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The Miami Dolphins have announced the hiring of Jeff Ireland as the team's new general manager. Ireland, who was hired by new Dolphins head honcho Bill Parcells, will reportedly have final say over personnel, including the draft and free agency.

Ireland knows Parcells from their time together with the Dallas Cowboys, where Ireland was vice president of college and pro scouting. Most of the players on the Cowboys' current roster were acquired while Ireland was overseeing the team's scouting department. From the team's release:

"I am excited about joining the Dolphins as their general manager," Ireland said. "I know the great tradition of the team, and in my mind they are one of the flagship franchises in the NFL. They have a great owner in Wayne Huizenga, who I know is committed to making the Dolphins into winners once again. I am looking forward to working with him and everyone else in Miami to achieve that goal.

"I also want to thank Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys organization. I enjoyed my tenure with the team, and I would not be where I am today without the help of so many people there."

Ireland has also been a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs and an employee of National Football Scouting, which runs the combine. Before that he was special teams coach at North Texas. He played kicker at Baylor from 1988 to 1991.

Miami Dolphins Hire GM Jeff Ireland - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog