Miami Dolphins
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Year founded: 1966 | |||||
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| City | Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||
| Other nicknames | The Fins | ||||
| Team colors | Aqua Green, Coral Orange, White, and Navy Blue | ||||
| Head Coach | Cam Cameron | ||||
| Owner | Wayne Huizenga | ||||
| General manager | Randy Mueller | ||||
| Mascot | T. D. | ||||
| League/Conference affiliations | |||||
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American Football League (1966-1969)
National Football League (1970–present)
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| Team history | |||||
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| Championships | |||||
League Championships (2)
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Conference Championships (5)
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Division Championships (12)
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| Home fields | |||||
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- "Perfect season" redirects here. For the phrase, see Perfect Season.
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami, Florida Metropolitan Area. They play their home games in the Miami suburb of Miami Gardens at Dolphin Stadium. They are headquarted at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, Florida. The Dolphins are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins began play in the American Football League as an expansion team in 1966 by Joseph Robbie, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger. The Dolphins are the oldest major-league professional sports franchise currently in the state of Florida. They are currently owned by Wayne Huizenga.
The team made its first Super Bowl appearance following the 1971 season in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. In 1972, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season to date in the Super Bowl era, winning all 14 regular season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII. The team also won Super Bowl VIII, becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, and the second overall team (first AFL/AFC team) to win back-to-back championships. Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games.
For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula, the winningest head coach in professional football history. His Dolphins teams posted losing records in only 2 of his 26 seasons with the club. Six future Hall of Fame members played for Miami during the 1970s, including running back Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese. During the 1980s and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most prolific passer in NFL history, breaking numerous league passing records. He led the Dolphins to numerous playoff appearances and Super Bowl XIX.
Contents |
[edit] History
- For more details on this topic, see History of the Miami Dolphins.
Miami joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas in 1965 for $7.5 million, although Thomas would eventually sell his stake in the team to Robbie.[1] A contest was held in 1965 to find the name of the new Miami franchise for the American Football League. 19,843 entries were submitted with over a thousand different names. A dozen finalists were screened through by a seven-member committee made up of the local media, names considered included the Mariners, Marauders, Mustangs, Missiles, Moons, Sharks, and Suns. The winning name, "Dolphins," was submitted by 622 entrants. Mrs. Robert Swanson of West Miami won lifetime passes to Dolphin games when her nickname entry successfully predicted the winner and score of the 1965 football game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami, a scoreless tie.
[edit] The 1970s: The Perfect Season and the Super Bowl titles
The Dolphins had a combined 15-39-2 record in its first four seasons when Shula, a former Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts after first losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFL's New York Jets and finishing 8-5-1 the following season, was hired as head coach. The Colts charged the Dolphins with tampering in gaining Shula, which cost them their first round draft pick in 1970. Shula introduced himself to the Miami press by saying that he didn't have any magic formulas and that the only way he knew to make his teams successful was through hard work. Shula's early training camps with the Dolphins would soon be the stuff of sweltering, painful legend. But Shula's hard work paid immediate dividends, as Miami improved to a 10-4 record and their first-ever playoff appearance, losing 21-14 at Oakland.
The Dolphins were a successful team during the early 1970s, becoming the first team to advance to the Super Bowl for three consecutive seasons. They captured the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese and wide receiver Paul Warfield. The AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL history (82 minutes 40 seconds). In Super Bowl VI, however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3.
In 1972 the Dolphins completed the NFL's first perfect season, winning every regular season game, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7. (The 1948 Cleveland Browns had accomplished an undefeated season, but as members of the All-America Football Conference.) During this season, Griese fell victim to a broken ankle in Week 5 versus the San Diego Chargers and was replaced by veteran Earl Morrall for the rest of the regular season, with Griese returning to the field as a substitute during the AFC Championship game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and would once again start for Miami in Super Bowl VII. On the ground, running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to each rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. The offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little and Pro Bowler Bob Kuechenberg. The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No-Name Defense because Miami’s impressive offense received much more publicity, was the league’s best that year. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott.
The Dolphins finished 12-2 after the 1973 regular season and repeated as NFL Champions, beating the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston. Miami reached the playoffs again in 1974 but lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders, in what has entered NFL lore as the "Sea of Hands" game, considered one of the greatest games ever played. This devastating loss, which Shula called his toughest ever (he cried in the locker room after the game) and which haunts Dolphin players and fans to this day, marked the end of the Dolphins' dynasty.
