My Dolphins Tale: Ian Berger — 2020 NFL Fan of the Year Proud to Bring Fans Together
The 2020 NFL Fan of the Year, Ian Berger, had never made his home outside of Broward County. He’s rarely seen – at least on social media – donned in something other than aqua and orange, but believe it or, the Miami Dolphins were hardly his first love.
Berger was 11 years old when he attended his first Dolphins game at the old Orange Bowl in 1985. Highlighted by a 38-24 victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears, that campaign turned out to be a special season for Miami as the Dolphins won the AFC East and finished one win shy of a return trip to the Super Bowl.
“My mom and dad just weren’t sports fans,” Berger recalled. “My grandfather (Marty Berger) was a big fan, and he took me to my first game. I remember the crowd was insane.”
Becoming a fan
For Berger, however, it wasn’t until he joined his high school marching band and watched from the bleachers on Friday nights that he really began to take interest in the game of football. After accompanying his grandfather to Berger’s first game, he paid it forward to another influential male figure in his life.
“Once I learned about the game, I really became more of a fan,” Berger explained. “I got my first job at McDonald’s in 1990, and I was able to make enough money to take my dad to his first Miami Dolphins game. After that, we made it a tradition to go to every Dolphins-Buffalo Bills game at home.”
Another tradition that has continued is that the Dolphins football has become a family affair. In addition to his father, Berger’s wife Jill or one of his daughters, Danielle or Jessica, often attends with him.
“I’ve always tried to make sure we’ve had a good time,” he reflected. “With the girls, we’ve always thrown the football during pregame tailgates, or I’d get them cotton candy. It didn’t matter to them as much whether the Dolphins won or lost. I just wanted them to remember the time they spent with their dad.”
As the 2026 season approaches, it will mark the 20th straight season that Berger has tickets to every home game and the 15th year that the tickets are in his name. When Berger sought to become a season ticket holder the first time, however, his wife had one caveat – the seats needed to be in the shade.
Bigger than football
While the NFL and the Dolphins have brought out the passion and fun for the Berger family, the love for the franchise has become bigger than just what happens on Sunday. Since 2020, Berger has been involved in various Dolphins-related charities.
As Berger’s mother was battling stage 4 breast cancer, he learned about the Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC) in 2020 while listening to Miami legends Nat Moore and Jose Rose discuss upcoming DCC events on the radio. In 2020, Berger helped raise more than $10,000. The DCC helps support the advancement of cancer research.
Thanks in part to his charity efforts, Berger was named the NFL Fan of the Year for 2020. Through social media, at that time, Berger had built a following of more than 15,000 Dolphins fans. As those in South Florida and throughout the U.S. grappled with the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, Berger sought to keep them upbeat by compiling fans’ reaction videos to the selection of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft and of fans singing the Miami Dolphins Fight Song while washing their hands. As Fan of the Year, Berger had the opportunity to attend Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
“The Fan of the Year experience was hard to put into words,” Berger said. “To be recognized at that level was very humbling. I’ve made so many meaningful relationships through the Dolphins. It makes me proud that I’ve brought people together.”
For Berger, his fight to end cancer has become even more personal over the years. Berger’s mother succumbed to her cancer in 2024. That same year, he was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) – a disease of the liver that causes inflammation and scarring through the narrowing of the bile ducts.
Ineligible for a liver transplant, Berger undergoes immunotherapy every three weeks. So far, the results have been good. As his battle has raged on, Berger has been humbled by the outpouring of support he’s felt from people he’s met through their common interest of the Dolphins. So far in 2026, Berger has helped raise nearly $30,000 as part of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge.
“It’s been nothing short of unbelievable,” Berger said of the support. “I’ve asked my wife what I’ve done to deserve such a web of support. That support has helped us plan for a bucket list trip to Alaska this summer. People are always checking on me. There are people who are in much worse shape than me. I’m a fighter, and I want to inspire other people to keep fighting. I plan to live as much life as I can while I can.”
The Dolphins’ journey continues
Though deemed terminal, there is no timeframe for how long Berger has left on the earth, but he hasn’t given up hope for seeing his Dolphins win the Super Bowl. A gentle giant at 6-foot-6, Berger hopes to do so wearing his custom No. 66 Miami jersey with “Big E” on the back.
“The Dolphins have long been a passion of mine,” Berger added. “I told my wife I want to be buried in my Dolphins jersey and with my Dolphins gear.”
For his entire adult life, Berger has worked in banking – a profession that comes with Sundays off. Over the years, he’s had several roles in the industry, including district manager. His recent condition has forced him to step away from his industry of more than 30 years, but Berger has managed to find a silver lining.
“This year, I’ll be able to go to every Training Camp event that’s open to the public as a fan,” Berger noted. “That’s something I’ve never been able to do before.”
A mainstay at Hard Rock Stadium, Berger has seen the Dolphins play in more than a third of the NFL’s 30 stadiums. Ian and Jill Berger are set to add five more to his list in 2026, including Miami’s Dec. 20 contest against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
“It’s going to be a very busy year for me,” Berger exclaimed. “I’ve been saving up my JetBlue miles. When I went to away games in the past, I used to go on my own. Given all that’s happened, my wife wants to experience it with me, so she’ll be joining me this year.”
Having watched more than 150 home games from the confines of Hard Rock Stadium over the last two decades, it’s no secret that Berger loves watching his Dolphins from the stands. In fact, his favorite Miami game was the longest game in NFL history in terms of time elapsed from kickoff to finish. Berger stayed for the duration as the Dolphins opened the 2018 season with a 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans – a contest that featured two weather delays and ended more than seven hours after it kicked off.
“There were only a few thousand people left at the end, and my daughter and I were among them,” Berger said. “I called and asked my wife if she minded if we stayed, and she said we had nothing else going on. I just had to convince my daughter, and she said if I let her have Snapchat, she’d do whatever I wanted. In the end, we stayed, and we got the win.”
Despite being one of the more well-known members of the Dolphins’ fan base, Berger appreciates everyone who supports the team.
“I don’t consider myself better than any other Dolphins fan,” he concluded. “We all have our own way of supporting our team. I respect everyone’s opinion. That’s the way it’s always been.”
