Sammy Price, the former Miami Dolphins running back best remembered for hauling in Hall of Famer Bob Griese’s first touchdown pass as a professional, died Aug. 5 in Waterville, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo. He was 82. No cause of death was disclosed.
Price’s career spanned three seasons with the Dolphins from 1966 to 1968, but his legacy rests on a single play that connected him permanently to one of the franchise’s greatest legends. That moment came during his standout 1967 campaign, when he was a fixture in Miami’s backfield and helped establish the foundation of what would become a storied NFL organization.
A Historic Catch in Dolphins History
Price’s most enduring moment in professional football came in 1967, his second season in Miami, when he pulled in a 27-yard touchdown strike from a then-rookie Bob Griese — who was just beginning what would become a Hall of Fame career — during a Week 3 matchup against the Denver Broncos. That play marked the first touchdown pass of Griese’s professional career, cementing Price’s name in Dolphins franchise history.
The 1967 campaign proved to be Price’s finest in the pros. He started nine games that season, gained 179 rushing yards, and scored both of his two career touchdowns. Over the full arc of his three-year tenure in Miami, he finished with 82 carries for 313 yards and one rushing touchdown, adding 10 receptions for 70 yards and one receiving touchdown.
From the AFL Draft to Expansion Miami
Price’s path to professional football began when he was selected in the 11th round of the 1966 American Football League (AFL) draft out of the University of Illinois, where he had earned three letters as a running back. The New York Giants also selected him in the 1966 NFL draft, giving him a choice between two leagues. He opted instead to join the fledgling Dolphins, who were then an expansion franchise — a decision made just one year before the AFL and NFL formally merged.
Mike Pearson, the former sports information director at Illinois, mourned Price’s passing in a social media post. Pearson wrote that the university was saddened to hear about the death on Wednesday, Aug. 9, of three-time 1960s letterman Sam Price, noting that Price was a member of head coach Pete Elliott’s 1963 Big Ten and 1964 Rose Bowl championship team who later played in the NFL for the Dolphins.
Illini Roots and Rose Bowl Glory
Before he ever put on a Dolphins uniform, Price was a key contributor to one of Illinois’s most celebrated eras of college football. Under head coach Pete Elliott, Price helped the Illini claim the 1963 Big Ten title in his first season of varsity play. That championship squad went on to beat Washington 17-7 in the Rose Bowl, capping a historic season for the program and establishing Price as part of an elite group of Illini players from that era.
Price’s time in Champaign also intersected with another future NFL luminary. In 1965, he was on the field when Illinois pulled off a stunning upset of a Purdue squad that was ranked No. 6 in the country — a Purdue team that featured none other than Bob Griese himself. The two players would later become teammates in Miami, their paths crossing again in the professional ranks in a way that gave their shared history an additional dimension.
A Pioneer of Early Dolphins Football
While Price never became a household name in the broader NFL conversation, those familiar with early Dolphins history recognize his place in the franchise’s origin story. He was part of the foundational generation of players who helped build the team during its earliest years, long before Miami became synonymous with championship football in the 1970s. His connection to Griese’s first professional touchdown ensures that his name remains part of the team’s historical record.
Price died Aug. 5 in Waterville, Ohio, according to his online obituary. He was 82 years old.