Death came on August 5, 2026, in Waterville, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo, for 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. No cause of death was disclosed. He was 82; a death notice filed by his family gives his age as 83.
From 1966 to 1968, Price spent three seasons with the Dolphins, yet a single play is what permanently linked him to one of the franchise’s greatest legends. It happened during his standout 1967 campaign, a year when he was a fixture in Miami’s backfield and helped lay the foundation of what would grow into a storied NFL organization.
A Historic Catch in Dolphins History
The moment arrived on September 17, 1967, in Miami’s season opener against the Denver Broncos, a 35-21 win in Price’s second year with the club. A then-rookie Bob Griese, who was just beginning what would become a Hall of Fame career, sent a 27-yard touchdown strike his way in the second quarter, and Price pulled it in. That throw stood as the first touchdown pass of Griese’s professional career, cementing Price’s name in Dolphins franchise history.
Nothing else in Price’s pro career matched that 1967 season. He started nine games, gained 179 rushing yards and scored both of his career touchdowns. The final ledger from three seasons in Miami showed 82 carries, 313 yards and one rushing touchdown, plus 10 receptions for 70 yards and one receiving touchdown.
From the AFL Draft to Expansion Miami
Out of the University of Illinois, where he had earned three letters as a running back, Price was taken by Miami with the first pick of the 11th round, 92nd overall, in the 1966 American Football League (AFL) draft — the last held before the two leagues began drafting in common. The New York Giants took him in the 16th round of the 1966 NFL draft, leaving him a choice between two leagues, and he went to the fledgling Dolphins, then an expansion franchise entering its first season. All three of his years in Miami were played in the AFL; the leagues did not formally combine until 1970.
Mike Pearson, the former sports information director at Illinois, mourned Price’s passing in a social media post that was among the first public confirmations of the death. He was saddened to hear of the passing of three-time 1960s letterman Sam Price, Pearson wrote, and he noted that head coach Pete Elliott’s 1963 Big Ten and 1964 Rose Bowl championship team counted Price among its members before he turned professional with the Dolphins.
Illini Roots and Rose Bowl Glory
One of the most celebrated eras of Illinois football counted Price as a key contributor well before he ever pulled on a Dolphins uniform. Playing under head coach Pete Elliott, he was part of the group that carried the Illini to the 1963 Big Ten title. Washington fell 17-7 to that championship squad in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1964, capping a historic season for the program and placing Price among an elite group of Illini players from that era.
Another future NFL luminary crossed his path in Champaign. Price was on the field on October 30, 1965, when Illinois shut out a Purdue squad ranked No. 6 in the country, 21-0 — and none other than Bob Griese himself suited up for that Purdue team. Miami eventually made teammates of the two, 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
Price never became a household name in the broader NFL conversation, but anyone familiar with early Dolphins history recognizes his place in the franchise’s origin story. He belonged to the foundational generation of players who built the team in its earliest years, long before Miami became synonymous with championship football in the 1970s. His link to Griese’s first professional touchdown ensures his name remains part of the team’s historical record.