Miami rebounded from a 6-8 losing record in 1976 by winning ten or more games in four of the next five seasons. Shula built a solid defense around a new set of stars, including linebacker A.J. Duhe and linemen Bob Baumhower and Doug Betters. The Dolphins went 10-4 again in 1977, but again lost the division title (and playoff spot) to the Colts. They made the playoffs as a wild card in 1978, but lost in the first round to the Houston Oilers 17-9.
Csonka returned to the Dolphins in time for the 1979 season. After winning the division with a 10-6 record, the Dolphins lost the divisional playoff 34-14 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.
[edit] The 1980s
In 1980, David Woodley, an athletic quarterback out of LSU, took over for Bob Griese, who severely injured his shoulder in a game against the Baltimore Colts. Griese would never play again, retiring after the season. The Dolphins finished 8-8 and did not make the playoffs.
The Dolphins were back on top of the AFC East in the 1981 NFL season, with an 11-4-1 record. That season, the Dolphins quarterback position was actually manned by both Woodley and back-up quarterback Don Strock, causing the local media to identify the Miami quarterback as "Woodstrock." They reached the divisional playoff against the San Diego Chargers, regarded by some as one of the most memorable games in NFL history, known as The Epic in Miami. After being down 24-0 after the end of the first quarter, back-up quarterback Don Strock entered the game and engineered a frenetic comeback, culminating in the historic "Hook and Lateral" play, in which wide receiver Duriel Harris caught a pass from Strock and immediately lateralled the ball to the streaking running back Tony Nathan for the score on the last play of the half, which cut the Chargers lead to 24-17. After the Dolphins took the lead in the 4th quarter, San Diego tied it up 38-38 with under a minute to play. Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow, playing through exhaustion, blocked Uwe von Schamann's field goal try on the last play of regulation. Von Schamann had another field goal attempt blocked in overtime, and Rolf Benirschke kicked the game-winner for San Diego in overtime. Strock finished the game with 403 passing yards and 4 touchdowns.
In the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season, the Dolphins, led by the "Killer B's" defense (Baumhower, Bill Barnett, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper, Glenn Blackwood, Doug Betters, and Bob Brudzinski), held five of their nine opponents to 14 or fewer points en route to their fourth Super Bowl appearance. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, they got revenge for previous losses, crushing the Patriots, 28-13 (revenge for the infamous Snow Plow game at Schaeffer Stadium played earlier in the season) and the San Diego Chargers, 34-13 at the Orange Bowl. Late in the season, in a snowy game against the New England Patriots, a convicted felon on work-release cleared a path for Patriots kicker John Smith to score the game-winning field goal. In the first round in Miami, they met again, with the Dolphins winning easily. In the second round against San Diego the Dolphins got revenge for their loss the previous year, winning even more handily. After shutting out the New York Jets in the AFC Championship 14-0, they lost Super Bowl XVII to Washington, 27-17. After enjoying success rooted in a defense-first philosophy, and employing a ball control offense to take pressure off of lackluster quarterbacks, the next 17 seasons would be marked by an average rushing game and defense that limited a great quarterback.
During the third game against the Los Angeles Raiders during the 1983 season, Shula replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino, who went on to win the AFC passing title helped by a ratio of 20 touchdowns versus 6 interceptions and the NFL Rookie of the Year award. Seldom sacked by defenders, Marino was protected by an outstanding offensive line as he passed to receivers such as Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. Despite the regular season success (the Dolphins went 12-4 winning their last five regular season games, the only team in the AFC East with a winning record), they were upset in the divisional playoff by the Seattle Seahawks at the Orange Bowl. Defensive end Doug Betters was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
In 1984, the Dolphins won their first 11 games en route to a 14-2 season (the franchise's best 16-game season to date). Marino, in his first full season, produced the most impressive set of passing statistics in NFL history, setting single-season records for most yards (5,084), touchdown passes (48), and completions (362). He was voted NFL MVP. Miami avenged the Seahawks loss 31-10 and crushed the Steelers 45-28 in the playoffs to get to Super Bowl XIX. In the title game, however, Miami lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38-16. It would be Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.
