Nick Mandich already had cried so much over the past months. He didn’t think he could cry anymore.

Then the banner covering his father’s name on the Dolphins’ Honor Roll was removed, and thousands cheered, and Nick, the second of three sons of the late Jim Mandich, was wiping away tears all over again. Only these were happy tears.

“This day meant the world to me,” Nick Mandich said. “I saw the banner come off his name, and I kind of broke down.”

Jim Mandich, the former Dolphins tight end and local radio personality, died in April due to complications from bile duct cancer. On Sunday, the Dolphins added him to their Honor Roll, which rings the upper deck of Sun Life Stadium. Mandich’s name took its place alongside former teammate Bill Stanfill.

In a touching halftime ceremony, fans wearing white T-shirts formed Mandich’s No. 88 on the field, while representatives of the Dolphins and Mandich family addressed the crowd. Joining Nick Mandich were brothers Michael and Mark and mother Bonnie.

Michael Mandich, the eldest son, said his father “wasn’t the biggest, fastest or strongest, but made up for that with heart, tenacity and intelligence.”

Those traits served Mandich well after his playing days ended. Don Shula called fans of Mandich’s broadcast work a “cult following.” The Dolphins Hall of Fame coach finished his speech with one of Mandich’s catch-phrases.

“He’s smiling down on us [Sunday], and a big ‘Awwright Miami!’ to him,” Shula said.

The Dolphins alumni who made the trip for Sunday’s induction celebrated the Mandich family on Saturday night with a dinner party. Jake Scott, one of Mandich’s closest friends during their playing days, made the trip from Hawaii. Larry Csonka flew in from Alaska.

“Getting the old-time war stories from Jake Scott, Bill Stanfill, Mercury Morris, Larry Little — it was a lot of fun,” Michael Mandich said.

Bonnie Mandich joked about the beginnings of her relationship with Jim.

“At that time, Jake [Scott] lived with Jim,” Bonnie said. “Jake got kicked out when I came on board. Jake got put on waivers.”

Michael Mandich found the courage to deliver a poetic speech about his father that rendered raucous Sun Life Stadium to reverent silence.

“I don’t know if it was the adrenaline or what, but I cried many times writing that speech, but it just came off really well,” Michael Mandich said. “It was very special to see his name forever etched in Dolphins history. We’re very happy that he was honored this way.”

Nick Mandich said his favorite Dolphins memories involving his dad probably were similar to the memories his father helped mold for all South Floridians. Nick just loved to sit in the press box or radio studio and listen to his dad rap about the team.

“I cherish having the privilege and honor of listening to him in the box, being able to come in there and just sit in there and listen to him talk,” Nick Mandich said. “I mean, I’m his kid, and I’m sitting in there dying laughing listening to him talk, and I’m inspired by what he has to say.

“He was a joyous man and a kid in a candy shop. He was never off key. He knew what to say at the right time, the right place, the right moment and how to connect with his fans. He’s the greatest man in the history of the planet. Everyone has their own, and he’s mine.”