', which he of course was." During Super Bowl VII, played on 14 January 1973, Heinz helped Miami complete its perfect season.