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Miami Dolphins |
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No pro football team has graduated from the ranks of first-year loser to ultimate winner as quickly as the Miami Dolphins. In 1967, the Dolphins, who had been founded by Joseph Robbie, became the ninth member of the AFL. Six years later, Miami became the only NFL team ever to have a perfect season. In 1972, the Dolphins won the AFC East, the AFC championship and Super Bowl VII, where they defeated the Washington Redskins, 14-7. Including the playoffs, the Dolphins were a perfect 17-0. Fans of the 1972 Dolphins might have predicted their future success. In 1967, running back Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff of the Dolphins' first AFL game for a 95-yard touchdown. However, before the end of that first game, Miami returned to reality and the Oakland Raiders rallied to win. The Dolphins finished their first season with a 4-10 record. George Wilson was the Dolphins' first coach. He finished his four-year AFL tenure after the 1969 season with a 15-39-2 record. But those were not wasted years for the Dolphins because during that time, they steadily added the talent—quarterback Bob Griese in 1967, running back Larry Csonka in 1968 and guard Larry Little in 1969—that would eventually turn them into winners. The transition from losing to winning came in just one season. In 1970, new coach Don Shula led the Dolphins to a 10-4 record and to an AFC wild-card spot. Miami then followed with three straight AFC championships and victories in Super Bowls VII and VIII. Their combined 1972-1973 record was 32-2, the best two-season record in history. From 1970 to 1974, their cumulative record was an incredible 65-15-1. There is no telling how long the Dolphins' run might have lasted had not three of their stars—Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield—defected to the World Football League after the 1974 season. Although Miami never again reached the level the Dolphins attained in 1972 and 1973, Shula kept the Dolphins among the league's elite year after year. In 1993, coach Shula surpassed George Halas' record of 324 coaching victories. Since 1970, the Dolphins have won 11 AFC East titles and five AFC championships, the last two coming in 1982 and 1984. In 1984, quarterback Dan Marino tossed 48 touchdowns, an all-time record. Since 1970, Miami has had only two losing seasons, in 1976 and 1988. Early in 1994, the NFL approved the acquisition of the Dolphins by H. Wayne Huizenga. (The Dolphins' original owner, Joe Robbie, had died in January 1990.) Following the 1995 season, the legendary Don Shula retired. He was succeeded by former Cowboys' coach Jimmy Johnson. Larry Csonka
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