The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida . They were members of the United States Football League (USFL) during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985. They played their home games in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
92-625: Former Miami Dolphins stars Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick were involved in an advertising campaign for the team, and they apparently had a minor ownership interest as well. Larry Munson was hired as radio play-by-play announcer. His distinctive voice was already well known in the Jacksonville area due to his long association with both the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the National Football League 's Atlanta Falcons . The Bulls' name
184-573: A 'name the team' promotion with a write-in campaign for publicity purposes. The Bulls moniker was credited as a submission from the winning entry. The team colors of garnet, orange and silver were taken from the three college football teams most popular in the area; garnet from the Seminoles, orange from the Florida Gators , and silver from the pants worn by the Georgia Bulldogs . The helmet design
276-495: A 14–0 regular-season record in 1972 and winning the Super Bowl that year . It was the first of two consecutive Super Bowl wins and one of three appearances in a row. The 1980s and 1990s were also moderately successful. The early 80s teams made two Super Bowls despite losing both times and saw the emergence of future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino , who went on to break numerous NFL passing records, holding many of them until
368-608: A 2009 Monday night win against the New York Jets . However, the Dolphins would lose a 2010 Sunday night matchup with the Jets, their first loss in orange, and the orange jerseys in the original style would not be worn again. In 2009, the Dolphins switched to black shoes for the first time since the early 1970s glory days, following a recent trend among NFL teams. However, by 2011, they returned to wearing white shoes. The Dolphins' final game in
460-723: A 66 yard field goal as time expired to win 19-17 over the Detroit Lions The Denver Broncos , Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Rams all started 3–0 but lost in Week Four. Only the Lions advanced to the postseason after the 3–0 start. Before the season, the league had demanded that the Chicago Bears find a new home field: Wrigley Field was too small, as it did not meet the new stadium requirement to seat at least 50,000, and it did not have lights (installed in 1988), meaning it
552-540: A fourth "wild card" team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by intra-conference records and finally a coin flip . This became problematic during the final week of the regular season when potential victories by the Cowboys, Lions and Giants (all of whom were playing at home and favored to win) would have resulted in all three teams having similar records, New York winning
644-705: A good luck charm for the Dolphins that season. The Dolphins became the first team in NFL history to record an undefeated season, going 17–0 en route to victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII . The following season, Miami posted an equally impressive 15–2 record and capped the season with another title, defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII . The back-to-back championship runs, coupled with
736-405: A navy outline. The helmets are white with a white facemask, just like the final years of the previous look; however, navy is a prominent color on the helmet stripe, joining aqua and a de-emphasized orange. Both jerseys have large "Dolphins" text above the numbers, written in the team's new script. The pants are either aqua or white, and contain no markings other than a small team wordmark. In 2018,
828-620: A perfect regular season , and remain the only team to do so including playoffs since the AFL-NFL merger, the time known as the Super Bowl era. The next year, the Dolphins won Super Bowl VIII , becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, and the second team (the 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 early history,
920-655: A professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area . The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida , a northern suburb of Miami . The team is owned by Stephen M. Ross . The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida. Of
1012-588: A trial run for possibly moving their home games to Evanston . Dyche Stadium (since renamed Ryan Field), did not have lights (nor does it have permanent standards today), was planned as the Bears' new home, but a deal fell through due to strong opposition from several athletic directors in the Big Ten Conference and residents of Evanston. After negotiations with the Cubs' ownership for continued use of Wrigley Field collapsed,
SECTION 10
#17328516194661104-423: A white or aqua jersey. The Dolphins continue to wear white at home, just as they had with the previous uniforms, with aqua being used for primetime home games. The white jersey features aqua numbers and names in a unique custom font, with orange and navy outlines on the numbers; however, the names only use navy as an outline color. The aqua jerseys use white numbers with an orange and aqua outline, and white names with
1196-483: A yearly rotation, with the network of the designated visiting conference (NBC for odd-numbered games, CBS for even-numbered game) televising each game through Super Bowl XVIII . From 1970–73, whichever network did not televise the Super Bowl televised the Pro Bowl the next week. Meanwhile, with the debut of Monday Night Football on ABC on September 21, 1970, the league became the first professional sports league in
