Jim Kiick was a 5'11" running back for the Wyoming Cowboys. He was the first player ever to be named to the All-WAC first team on three separate occasions. Miami picked him up in the fifth round of the 1968 AFL/NFL Entry Draft with the 118th overall pick.
Kiick started 13 of the 14 games in which he appeared as a rookie, leading the Dolphins with 621 yards and scoring four touchdowns on a team best 165 rushes. He also caught 44 passes for 422 yards for a team best 1,043 all purpose yards. His reception total, rushing total, and rushing yards were all good enough for the AFL top ten, and he was named to the postseason Pro Bowl. He broke the 100-yard barrier on two occasions, including a 23 rush, 111 yard performance in a week nine victory over the Buffalo Bills, 21-17. Miami posted a 5-8-1 record.
In 1969, Kiick started all 14 Miami games at halfback, gaining Dolphin bests with 575 yards on 180 attempts, scoring an AFL high nine rushing touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 443 yards and another touchdown, leading the team with 1,018 all-purpose yards. He scored two touchdowns in a week two 20-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders, rushing 23 times for 76 yards. Later, in week seven, he scored a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown, gaining 32 yards on 12 carries and 109 yards on three catches for a 24-6 win over the Bills. In a week eight 34-31 loss to the New York Jets, he gained 106 yards on only 15 carries. He was named to his second consecutive AFL Pro Bowl after the season as the Dolphins finished at 3-10-1.
1970 would see Miami join the NFL, with the rest of the American Football League. Kiick would start every game for the Dolphins at halfback, gaining 658 yards and scoring six touchdowns on 191 carries. He also caught a team high 42 passes for 497 yards. His 1,155 all purpose yards led the team. Under new coach Don Shula, Miami posted their best record yet, finishing 10-4 and qualifying for the playoffs. In a week 14 45-7 win over the Bills, Kiick rushed 11 times for 24 yards, scoring three touchdowns.
Kiick started 11 of his 13 games for Miami at halfback in 1971. He gained a career high 738 yards on 162 rushes, for a career high and NFL sixth-best 4.6 average yards per carry. Miami's rushing attack led the NFL with 2,429 yards on the ground. He also caught 40 passes for 338 yards, totalling 1,076 all-purpose yards. He broke the 100-yard marker twice, including a 17 carry, 121 yard performance in a week six 30-14 victory over the Jets. Miami finised with a 10-3-1 record, eventually earning a berth in Super Bowl VI against the Dallas Cowboys. Kiick gained an additional 162 yards on 43 carries through the playoffs.
Kiick would reluctantly accept a reduced role for the 1972 Dolphins, as Mercury Morris took up the starting mantle at halfback. He appeared in all 14 games for the 14-0 Dolphins, gaining 521 yards on 137 carries, scoring five touchdowns. In a week four 27-17 victory over the Jets, he scored two touchdowns on a 16-for-53 rushing performance. Miami's rushing game was again the class of the NFL, leading the league by a wide margin with 2,960 ground yards. Kiick scored an additional four touchdowns through the playoffs, including two in the Dolphins 21-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game.
In 1973, Kiick appeared in all 14 games, gaining 257 yards on 76 carries and catching 27 passes for 208 yards. Miami finished 12-2, eventually winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, as Kiick scored his only touchdown of the season in a 24-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
In 1974, Kiick started seven of 14 games for the Dolphins, gaining 274 yards and scoring once on 86 rushes, also catching 18 passes for 155 yards and another score. Miami posted an 11-3 record, earning their fifth consecutive trip to the postseason.
Along with wide receiver Paul Warfield and fullback Larry Csonka, Kiick defected to the WFL's Memphis Southmen in 1975. After the league folded, Kiick returned to the NFL, playing in a limited role with the Denver Broncos and later the Washington Redskins. Kiick may have endured the worst day ever during the 1977 regular season. On the day the Denver Broncos released him, his wife divorced him and his house burned down.
Kiick totalled seven seasons in Miami, starting 59 of 97 games and gaining 3,644 yards on 997 carries, scoring 28 touchdowns. He also caught 221 passes for 2,210 yards, scoring three touchdowns.