The Miami Dolphins, more so than any other team in Florida have a fairly large and loyal following. We all know at least a handful of people who wear their Dolphins gear proud, not only when going to the games or even on game day but on a regular basis, and we see thousands of cars and even houses adorned with Dolphins flags and stickers.
In the past few months since I started this blog I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of fans and not only have I confirmed how large the community support for the team is, but I have also learned what kind of fans Dolphins fans are, and simply saying they are the best fans there is doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Amongst these fans there is a special few which the word “fan” doesn’t even begin to describe, they are what I like to refer to as “super fans.” These are the people to whom supporting the team everyday is not enough; they go above and beyond, each in their own way to find ways to enhance our experience as diehard fans, and they do it because they love it.
I admire these people and what they do and am honored by all the support they have given me personally, but mostly I am thankful for everything they do for us as fans; that’s why I have decided to do a series of posts in the next few weeks highlighting some of these people and giving them a chance to tell their story.

THE DOLFAN BANDITS


I seriously don’t know a single person who watches Dolphins’ football and doesn’t know who the Bandits are, sure some of them might not know what they are called, but they all know that any time there is a home game those crazy painted up guys will show up in the screen at some point. People go crazy when they see them at the stadium or at events and during tailgate hundreds of fans swing by where they are to take pictures with them and meet them, being around them just makes you feel like you belong to the team.
These guys are the most approachable, fun to be around guys in the whole stadium; yet if you asked them today if they ever thought this is where their once crazy idea would take them, they would tell you they never imagined it would be so rewarding.

The Dolfan Badits are made up of four members, Mike Rodriguez, Jose Ortiz, Manny Lopez and Shane Meyers. They are long time season holders that were inspired by the superb transformation the Dolphins made in 2008; after finishing the previous season with a 1-15 record, the Dolphins restructured and made it to the playoffs. In honor of this transformation and as a way to show the team their gratitude, they decided to revamp the Dolfans look and spice things up a little bit by attending the playoff game against the Ravens with their bodies decorated with the team logo and their faces painted in a menacing way as a way of showing that the fans meant business as well. “Although the Dolphins may have lost that day, the team and it’s fans won in the NFL community by proving that the Dolphins may have been down, but they were far from out.”
The goal they set out to achieve that day was a simple one, they just wanted to get the fans more involved and to show the world what kind of “hardcore super fans” the Miami Dolphins have. Their goal has pretty much remained the same ever since, the Dolphins’ following continues to grow and Dolfans around the country and even abroad are getting more geared up for the games and making their presence more known when attending games.

I had the opportunity to talk to them and ask them some questions that I’m sure some of you might be curious about as well so I’ll share those with you.

Q.- What is the best thing that has come from this whole experience?
A.- The kids/fans that smile with us and take pics, some yell hey we saw them on TV, can we get a autograph? That always blows us away, as we are just fans like them. Supporting the team, meeting the players, coaches, owner, cheerleaders. This all has been a experience we could have never imagined so we are grateful for the massive support. We love you Dolfan nation. Go Finsss!

Q.- Do you have a favorite memory?
A.- Yes in 2009 when we played the Bucs at home Channing came by and threw us some game used gloves, a lil’ youg dolfan asked us how we got them, and if we knew Channing, So during the game we gave him a glove, a few moments later his mom and dad came to us thanking us and mom was crying of joy, that touched us in many ways and u don’t expect that in a game..

Q.- When did you realize you had made an impact?
A.- The first time we got painted up during the Ravens game, we came out in tons of pics, blogs, articles, the jumbotron. It was an incredible response, Loius Oliver saw us, took a pic and said he wish we were around in his time, and thanked us for what we do… I knew at that moment that we had made a Splashhhhh!!!

Q.- Is there anything you look forward to doing in the future?
A.- Yes we are looking to expand our group and create a section of wild geared up Dolfans! We have a few names that we are looking into for that section. We have a line of clothes that we are working on..


Q.- What game are you looking forward to the most this season and why?
A.- Always the J-E-T-S suck suck suck!!! Due to bad blood with the players, fans, JT going to the Jest and the media Hex Rex hype!!


By just reading the answers to these questions, it is easy to see that these guys are really just what they say they are, fans like the rest of us, they’ve just had an incredible opportunity to share their love for the team with the rest of the fans and it has only made the team and the gameday experience better. But as if that wasn’t enough, the Bandits have also inspired many of us to give back to the community as they have been involved in many groups, such as the Ricky Williams Foundation, Dolfans Give Back, the Tyler Foundation, the Twan Russell Foundation, the Dolphins Haiti Relief Efforts, and the Shawn Woodsen Boys/Girls Club.

To learn more about the Bandits or simply to show them your support, take the time to visit their website www.dolfanbandits.com , follow them on twitter or join them on Facebook!


Something else that I think is worth mentioning, is the fact that the Bandits attend all home games and try to make it to as many away games as they can because they would like to bring that Dolfan experience to every fan attending every game. If you or your company may be interested in helping them achieve this goal, you can contact them directly at dolfanbandits@aol.com or you can contact me at phins2phins@gmail.com for more information on sponsorships and donations.