1288-474: Is located in Miami Gardens , a suburb of Miami located approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of downtown Miami. The Miami Dolphins share Hard Rock Stadium with the NCAA Miami Hurricanes . The 2015–2016 season was the first season in the newly renovated Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins spent more than two years and over $ 400 million on a major overhaul to Hard Rock Stadium. Every seat was replaced and
1380-520: The 1998 NFL season on a Monday Night Football matchup. Both teams later met in the 1999 AFC Divisional Round in what would ultimately be the final career game for Dolphins' hall-of-fame quarterback Dan Marino . The Dolphins entered the game as heavy underdogs as they had finished the 1999 season 9–7, securing the lowest wild card berth. Meanwhile; the Jaguars had boasted an impressive 14–2 campaign under pro-bowl quarterback Mark Brunell ; culminating in
1472-454: The 2013 NFL draft . The new logo features a stylized aqua dolphin swimming in front of a heavily modified version of the orange sunburst. The dolphin in the logo is more vague and artistic, and is not wearing a helmet as it is merely a silhouette of a dolphin cast in aqua and navy. Navy was incorporated as featured color for the first time, with orange becoming greatly de-emphasized. The uniforms feature both white pants and aqua pants, with
1564-799: The Baltimore Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys 16–13 at the Orange Bowl in Miami , Florida . The Pro Bowl was the following Sunday; the NFC beat the AFC 27–6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. During the previous 1969 season, there were sixteen NFL teams and ten AFL teams: Because there were more NFL teams than AFL teams, three teams needed to be transferred to balance
1656-655: The National Football League , and the first after the consummation of the AFL–NFL merger . The merged league realigned into two conferences: all ten of the American Football League (AFL) teams joined the Baltimore Colts , Cleveland Browns , and Pittsburgh Steelers to form the American Football Conference (AFC); the other thirteen NFL clubs formed the National Football Conference (NFC). The season concluded in 1971 with Super Bowl V on January 17, as
1748-629: The Orange Bowl in Miami. They moved to the new Joe Robbie Stadium after the 1986 season. From 1993 to 2011, the Dolphins shared the stadium with Major League Baseball 's Florida Marlins (now known as the Miami Marlins). The venue has had multiple naming rights deals since 1996 , carrying the names Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, LandShark Stadium, Sun Life Stadium, New Miami Stadium and, as of August 2016, Hard Rock Stadium . The facility
1840-448: The two-point conversion (then exclusive to the AFL) during the late 1960s preseasons, the NFL decided not to use that feature and use its previous rule only allowing one point for any conversion. The two-point conversion would later be added to the NFL rules in 1994. Starting in 1970, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. The winners of each division, and
1932-410: The visiting team was from the NFC and NBC would carry them when the visitors were from the AFC. At the time, all NFL games were blacked out in the home team's market, so this arrangement meant that fans in each team's home market would see all of their team's televised Sunday afternoon games on the same network (CBS for NFC teams and NBC for AFC teams). The two networks also divided up the Super Bowl on
SECTION 20
#17328516194662024-616: The 1970s and the 1990s, but there were some notable moments as well, including a 1982 game now known as the Snowplow Game . Fortunes changed when Tom Brady became the franchise quarterback for the Patriots, and during his tenure with the Patriots , New England dominated the AFC, especially the AFC East, winning 16 of 17 division titles between 2003 and 2019, with the Dolphins winning the only non-Patriots division title in that time frame when Brady
2116-405: The 1972 perfect season, these uniforms were used as the primary uniforms for road games and daytime home games, due to the extreme heat of South Florida. The team also had an aqua jersey used mainly for night home games or road games in which the opponent chose to wear white. The aqua jersey featured white block numbers and names with an orange outline, and orange and white sleeve stripes. An update
2208-573: The 1980s after the Colts struggled and moved to Indianapolis , but heated up once again in the late 90s until the Colts were reassigned into the AFC South as a result of the 2002 realignment of the NFL's divisions. As of 2023, the Dolphins lead the all-time series 48–28. Since the founding of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976, the Dolphins and Buccaneers have shared a mellow in-state rivalry and were
2300-458: The 2006 season to leave for the University of Alabama. Prior to the 2007 season, the Dolphins hired Cam Cameron has head coach. The team suffered a franchise-worst 1–15 season in 2007 . After the 2007 season, the team fired Cameron. Tony Sparano was named head coach of the Dolphins prior to the 2008 season. In his first season, he led the team to an 11–5 result and an AFC East title. During
