Dan Marino Makes Special Appearance at a Rockford Hospital

When you saw the headline, you might've asked yourself, "what on earth is a pro football Hall-of-Famer like Dan Marino doing in Rockford?" It's a long way from Miami, but it turns out, he was here for a very good cause.

According to the Journal Standard, Marino was a guest speaker at the All Star Best of Preps Rock River Valley Banquet at Giovanni's on Monday. There he gave an inspirational speech to equally inspirational athletes from across the Rock River Valley; reminding them to follow their dreams, "Don’t let anybody ever tell you, you can't do something you want to do. If its sports, doctor, lawyer — whatever it may be you want to accomplish in life, you can do it, if you put your mind to it. And that’s a fact."

Before the event, Marino made a special visit to pediatric unit at Rockford Memorial Hospital where he met with young patients, their families and hospital staff.

What a great guy and all around class act...and might I add that he looks fantastic?