Miami moved veteran linebacker Steve Towle to Detroit for the…
Miami moved veteran linebacker Steve Towle to Detroit for the 1982 ninth-round pick that became Steve Clark at No. 239. Towle went to injured reserve before playing a regular-season game for the Lions and later retired. Clark, meanwhile, played 41 NFL games with five starts for Miami. The Dolphins turned an outgoing veteran into several seasons of useful depth.
Detroit Lions Received
- player Steve Towle
Miami Dolphins Received
- pick 1982 ninth round pick (#239-Steve Clark (c))
Trade Analysis
The Documented Exchange
Miami sent linebacker Steve Towle to Detroit in 1981 for the Lions’ 1982 ninth-round draft choice. Dolphins draft history and independent draft transaction records both trace that selection to No. 239, which Miami used on Utah lineman Steve Clark. Historical sources differ on the precise summer transaction date, so the existing July 13 date is retained rather than forcing a change that is not uniformly supported.
What Detroit Received
Towle had been a substantial player for Miami earlier in his career, starting 60 games over six Dolphins seasons. By the time of the trade, however, his NFL playing career was effectively over. Transaction records show Detroit placing him on injured reserve before the 1981 regular season, and he retired the following summer. He therefore did not provide the Lions with a regular-season appearance after the acquisition. The name recognition from his Miami years did not translate into Detroit production.
What Miami Received
The Dolphins converted the late-round selection into Steve Clark with the 239th overall pick in 1982. Clark became useful interior depth across multiple seasons, appearing in 41 NFL games and making five starts for Miami. A ninth-round pick normally carried modest expectations, so obtaining several years of roster service from the selection represented a solid outcome. Miami effectively exchanged a veteran who would not play again for a younger contributor.
Final Verdict
Miami wins comfortably on realized football value. Detroit surrendered a draft asset for a veteran who never reached the field for the Lions, while the Dolphins used that asset on a player who gave them 41 appearances. The Dolphins earn an A- for extracting useful multi-year depth from a player nearing the end of his career. Detroit receives a D because the acquisition produced no regular-season contribution before Towle’s retirement.