In 1985 Miami finished 12-4 and was the only team that beat the 15-1 Chicago Bears all year. After just getting by the Cleveland Browns 24-21 after rallying from a 21-3 third quarter deficit in the divisional playoffs. Many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX. The Cinderella New England Patriots, the Dolphins' opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans. New England forced six turnovers on the way to a 31-14 win - the Patriots' first in Miami since 1966. The Patriots has lost 18 games in a row at the Orange Bowl. In 1969, The Boston Patriots beat the Dolphins at Tampa Stadium.
In 1986, the Dolphins, hampered by defensive struggles, stumbled to a 2-5 start and finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1977. The problems continued in 1987, with an 8-7 (7-5 in non-strike games) record in a strike-shortened year, their first at new Joe Robbie Stadium. Miami had their first losing season (6-10) since 1976 in 1988, and finished 8-8 following the 1989 regular season.
[edit] The 1990s
By 1990 the Dolphins had finally shaped up on defense, and finished with a 12-4 record, second in the AFC East. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round, but lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoff. The team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991, and narrowly missed the playoffs on an overtime loss to the New York Jets the final week of the season.
The Dolphins finished 11-5 in 1992, capturing the AFC East title behind Mark Higgs having his best season as a running back and Keith Jackson (newly acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles) as an unrestricted free agent, leading the team in receiving. They beat the Chargers in the divisional playoff 31-0, but were defeated by the Buffalo Bills 29-10 in the AFC Championship.
In 1995 Marino broke the career passing records formerly held by Fran Tarkenton for yards (48,841), touchdowns (352), and completions (3,913). The Dolphins finished 9-7, second in the AFC East, but still made the playoffs as a wild card, losing to Buffalo in the first round. Following the 1995 season Don Shula (pressed to retire) became an executive in the Dolphins’ front office. Jimmy Johnson, who had won a collegiate national championship at the University of Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, was named as Shula’s replacement.
In 1996 Miami finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs, with rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar's 1,116-yard rushing season one of the lone bright spots. In 1997 Miami stumbled late and backed into the playoffs with a 9-7 season, losing to the New England Patriots in the wild card round.
Miami had a solid 10-6 season in 1998 with a career season for receiver O.J. McDuffie, but it was not enough to get past the New York Jets into first place in the division. The Dolphins beat the Bills in the wild card round, but lost in the next round to the eventual champion Denver Broncos. (The Broncos lost only two regular season games in 1998, one of which was to the Dolphins.)
In 1999, the team advanced to the playoffs at 9-7. After a close win at Seattle in the wild card round 20-17, they suffered the worst playoff loss in NFL history against the Jacksonville Jaguars: 62-7. After the season, Jimmy Johnson left the team and Marino retired.
[edit] The 2000s
Before the 2000 season, Dave Wannstedt, formerly of the Chicago Bears, became the new coach, and ex-Jacksonville Jaguars backup Jay Fiedler became the new quarterback, even though Damon Huard had been considered the favorite. Despite lowered expectations, the defense broke through with Jason Taylor and Trace Armstrong each getting 10 sacks, and four players (Sam Madison, Brian Walker, Brock Marion and Patrick Surtain) tallying at least five interceptions. In addition, Lamar Smith rushed for 1,139 yards, and Miami finished atop the AFC East with an 11-5 record. In the first round of the playoffs, Miami took the Indianapolis Colts to overtime and won on a Lamar Smith touchdown run. Lamar finished with 209 yards on 40 carries, but in the next round, the Dolphins were shut out by the Oakland Raiders, and Smith was barely able to run.
The 2001 offseason brought in rookie Chris Chambers at wide receiver, but Trace Armstrong left, as did two offensive linemen, Richmond Webb and Kevin Donnalley. In the 2001 season the Dolphins finished 11-5. Mediocre offensive line play and a pedestrian offense kept Miami from being successful running the ball, and they were shutout twice on the year. Despite it all, the solid defense kept them in it and they earned a wild card with an 11-5 record, finishing second in the AFC East title behind eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The Dolphins lost in the first round of the playoffs 20-3 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Miami revitalized its running game in time for the 2002 season by trading for New Orleans Saints running back Ricky Williams. In addition, rookie tight end Randy McMichael made his presence felt. The Dolphins, behind a new offensive scheme under freshly hired offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and a power running game lead by Ricky Williams, quickly rushed out to a 5-1 start, including an incredible last minute comeback by Fiedler against the Broncos. However, Fiedler injured his thumb and would be out for an extended period of time. This had excited many Dolphins fans, as many believed backup Ray Lucas could outdo the much-maligned Fiedler. However, Lucas was abysmal in his first two games and merely average in his third, and the team dropped three straight. Miami rebounded with wins over Baltimore and an impressive thumping of San Diego, but lost to Buffalo. Still, Miami pulled off an impressive win over the Oakland Raiders and sat at 9-5 with two weeks left in the season, in prime position to steal the AFC East. However, despite dominating the New England Patriots for most of the game in week 17, the Dolphins blew an 11-point lead with mere minutes remaining in the game led to a heartbreaking loss. Due to a tiebreaker, both the Dolphins and Patriots lost out on the playoffs as the Jets took the AFC East title. Fans wanted Wannstedt's firing, but he was kept on for the 2003 season. Despite it all, the team believed it had plenty to look forward to, as Ricky Williams broke Dolphins records with 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. The real culprit of Miami's demise was their poor play on the road, in which the team finished 2-6 and the defense surrendered over 370 yards a game.
