BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Ray Turpin is a loud and proud Dolphins fan and he’s not shy about it one bit.
“If I’m not working, I’m wearing Dolphins stuff and pretty much everyone that knows me knows I’m a Dolphins fan,” Turpin said.
REPORTER: Have you seen Ace Ventura Pet Detective?
“Yes absolutely, laces out,” he said.
REPORTER: Is Dan Marino walking through that door?
“Probably not, probably not, Ray Finkel might come through before Dan Marino does,” he said.
We’re hearing from Ray two days before Miami’s Wild Card match with the Bills.
From Dolphins plaques, hats and cups, to even a scoreboard telling you what time it is — to autographed merchandise and Dan Marino action figures — you could say Ray is a Dolphins historian with a cave of memorabilia where he works at the Safety and Health Training Center in Buffalo. Turpin is the president of the center.
“It’s kind of been a long-term collection process from the time I was a kid all the way up, a lot of what you see here is actually been given to me by students, so my students would come into my office and they’re like ‘hey I found this at a flea market and it’s worthless to me but we know you,” Turpin said.
And this, is just a portion of his collection.
“This is my second-hand stuff because the stuff at the house is even bigger and better, that’s where we have I have a seat from the Orange Bowl that’s been signed by 17 of the 1972 Dolphins,” Turpin said.
But, his students aren’t impressed, most of them are Bills fans.
“We’re in enemy territory, it’s not right, but he’s been a good sport,” said Hank Balling of East Aurora, who is taking Ray’s health and safety course for work.
Even with Miami’s star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out, there’s still been some trash talk.
“Unfortunately for Ray, I don’t think it’s going to be much of a game,” Balling said. “They can just forfeit.”
Ray says anything can happen any given Sunday, but knows the odds aren’t in his favor.
“In my heart, I’d love to see them win but I don’t think we can, just because Buffalo is starting to get healthy, a lot healthier than Miami is,” Turpin said.
Ray says Tua is a top-five quarterback in the league, but with Skylar Thompson starting, the chances of the Dolphins pulling off the win are slim.
Ray says he was born and raised in Florida, he remembers idolizing Dolphins players as a kid. He then moved to Buffalo in the 80’s. He says he’d never sell his collection. He’s not going to the game, but he says his son is going.
Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.