Former Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick currently runs a sports promotion company in the Miami area. Now 59 years old, Kiick played for the Dolphins' Super Bowl championship teams in 1972 and 1973. Kiick also played for the Denver Broncos (1976-77).
Yet, the former University of Wyoming athlete said he has maintained some distance from the game.
"All I am is a spectator. I'm not an avid spectator or devoted fan to anybody," Kiick said. "Being (in Miami) I follow the Dolphins. But to be honest with you, when I retired I really got away from it. I'll tell you how far I got away from it.
"When (Don) Shula called me up in 1985 and asked if I wanted to come to a game, I said, 'No, why? He said, 'We're playing the (Chicago) Bears.' I said, 'So what?' He said, 'Well, they're undefeated.' I said, 'Well, so what?'
"He said, 'Do you not realize you were on the only team in NFL history to go undefeated?' It never dawned on me. I don't think a lot of people around the country realized it themselves until Chicago brought it to light.
"That's how far I got away from football. I ended up going to the game, standing on the sideline with (Larry) Csonka and a few other former teammates. It was quite a game, actually."
Kiick said that he hasn't visited Wyoming in four years, when he was elected to the Wyoming Hall of Fame. A commitment prevented him from returning to the school two weeks ago for a reunion of former Wyoming players who played in bowl games. "I enjoy going back," he said. "Coming from New Jersey, it was a culture shock intially. But I had a good time and a lot of fond memories."
Coaching, Kiick said, has never been an interest for him. "To be honest with you, I never got along with coaches," Kiick said. "I was always self-motivated and I find it very difficult to motivate people -- especially in today's society -- who don't want to be motivated or don't have the self-motivation themselves. It's very difficult.
"And I find it hard to be on the sideline not playing. I have a young daughter who's 10 years old and is a phenominal athlete. I have a son who's a pretty good football player in high school, and I have a very difficult time being on the sideline just cheering and rooting.
"Being a coach, I think, would be very frustrating for me."
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