Florida Marlins Baseball
The Florida Marlins were founded in 1993. Even though they started off to a rocky start by finishing last in their division in 1994 and 1995, they have seen much success in a short period of time. They won two World Series in 1997 and 2003. By capturing the title in the franchise's fifth season, the Marlins became the fastest expansion team ever to win a World Series crown.
The victory was short lived after their 1997 World Series win. The Marlins' record in 1998 slumped to 54-108, making them the first club ever to win a World Series and then lose more than 100 games during the following season.
The team got to the World Series in 2003 by securing a wild card. The Key players in the team's title run were pitchers Josh Beckett and Brad Penny and catcher Ivan Rodriguez. It was in the season 2003 that Dontrelle Willis was named as the NL Rookie of the year award. Jack McKeon was named the manager of the year in 2003 off-season.
Dolphin Stadium
The $115 million, state-of-the-art, open-air football facility was the first of its kind to be constructed entirely with private funds. Dolphin Stadium features a large number of executive suites and club seats, the licensing of which provided most of the funds to build the stadium. The stadium has been home to the Miami Dolphins since 1987 and to the Florida Marlins since 1993, however stadium management has indicated that the Marlins must find a new venue by the end of their current lease.
Dolphin Stadium has been the site of the Orange Bowl since 1996. There have been three Super Bowls played in the stadium, two World Series and numerous concerts. The stadium has had many commercials filmed in it and has appeared in two movies: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Any Given Sunday.