2392-411: The 2019 season, the Dolphins hired Brian Flores as head coach. He led the team to a 5–11 record in the 2019 season. The team drafted Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In the 2020 season, the team improved to a 10–6 mark but still missed the postseason. In the 2021 season, the team went 9–8 but missed the postseason. Following the end of the 2021 season, Flores
2484-462: The 2020s, the rivalry sharpened, with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa , drafted in 2020, leading a resurgent Dolphins team against the Josh Allen -led Bills, who had gained a streak of success after Brady's departure from the Patriots and the division. Though Allen's career record against Miami currently stands at 11–2, Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to their first win over Bills in 8 games in 2022, and
2576-491: The AFC East following the AFL/NFL merger, they sparked a heated rivalry with the Dolphins, as a controversy involving the hiring of former Colts coach Don Shula forced Miami to forfeit a first-round draft pick. The Dolphins and Colts faced off several times in the AFC playoffs during the 1970s, including the AFC championship game leading up to Super Bowl VI , which the Dolphins lost to the Dallas Cowboys . The rivalry cooled down in
2668-648: The AFL in 1966 . The region had not had a professional football team since the days of the Miami Seahawks , who played in the All-America Football Conference in 1946, before becoming the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts . For the first few years, the Dolphins' full-time training camp and practice facilities were at Saint Andrew's School , a private, boys boarding prep school in Boca Raton. Miami joined
2760-480: The Bears moved to Soldier Field in 1971 where they remain to the present day, save for a temporary relocation in 2002 to the University of Illinois ' Memorial Stadium while Soldier Field was completely renovated. The Boston Patriots played in their fourth facility in eleven seasons, leaving Alumni Stadium at Boston College for Harvard Stadium , the only facility in Massachusetts at that time which met
2852-563: The Bills-Dolphins rivalry is motivated by differences, the Dolphins-Jets series is also notable for the differences between New York and Miami. Unlike the former, this rivalry has been more consistent over the years. Some of the more memorable moments in this rivalry include Dan Marino 's fake spike , Vinny Testaverde leading the Jets to a notable comeback on Monday Night Football , and former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington signing with
Jacksonville Bulls - Misplaced Pages Continue
2944-601: The Carolina Panthers on August 22, 2009, after being booed heavily in the first game. Furthermore, the team has preferred to play Buffett's song " Fins " after scores during the 2009 regular season instead of the traditional fight song. The team's cheerleaders are known collectively as the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders. The company had its debut in 1978 as the Dolphins Starbrites. (The name referred to
3036-616: The Chiefs lead the all-time series 17–16. The Dolphins also share historic rivalries with other AFC teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders , Los Angeles Chargers , and Pittsburgh Steelers , stemming from often competing against these teams in the playoffs during the Don Shula era. As of the 2023 season, the Raiders lead the all-time series 21–20–1. The Dolphins originally played all home games in
3128-641: The Divisional Round. In the 1999 season, the Dolphins went 9–7 and made the postseason. The team defeated the Buffalo Bills 24–17 in the Wild Card Round before falling 62–7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in what would be quarterback Dan Marino's final game. Johnson resigned following the season. Going into the 2000 season, the Dolphins named Dave Wannstedt as head coach. In his first season with
3220-565: The Dolphins and leading them to a divisional title. The two teams have also played in the 1982 AFC Championship , with Miami winning to face the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII . As of the 2023 season, the Dolphins lead the all-time series 60–56–1. The Dolphins have taken part in a minor rivalry with the Jacksonville Jaguars as both teams are the only two AFC franchises located in Florida. The two teams first met during
3312-528: The Dolphins during their four playoff matchups in the 1990s, with the Dolphins' only playoff win coming after Kelly's retirement. With the rise of Tom Brady and the Patriots during the 2000s and the retirements of Kelly and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino , the Bills-Dolphins rivalry faded in relevance, but remains somewhat intense to this day. Some former Dolphins have gone to play for the Bills as well, most notably Dan Carpenter , Chris Hogan , and Charles Clay . In
3404-423: The Dolphins played the Bills tightly in the teams' two other meetings that year despite losing both, including the playoffs. As of the 2023 season, the Dolphins lead the all-time series 62–58–1. The New York Jets are perhaps Miami's most bitter rivals. Dolphins fans despise the Jets due to the sheer amount of New York City transplants who have moved to South Florida and the Jets' misplaced cocky demeanor. Just as
3496-492: The Dolphins to five division titles, 10 playoff appearances, and an appearance in Super Bowl XIX before retiring following the 1999 season . Since Marino's retirement, they have experienced mediocre levels of success and have just six playoff appearances ( 2000 , 2001 , 2008 , 2016 , 2022 , and 2023 ) and two division titles ( 2000 and 2008 ) with one playoff win. They currently have the longest postseason win drought in
