Dan Marino Makes Touchdown in Commack

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino paid a visit to the grand opening of Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza in Commack Wednesday. The proceeds from the day’s sales will go toward the Dan Marino Foundation, which supports autism causes. 

Marino, who played for 17 years in the National Football League (NFL), became a partner in the chain known for its “well-done” pizzas after he and restaurant founder Anthony Bruno struck up a friendship through Marino’s many visits to Bruno’s original restaurant, Runway 84, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Marino has been a partner in the pizzeria chain since 2002. 

“It’s kind of fun to be involved with good people. We’ve been friends a long time. And also, for me it’s to see be able to see something grow and create something that people enjoy, Marino said during the opening celebration at the 6401 Jericho Turnpike location.

In celebration of its grand opening, the restaurant is contributing all of its day’s sales to the Dan Marino Foundation, which supports autism causes. 

Marino established the foundation with his wife after their son Michael was diagnosed with the disorder. Now, 25, Michael is doing great. “He’s doing fantastic,” Marino said. Michael is a disk jockey at one of Bruno’s Florida restaurants on Thursday nights.

“It touches people’s lives,” Marino said of autism. “That’s the reason why we continue to work – to raise money to help other families.

So far, the Dan Marino Foundation has raised more than $40 million since its inception, which has been used to fund quality-of-life research, build the Miami Children’s Hospital Dan Marino Center, and the Marino Campus, which will open next year.

A little unknown fact about Marino, is that he was drafted out of high school to play for the Kansas City Royals, but he decided to go the NFL route instead. "I think I made the right decision," he said.

Those baseball skills came in handy last month though, when he was asked to throw out the first pitch of a Yankees game in Tampa during spring training. "I got pretty close," he said.

During the grand opening event in Commack, Marino signed the Yankees jersey and balls used in the game.