The 2003 Miami Dolphins were a hard team to pinpoint. The defense was again solid and forced a lot of turnovers, and running the ball was extremely difficult against these boys. However, poor offensive line play (despite most of the starters returning) gave little room for Ricky to run, and the offense was stagnant. The Dolphins began with a repeat of 2002's season end, with a complete meltdown against the Houston Texans, but they rebounded to win four straight games. During a crushing overtime loss at the hands of the Patriots, Jay Fiedler was injured, forcing newly acquired backup Brian Griese to lead the Dolphins to victory the next week over San Diego. That, however, was Griese's high point, and after a good showing against Indianapolis in a losing effort, he was lousy against the Titans and highly ineffective against the Ravens. When Griese had the Dolphins losing to the mediocre Washington Redskins, Jay Fiedler came off the bench and saved their season, leading them to a comeback victory, 24-23. Miami looked like it might rebound, with a victory that same week over the Dallas Cowboys to take them to 8-4, but two key losses to the Patriots and the Eagles ended Miami's chances at the playoffs. Miami finished 10-6, but was still short of a playoff spot.
The 2004 offseason was disastrous for the Dolphins. Tight end Randy McMichael was arrested for domestic violence and wide receiver David Boston (signed from San Diego) suffered an injury in training camp and missed the entire season (Boston also failed a drug test for steroids later in the season). But the biggest shock came when Ricky Williams retired for then-unspecified reasons, until it was eventually revealed that a) Williams had recently suffered his third strike under the NFL's substance abuse policy, and b) to a lesser degree felt he was unnecessarily overused by Wannsteadt. Many experts predicted a disastrous season for the Dolphins. These predictions proved right as Miami dropped their first six games of the 2004 year, marking the worst start in franchise history. After a 1-8 start, Wannstedt resigned on November 9, 2004. He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Bates. The Dolphins fared better under Bates, winning three of their final seven games, including a 29-28 upset victory over the defending champion Patriots on December 20 in a nationally televised Monday Night Football contest. Despite this, the Dolphins decided not to hire Bates for the permanent coaching position. Instead, they hired LSU coach Nick Saban. However, Saban never was able to lead the team to the playoffs.
On January 3, 2007, Saban announced that he had accepted a contract for eight years and a guaranteed $32 million to coach at the University of Alabama. Saban left despite making several public statements in the preceding weeks assuring fans and owner Wayne Huizenga that he would be staying on as coach of the Dolphins. Cam Cameron, previously the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, was then introduced as the new head coach of the Dolphins.
[edit] Facilities
[edit] Stadiums
The original home field for the Dolphins played in was the Orange Bowl Stadium in Miami, Florida. Their current, and only other home field, is Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
[edit] Training
- Further information: Miami Dolphins Training Facility
According to a local newspaper, St. Petersburg Beach hosted the Dolphins very first training camp in 1966. The players were housed next to Sea World.[2]
The Dolphins trained at St. Thomas University from 1970 until 1993.
In 1993, the Dolphins opened the Miami Dolphins Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida.
[edit] Logo and uniforms
[edit] Logo
Except for a few minor changes throughout the years, the Dolphins logo and uniforms have essentially remained the same. The logo consists of a dolphin wearing a helmet with the sun shining behind it. The uniform design consists of white helmets, orange trim, and either white or aqua green jerseys. The team also wears either white or aqua green pants. The pants are composed of a high grade cotton/lycra polymer.
