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The Miami Dolphins are a professional American Football team based in the Miami, Florida Metropolitan Area . They play 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, they were founded by Joseph Robbie , and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger . The Dolphins are the oldest major-league professional sports franchise in the state of Florida . They are 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 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. The Miami Dolphins are the only current National Football League team to have never suffered two consecutive losing seasons while members of the NFL. HISTORY See Also: 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 and the University Of Miami , a scoreless tie. 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. 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 . 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 from the previous year 31-10 and crushed the Steelers 45-28 in the AFC Championship 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. Miami finished 12-4 in 1985 and, in an epic Monday Night Football showdown, handed the previously-undefeated Chicago Bears their only defeat of the season. After rallying from a 21-3 third quarter deficit in the divisional playoffs to beat the Cleveland Browns 24-21, 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 Turnover s 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 had beaten the Dolphins at Tampa Stadium. In 1986 , the Dolphins, hampered by defensive struggles, stumbled to a 2-5 start and finished 8-8, missing 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. 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 came from behind to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 17-16 in the Wild Card round, but lost to the Buffalo Bills 44-34 in the divisional playoffs. The team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991, and narrowly missed the playoffs in an overtime loss to the New York Jets during the final week of the season. The Dolphins rebounded in 1992 by finishing 11-5 and capturing the AFC East title behind a career year from running back Mark Higgs and tight end Keith Jackson , newly acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles as an unrestricted free agent. They crushed the Chargers in the divisional playoffs 31-0, but were defeated by the Buffalo Bills 29-10 in the AFC Championship. A season-ending Achilles injury to Dan Marino led to the team missing the playoffs in 1993 despite a league-leading 9-2 start. Marino returned in 1994 to lead the Dolphins to a 10-6 record and the AFC East crown. After defeating Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round, the Dolphins lost a heart-breaking game to the San Diego Chargers that saw them give up a 15-point halftime lead. 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 retired and 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 and standout rookie linebacker Zach Thomas serving as two of the few 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. 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 former Marino backup 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. All-pro linebacker Zach Thomas also contributed many tackles. 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. Smith finished with 209 yards on 40 carries, but in the next round, the Dolphins were shut out by the Oakland Raiders , and a worn-out 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 , a Pro Bowl anchor since 1990, and Kevin Donnalley. During the 2001 season, the Dolphins relied on a strong defense to finish 11-5, earning a Wild Card spot and finishing second in the AFC East behind the eventual Super Bowl champions, the 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 led by 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 intrigued some Dolphins fans, who 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 late in the fourth quarter of a devastating loss. Due to a tiebreaker, both the Dolphins and Patriots lost out on the playoffs as the Jets took the AFC East title. Many fans called for 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 2003 Miami Dolphins were a hard team to pinpoint. The defense was again solid and forced a lot of turnovers, and opposing offenses found running the ball extremely difficult. 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 and the Dolphins fell behind to the 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 thanks to a victory over the Dallas Cowboys that took them to 8-4, but two key losses to the Patriots and the Eagles ended Miami's postseason hopes. 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 Wannstedt. Many experts predicted a disastrous season for the Dolphins. These predictions proved right as Miami dropped their first six games of the 2004 season, marking the worst start in franchise history. After the team fell to 1-8, Wannstedt resigned on November 9 , 2004 . He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Bates . The Dolphins fared slightly 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, due to a number of poor personnel decisions, Saban was unable to lead the team to the playoffs during his brief two-year stint. 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 false 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. FACILITIES Stadiums The original home field the Dolphins played in was the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Their current, and only other home field, is Dolphin Stadium (originally named Joe Robbie Stadium) in Miami, Florida. Training See Also: 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.1 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. LOGOS AND UNIFORMS Logos 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 Mammal s, 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 Fins." 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. Dolphins History Logo design information. Accessed 15 April 2006. 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. 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. 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 (in comeback wins against the Washington Redskins in 2003 and eventual Super Bowl champ and division rival New England 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 and 2006, the Dolphins did not wear the aqua pants with the white jerseys, instead opting for the all-white combination. From 2000 through 2004, the Dolphins usually wore all-white at home and aqua pants with white jerseys on the road under former coach Dave Wannstedt (2000-2004) and interim coach Jim Bates (2004). 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. Despite this news and contrary to rumors, the Dolphins have no plans to change the team's logo. FIGHT SONG The Dolphins have a fight song that is played after every score, including extra points. The lyrics are:
SEASON-BY-SEASON RECORDS
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