Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. is one of those quarterbacks that should be more decorated than they are. His ability to get the ball out his hands in less than a blink of an eye made him nearly unstoppable from behind center. With a laser for an arm and ability to throw the ball fifty-plus yards down the field off of the wrong leg made the fact that he was a less than adequate scrambler a non-factor. Dan Marino attended the University of Pittsburgh from 1979 to 1982 where he boosted the team's rankings within the top five throughout the four seasons he played for the Panthers. His first three seasons as a Panther, Marino led the team to a 33-3 record but unfortunately during his senior year, Marino's statistics took a drastic dip but led the team to the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic where they lost 7-3 to Southern Methodist University. However, Marino did finish college career with 7,905 passing yards and 74 touchdowns.
After a dip in his play in his final season with the Pittsburgh Panthers, Marino was selected 27th overall in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Despite being the last quarterback picked in the first round of the draft, Marino set several NFL records as a rookie including a 96.0 passer rating, the highest completion percentage that season with 58.45 percent, and the lowest interception percentage with 2.03%. Marino played his entire pro football career with the Dolphins leading the team to the postseason ten times, reaching the Super Bowl one time (Super Bowl XIX), and winning the NFL MVP award in 1984. By the time of his retirement in 2000, Marino had held over 40 single-season and career passing NFL records. Most of which have been broken. Dan Marino is considered the greatest quarterback of all-time to have never won a Super Bowl. Still to this day, many try to emulate his style of play on the field.
When you fly by private jet charter, you experience travel comfort known only to those who know private jets. And nothing illustrates this luxury better than celebrity private jets. Stars with their own private aircraft fly fancy.
John Travolta, the star of 70s cult movies like “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever”, is not only one of the most famous Hollywood actors, but also one of the best celebrity pilots. John Travolta is a bonafide aviation enthusiast with five private planes total, which he parks on his front lawn. His most impressive aircraft is a customized Boeing 707-138 (as pictured above), a beast of a plane that he acquired in 1998 upon his promotion to an honorary pilot of Qantas, the Australian airline.
Oprah Winfrey’s production company HARPO bought her custom-built Global Express XRS VIP business jet to provide the media mogul and her associates with maximum aviation comfort. Oprah’s private jet features designer fixtures in the bathroom and galley, along with an exquisite all-leather interior. The aircraft was designed by Bombardier Aerospace to perform as a premier long-range business jet. Custom design allowed for an enhanced cabin layout with nine cushy leather seats, aesthetically-placed lighting, and additional luxury amenities. The jet cruises through the air at high speeds, made possible by two Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines, which produce enough power to send HARPO clear across the map with only one refuel stop
Tom Cruise played an elite naval fighter jet pilot in the blockbuster movie “Top Gun”, and he now indulges his real love for flying in his own Gulfstream IV, one of the finest celebrity private jets around. Cruise’s beautiful business jet accommodates up to 19 passengers, providing comfort and class with state-of-the-art furnishings and aircraft technology. The jet even automatically refreshes the air inside the cabin every two minutes. Designed by Gulfstream Aerospace, Cruise’s jet is powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay 611-8 engines, propelling the aircraft to a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet over a maximum range of 7,820 km, zipping through the air at speeds up to Mach 0.80.
Mark Cuban, business mogul and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, landed himself in the Guinness Book of World Records for purchasing his Boeing 767-277 online in 1999, making “the largest single e-commerce transaction”. Cuban modified the jet with large, custom seats to give his team’s lengthy players plenty of room while flying.