When the team's logo debuted in 1966, the dolphin's head was positioned so that its head was near the center of the sunburst. By 1974, the dolphin's body was centered on the sunburst. Because of the team's name and mascot, the Dolphins are sometimes referred to as "The Fish," even though dolphins are really mammals, not fish. The Florida Marlins, a major league baseball team that plays in the same stadium, are also called "The Fish." Another common Dolphins nickname is "The 'Phins."
[edit] Uniforms
In 1997, dark blue was added to the logo and uniforms as an accent color. The hashmarks around the perimeters of logo's sunburst were removed, while the dolphin's features were accentuated.[3] The Dolphins also changed from numbers outlined in orange to drop-shadow numbers.
Miami is one of the three NFL teams that primarily wear their white jerseys at home (the others being the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins), although they will wear their aqua jerseys during games held at night.[4] Since the 2003 season, the Dolphins have worn an alternate orange jersey twice for home night contests. They are 2-0 in games wearing the alternate jersey (each of which were comebacks against the Washington Redskins in 2003 and against eventual Super Bowl champs and Division-rivals the New England Patriots in 2004). They did not wear the orange jerseys in the 2005 season because they had no night games, and they didn't wear them in 2006 despite playing the Jets on Monday Night Football on Christmas Day.
In 2005, new coach Nick Saban did not have the Dolphins wear the aqua pants with the white jerseys, instead opting for the all-white combination. Prior to Saban's arrival, the Dolphins traditionally wore all-white at home and aqua pants with white jerseys on the road under former coach Dave Wannstedt.
On three occasions, the Dolphins have worn an all-aqua combination for prime-time games: defeating the Chicago Bears in 2002, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003, and defeating the Cleveland Browns in 2004.
In February 2007, it was announced that the Dolphins would make slight alterations to their uniforms. The navy blue outline on the Dolphins numbers will be thinned in hopes of making them easier to read for viewers. The numbers 6 and 8 have been particularly difficult to distinguish for some in recent years. Despite this news and contrary to rumors, the Dolphins have no plans to change the team's logo.
[edit] Fight song
The Dolphins have a fight song that is played after every score, including extra points. The lyrics are:
(Verse)
Miami has the Dolphins,
The greatest football team!
We take the ball from goal to goal,
Like no one's ever seen!
We're in the air,
We're on the ground,
We're always in control.
So when you say Miami,
You're talking Super Bowl!
(Chorus 1)
Cause we're the Miami Dolphins,
Miami Dolphins,
Miami Dolphins Number 1.
(Chorus 2)
Yes we're the Miami Dolphins,
Miami Dolphins,
Miami Dolphins Number 1.
[edit] Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins (AFL) | |||||
| 1966 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5th AFL East | -- |
| 1967 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 4th AFL East | -- |
| 1968 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3rd AFL East | -- |
| 1969 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 5th AFL East | -- |
| Merged into NFL | |||||
| 1970 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 21-14 |
| 1971 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1st AFC East | Won Divisional Playoffs (Chiefs) 27-24 Won Conference Championship (Colts) 21-0 Lost Super Bowl VI (Cowboys) 24-3 |
| 1972 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Divisional Playoffs (Browns) 20-14 Won Conference Championship (Steelers) 21-17 Won Super Bowl VII (Redskins) 14-7 |
| 1973 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bengals) 34-16 Won Conference Championship (Raiders) 27-10 Won Super Bowl VIII (Vikings) 24-7 |
| 1974 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 28-26 |
| 1975 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | -- |
| 1976 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 1977 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | -- |
| 1978 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Oilers) 17-9 |
| 1979 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Steelers) 34-14 |
| 1980 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 1981 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1st AFC East | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Chargers) 41-38 |
| 1982 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2nd AFC Conf.+ | Won First Round (Patriots) 28-13 Won Second Round (Chargers) 34-14 Won Conference Championship (Jets) 14-0 Lost Super Bowl XVII (Redskins) 27-17 |
| 1983 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Seahawks) 27-20 |
| 1984 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Divisional Playoffs (Seahawks) 31-10 Won Conference Championship (Steelers) 45-28 Lost Super Bowl XIX (49ers) 38-16 |
| 1985 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Divisional Playoffs (Browns) 24-21 Lost Conference Championship (Patriots) 31-14 |
| 1986 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 1987 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 1988 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 5th AFC East | -- |
| 1989 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 1990 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Chiefs) 17-16 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Bills) 44-34 |
| 1991 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 1992 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Divisional Playoffs (Chargers) 31-0 Lost Conference Championship (Bills) 29-10 |
| 1993 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | -- |
| 1994 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Chiefs) 27-17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Chargers) 22-21 |
| 1995 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Bills) 37-22 |
| 1996 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 4th AFC East | -- |
| 1997 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Patriots) 17-3 |
| 1998 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bills) 24-17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Broncos) 38-3 |
| 1999 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Seahawks) 20-17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Jaguars) 62-7 |
| 2000 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1st AFC East | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Colts) 23-17 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 27-0 |
| 2001 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Ravens) 20-3 |
| 2002 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd AFC East | -- |
| 2003 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | -- |
| 2004 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 4th AFC East | -- |
| 2005 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AFC East | -- |
| 2006 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th AFC East | -- |
| Totals | 368 | 252 | 4 | (1966-2006, regular season) | |
| 20 | 19 | 0 | (1966-2006, playoffs) | ||
| 388 | 271 | 4 | (all games, 1966-2006, including playoffs) | ||
+ = Due to a strike-shortened season in 1982, all teams were ranked by conference instead of division.
