Olindo Mare was born in South Florida and attended Cooper City High School, less than five miles away from the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, where he would spend a decade rewriting the team’s record books. Mare’s journey to reach his destiny was not a traditional one, however. The son of Italian immigrants, Mare’s first love was soccer and it wasn’t until he and a friend witnessed an uninspired performance by their high school kicker that they decided to try out for the football team during his junior season. Mare did not immediately receive a scholarship, and played for MacMurray College in Illinois before he and his father made their own kicking video that compelled the Syracuse Orange to give Olindo a shot. Mare went undrafted in 1995, but was signed to the New York Giants practice squad, where he would spend an entire season before Jimmy Johnson gave him a chance to compete for a starting role prior to the Dolphins 1996 training camp, and opportunity that would lead to a decorated 16-year NFL career. In The Tank, “Lindo” recalls kicking in an overgrown field at light posts, being inspired by a Pete Stoyanovich poster years before ultimately meeting the former Dolphins kicker, his unique relationship with Fins Special Teams Coach, Mike Westhoff, and what he refers to the most special time of his career in which he teamed with Dolphins legends including Dan Marino, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain, and others.
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