Manuel Jose Fernandez (born July 3, 1946) is a former American football player of who played eight seasons for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He played in three consecutive Super Bowls for the Dolphins in the 1971, 1972, and 1973 seasons.
Manny Fernandez was a strong contender for MVP of Super Bowl VII. Wrote Nick Buoniconti, "It was the game of his life–in fact, it was the most dominant game by a defensive lineman in the history of the game, and he would never be given much credit for it. They should have given out two game balls and made Manny Fernandez the co-MVP with Jake Scott." Larry Csonka also said he thought Fernandez should have been the MVP. The MVP was selected by Dick Schaap, the editor of SPORT magazine. Schaap admitted later that he had been out late the previous night, struggled to watch the defense-dominated game, and was not aware that Fernandez had 17 tackles. Fernandez also recorded a sack against the Washington Redskins' QB Billy Kilmer.
"Winning the car never entered my mind until I heard that Jake won it," Fernandez said in the January 1974 issue of SPORT magazine. "I was happy for Jake, he played a helluva game for a guy who was healthy but he had two bad shoulders."
The following year, Fernandez recorded 5 tackles and 1 sack in Super Bowl VIII against the Minnesota Vikings. Two years earlier, Fernandez recorded 6 tackles, 1 sack and recovered a fumble in the Dolphins loss to the Dallas Cowboys. In his three Super Bowls Fernandez recorded three sacks and 28 tackles.
For his career Fernandez had 35 career sacks, a high number for a nose tackle, with a career-high of 8 in 1971, which led the Dolphins. In Dolphin history only one nose tackle (Bob Baumhower: 39.5) recorded more sacks. Fernandez recorded 5.5 sacks in post-season play which is currently 3rd in Dolphins history behind defensive ends Kim Bokamper (8) and Trace Armstrong (6).
Fernandez was 2nd team All-Pro in 1970 and 1973, and an All-AFC selection in 1971 and a second-team All-AFC choice in 1972 and 1973, marking four consecutive season with post-season honors. Fernandez is also credited with being one of the first nose tackles in the NFL, since the Dolphins played the famed "53" defense (which was a 3-4 defense) in 1972 through 1974, which put Manny over the center. Likely, no team played the 3-4 defense more until the New England Patriots when went to the 3-4 full-time in 1974.