[edit] Players
[edit] Current roster
[edit] Pro Football Hall of Famers
- 42 Paul Warfield, WR, 1970-74, elected 1983
- 39 Larry Csonka, RB, 1968-74 & 1979, elected 1987
- 62 Jim Langer, C, 1970-79, elected 1987
- 12 Bob Griese, QB, 1968-80, elected 1990
- 66 Larry Little, G, 1969-80, elected 1993
- 347 Don Shula, Head Coach, 1970-95, elected 1997
- 57 Dwight Stephenson, C, 1980-87, elected 1998
- 85 Nick Buoniconti, LB, 1969-76, elected 2001
- 13 Dan Marino, QB, 1983-99, elected 2005
Each of these players is honored with a placard on the facing of the upper level of one end zone at Dolphins Stadium. So is team founder-owner Joe Robbie, who has not yet been elected to the Hall of Fame. In place of a uniform number, Shula has the number 347, representing his record number of NFL coaching victories, 276 of them as Dolphins head coach.
[edit] Retired numbers
- 12 Bob Griese, QB, 1967-80 (retired May 6, 1982, at the Dolphins' annual awards banquet)[5]
- 13 Dan Marino, QB, 1983-99 (retired September 17, 2000, at halftime of the Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens game)[6]
- 39 Larry Csonka, FB, 1968-74, 1979 (retired December 9, 2002, at halftime of the Dolphins-Chicago Bears game)[7]
[edit] Dolphins Honor Roll
The Dolphins Honor Roll consists of all the Hall of Famers listed above, plus wide receiver Mark Duper, wide receiver Mark Clayton, offensive guard Bob Kuechenberg, wide receiver Nat Moore, founder and owner Joe Robbie, and a special entry for the entire undefeated 1972 team. In 2006, safety Dick Anderson and offensive tackle Richmond Webb were added to the Ring of Honor.
[edit] Other notable alumni
- Steve DeBerg, QB
- Bernie Kosar, QB
- Earl Morrall, QB
- Don Strock, QB
- David Woodley, QB
- Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, RB
- Joe Auer, RB
- John Avery, RB
- Andra Franklin, RB
- Jim Kiick, RB
- Mercury Morris, RB
- Tony Nathan, RB
- Lawrence Phillips, RB
- Troy Stradford, RB
- Delvin Williams, RB
- Jimmy Cefalo, WR
- Mark Clayton, WR
- Mark Duper, WR
- Irving Fryar, WR
- Oronde Gadsden, WR
- Duriel Harris, WR
- O.J. McDuffie, WR
- Nat Moore, WR
- Howard Twilley, WR
- Jim "Crash" Jensen, TE, WR, RB, QB
- Bruce Hardy, TE
- Keith Jackson, TE
- Jim Mandich, TE
- Randy McMichael, TE
- Joe Rose, TE
- Dwight Stephenson, C
- Norm Evans, OL
- Jon Giesler, OL
- Ed Newman, OL
- Keith Sims, OL
- Richmond Webb, OL
- Bob Baumhower, DT
- Tim Bowens, DT
- Manny Fernandez, DT
- Trace Armstrong, DE
- Doug Betters, DE
- Kim Bokamper, DE
- Vern Den Herder, DE
- Bill Stanfill, DE
- Bob Brudzinski, LB
- A.J. Duhe, LB
- Morlon Greenwood, LB
- Bob Matheson, LB
- John Offerdahl, LB
- Junior Seau, LB
- Tim Foley, CB
- Paul Lankford, CB
- Sam Madison, CB
- Don McNeal, CB
- Lloyd Mumphord, CB
- Patrick Surtain, CB
- Jake Scott, FS, PR
- Glenn Blackwood, S
- Lyle Blackwood, S
- Brock Marion, S
- Pete Stoyanovich, K
- Garo Yepremian, K
- Reggie Roby, P
- Larry Seiple, P
[edit] Coaches
[edit] Head coaches
- George Wilson (1966-1969)
- Don Shula (1970-1995)
- Jimmy Johnson (1996-1999)
- Dave Wannstedt (2000-2004)
- Jim Bates (interim) (2004)
- Nick Saban (2005-2006)
- Cam Cameron (2007-)
[edit] Current staff
- Head Coach - Cam Cameron
- General Manager - Randy Mueller
Offensive Assistants
