A mainstay on the Miami Dolphins' stellar offensive lines of the 1970s and early '80s, Syosset High School graduate and varsity football player Edward Kenneth Newman was inducted into the New York Jewish Sports Hall of Fame at the Suffolk Jewish Y, in Commack, on Sunday, March 28.

Newman, now a judge in Florida's County Court system in Miami, is arguably the most successful professional athlete ever to graduate from the Syosset Central School District. During his 12-year Dolphin career, which lasted from 1973 to 1984, Newman, No. 64, played in two Super Bowls and competed in seven postseasons.

Riding the wake of a Dolphin dynasty, Newman arrived in 1973 as a rookie just in time for one final Super Bowl glory, only to see the team dissolve as key players departed. And then a promising new batch of players arrived and revived the franchise shortly before Newman finally retired before the 1985 season.

Sports broadcaster Barry Landers, ceremony emcee, introduced Newman, 48, by saying the inductee would be "joining many of those Jewish football players whose mothers said, 'You're not gonna play football, are you?'"

An emotional Newman took to the podium, and in a soft, mellow tone that contradicted both his 6'2", bulky frame and the brutality of his old position, retold a story from the Old Testament which had a significant impact on his upbringing.

Newman told the ancient story, set in 167 BC, of Benjamin, a Jewish athlete living in Greece, which at the time was under the rule of a despotic king. By decree, Benjamin could only participate in the Olympics if he underwent an operation to reverse his circumcision - an irreverent act against his faith. Benjamin did so and thus broke his covenant with God.

"This was a tragedy to me, this dilemma," said Newman, who identified with Benjamin because both were wrestling champions in their respective boyhood days.

Newman remembered discussing this story with his father, as a high school athlete ready to pursue football in college and perhaps beyond. He had recently been pressured by several family members to pursue a more respectable, secure profession. Newman thought that perhaps he was shunning his Jewish upbringing.

"We talk[ed] about...how [could] I avoid the dilemma of Benjamin...I [didn't] want to give up my Judaism," said Newman.

In response, his father advised Newman that his athletic prowess was a fleeting gift, a talent that if used wisely, could over time allow his son to build a legacy for his family and "make a better world."

"He says, 'You become more than an athlete, you become a great athlete, and that justifies a reputation, and a reputation is something you can build on [to] make a difference in this world,'" said Newman, recalling his father's words.

"Well dad, I listened. I listened to you. And I didn't want to be just a regular athlete. I wanted to be a great athlete," said Newman. Through the reputation Newman developed in Miami, he was accepted into law school. During his election for judgeship, "I was able to say to voters, I would really like to make a lasting difference, build on my reputation and...to be an agent for the good," Newman recalled.

The man with whom Newman shared that Biblical conversation spoke to the audience about his son. The senior Newman flashed back to Ed's high school days, when he trained under the guidance of Syosset's football coach, a Coach Miller.

"When the students arrived at camp, the first thing he [Miller] had them do was they had to run...twice around the track. He got the little rabbits from the track team, who were supposed to set the pace for the rest of the students ...The idea was to separate the students from the athletes," said the senior Newman.

Though his son was able to finish the grueling run, he did not like falling behind the track runners. And so he exercised and worked on his breathing. "Before the year was over Ed was beating the rabbits," said his father. "He was the first one around the track, and he had the rabbits huffing and puffing."

He continued, "Coach Miller was looking for an athlete at that camp. He didn't know he had a champion. In 1951 when my son was born, my wife and I took a look at you, son, and we knew we had a champion."

Newman's father mused about one of his son's first big games, a high school post-season match-up between the Syosset Braves and Hicksville Comets. In fact, since Newman seems to enjoy drawing Biblical analogies, he might say that Syosset facing the powerhouse Comets was much like David squaring off against Goliath - with the same outcome.

The elder Newman recalled one play in particular. He said, "It was a running play, and Ed knocked down the tackle on the other side. Then he took out the linebacker, and [then] he fell on top of the safety. The coach...was so impressed that he came up to me and my wife and asked, 'My God, what are you feeding him?'"

"The Syosset team was more or less an average team in my freshman and sophomore year, but we started showing promise, and a good group of people came up," said the younger Newman. "We won the division championship for the first time in history by beating Hicksville, which was a perennial strong team...They were our nemesis in those days."

Syosset High School Athletic Director John Pappas wasn't around when Newman garnered All-State honors on the Braves; however, he is well aware that the powerful linesman who once prowled the fields of Syosset is still a source of school pride among those who know their sports history.

Each year, the school rewards the football player who most demonstrates perseverance and all-out mettle with the Ed Newman Second Effort Award, said Pappas.

Newman departed for South Florida University in 1969, before quickly transferring to Duke, where he finished his collegiate career.

Newman was drafted out of Duke by the dominant Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 1973 draft, and so his rookie season came on the heels (tail fin?) of the Dolphins' spectacular perfect 17-0 championship season. Miami, under the leadership of revered coach Don Shula, had won the last two consecutive AFC Eastern Division titles and conquered the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.

Despite an immediate chance to play for a successful organization, the pragmatic Newman did not feel necessarily fortunate. The Dolphins already had an impressive, solidified offensive line that included Hall of Famers Larry Little and Jim Langer. Some observers, in fact, still argue that this offensive line, when added to earlier components such as quarterback Bob Griese, fullback Larry Csonka and defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger's famed No-Name Defense, made the 1973 squad even better than its predecessor. Therefore, Newman, the New Man, would have difficulty earning playing time.

"I came to the Dolphins not knowing who these stellar Miami Dolphins were, other than they were the World Champions," said Newman in an interview. "So I wasn't overwhelmed by their reputation, but I was concerned [that] they must be some talented ballplayers [and] if I'm going to make this club, I wonder if there's a spot for me here."

He was certainly not treated with open arms by his teammates. "They have some turf to protect, and they're not going to be over-friendly," said Newman.

Newman was not able to wrestle away a starting position, but he did play in 11 games, including Super Bowl VIII. Miami beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 at Rice Stadium in Houston, in that game. He also began to earn respect from his teammates, many of whom remain his best of friends. "The comraderies that you have in the NFL can't be rivaled. It's very special, very wonderful," said Newman.

The Dolphins began losing their star players over the next several years, but Newman was earning credibility, and in 1979 won a starting job on the offensive line, which he never relinquished.

The Dolphins floundered until the late '70s, when they regained moderate postseason success. However, it wasn't until the strike-shortened 1982 season that they returned to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Newman suffered a severe knee injury late in the season and was unable to participate, as the Redskins exacted revenge on Miami with a 27-17 victory.

Newman's final two years in the pros took place during the beginning of the Dan Marino era. In 1983 and 1984, Newman and the rest of the Miami offensive line's responsibility was protecting Marino, the instantly sensational quarterback out of University of Pittsburgh.

After an early exit in the 1983 playoffs, Marino suffered no sophomore jinx as he paced his team through the playoffs and into Super Bowl XIX. Again, the Dolphins fell short, this time versus the San Francisco 49ers, who also featured their own legendary QB in Joe Montana.

Aside from his athletic accomplishments, Newman earned respect by successfully overcoming thyroid cancer in 1975.

Newman was named All-Pro three times in the early 1980s, was named to three Pro Bowl teams and even has a street in Miami named after him. Married to wife Cathy, he is raising two daughters, Stephani and Holly.