- Quarterbacks - Terry Shea
- Running Backs - Bobby Williams
- Wide Receivers - Terry Robiskie
- Tight Ends - Mike Mularkey
- Offensive Line - Hudson Houck
- Assistant Offensive Line - Tim Davis
- Offensive Quality Control - Marvin Marshall
Note: Cam Cameron will not name an offensive coordinator in 2007, and instead will call the offensive plays himself.
Defensive Assistants
- Defensive Coordinator - Dom Capers
- Defensive Line (Ends) - Travis Jones
- Defensive Line (Tackles) - Diron Reynolds
- Linebackers - George Edwards
- Assistant Linebackers - Glenn Pires
- Secondary (Cornerbacks) - Mel Phillips
- Secondary (Safeties) - Brett Maxie
- Defensive Secondary Coaches Assistant - Mike Dumas
- Defensive Quality Control - Chad Walker
Special Teams Assistants
- Special Teams Coordinator - Keith Armstrong
- Assistant Special Teams - Steve Hoffman
Strength and Conditioning
- Strength & Conditioning - Matt Schiotz
- Assistant Strength & Conditioning - Brad Ohrt
Football Support Staff
- Special Assistant to the Head Coach - Tony Egues
- Director of Player Development - John Gamble
[edit] Cheerleaders
The team's cheerleaders are simply known as the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders.
[edit] Radio and television
As of 2006, the Dolphins' flagship radio station was "790 WAXY," "790 the Ticket". Jimmy Cefalo and Joe Rose are the announcers. Most preseason games are seen on WFOR (CBS) in Miami and WTVX (CW) in West Palm Beach; the 2006 announcers were Craig Bolerjack, Bob Griese, and Nat Moore.
ESPN reporter Hank Goldberg was a longtime color analyst on the Dolphins radio network.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Dolphins History AFL awarding Miami franchise. Accessed 20 April 2006.
- ^ Benn, Evan. "Training in style", MiamiHerald.com, MiamiHerald.com, 2004-09-11. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ Dolphins History Logo design information. Accessed 15 April 2006.
- ^ The Dolphins began this tradition during the perfect season of 1972 and have continued it ever since. Miami Dolphins Official Online Pro Shop Example of white jersey referred as the home jersey. Accessed 20 April 2006.
- ^ Dolphins History Griese retired jersey information. Accessed 15 April 2006.
- ^ Dolphins History Marino tribute section. Accessed 15 April 2006.
- ^ Dolphins History Csonka retired jersey information. Accessed 15 April 2006.
[edit] External links
- Miami Dolphins official web site
- Phinzmania - Because You're Addicted (unofficial)
- Phins.com (unofficial)
- FinHeaven.com - Go Deep (unofficial)
- Miami Dolphins at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
| Miami Dolphins Head Coaches |
|---|
| Wilson • Shula • Johnson • Wannstedt • Bates • Saban • Cameron |
| The American Football League |
|---|
| Eastern Division |
| Boston Patriots | Buffalo Bills | Houston Oilers | New York Titans/Jets | Miami Dolphins |
| Western Division |
| Denver Broncos | Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs | Oakland Raiders | Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Seasons | Playoffs | All-Star games | AFL Draft | All-Time Team | NFL |
| Preceded by Dallas Cowboys 1971 |
Super Bowl Champions Miami Dolphins 1972 & 1973 |
Succeeded by Pittsburgh Steelers 1974 & 1975 |