3588-417: The Dolphins were coached by Don Shula , the most successful head coach in professional football history in terms of total games won. Under Shula, the Dolphins posted losing records in only two of his 26 seasons as the head coach. During the period spanning 1983 to the end of 1999, quarterback Dan Marino became one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, breaking numerous league passing records. Marino led
3680-472: The Dolphins wore similar all-aqua or all-white uniforms in select games as the NFL gradually relaxed its rules regarding hosiery. The song was written and composed by Lee Ofman, and has similar instrumentation and lyrics to the fight song of the Houston Oilers . Ofman approached the Dolphins with it before the 1972 season because he wanted music to inspire his favorite team. The fight song would soon serve as
3772-585: The Dolphins, he led the team to a 11–5 record and an AFC East title. The team defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23–17 in the Wild Card Round before losing 27–0 to the Oakland Raiders in the Divisional Round. In the 2001 season, the team made the postseason with a 11–5 record and runner-up placement in the AFC East. The team lost to the Baltimore Ravens 20–3 in the Wild Card Round. In the 2002 season,
Jacksonville Bulls - Misplaced Pages Continue
3864-489: The Jaguars destroying Miami in a 62–7 blowout loss. The Jaguars managed an improbable upset victory during the 2021 Season as the team had declined severely under controversial head coach Urban Meyer . Despite this; the Jaguars managed a comeback victory against the Dolphins in London during week 6. The teams are tied 5–5 all time, though the Jaguars lead 1–0 in the postseason. When the then- Baltimore Colts were inserted into
3956-756: The Miami Dolphins Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University in Davie . In 2006, the facility added a domed field that allows the team to practice during thunderstorms which are common in the area during the summer. In 2021, the Dolphins opened a new, 135 million training facility, dubbed the Baptist Health Training Complex, the Dolphins will practice in. The complex is located next to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The Dolphins logo and uniforms remained fairly consistent from
4048-617: The NFC East championship and a coin toss between Dallas and Detroit to decide the wild card. That possibility was averted when the Giants were upset by the Los Angeles Rams. Because of this close call regarding possible use of coin toss, future tie-breakers would be expanded to have more competitive aspects. On November 8, New Orleans Saints placekicker Tom Dempsey kicked a record 63-yard field goal as time expired to win 19–17 over
4140-472: The NFL as a result of the 1970 AFL–NFL merger . The team played in its first Super Bowl in Super Bowl VI , losing to the Dallas Cowboys , 24–3. The following year , the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season , culminating in a Super Bowl win, winning all 14 of their regular-season games, and all three of their playoff games, including Super Bowl VII . They were the third NFL team to accomplish
4232-628: The NFL's 50,000-seat minimum. The struggles to find a home led the Patriots to hastily construct Schaeffer Stadium in Foxborough , which opened in 1971 . Renamed from "Boston" to "New England" when they moved, the Patriots continue to play in Foxborough in Gillette Stadium , which opened in 2002 . Two multi-purpose stadiums made their debut this season: Riverfront Stadium and Three Rivers Stadium , replacing Nippert Stadium and Pitt Stadium as
4324-573: The NFL. The Miami Dolphins joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion 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. During the summer of 1966, the Dolphins' training camp was in St. Pete Beach with practices in August at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport . The Dolphins were
4416-584: The South Florida and Mexico community. ("The Dolphin") On Friday, April 18, 1997, the first "official" mascot of the Miami Dolphins was introduced. The 7-foot mascot made his public debut on April 19 at Pro Player Stadium during the team's draft-day party. The team then made a "Name the Mascot" contest that drew over 13,000 entries covering all 50 states and 22 countries. 529 names were suggested. The winning entry
4508-491: The Special Teams is to offer hands-on services to communities and families in need, to partner with existing organizations on worthwhile social, civic and charitable programs, to provide assistance at Miami Dolphins Foundation events, and to support community efforts in times of emergency. This program is headed by Leslie Nixon and Sergio Xiques. Since its inception, Special Teams has given over 250,000 community services hours to
4600-424: The United States to have a regular series of nationally televised games in prime-time, and the only league ever to have its games televised on all of the then-three major broadcast networks at the same time. Both teams that advanced to the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Colts (44-24 to the Chiefs ) and the Dallas Cowboys (38-0 to the Cardinals ), had suffered humiliating defeats at home on Monday Night Football during
4692-422: The best record. The 1970 NFL draft was held from January 27 to 28, 1970 at New York City 's Belmont Plaza Hotel. With the first pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected quarterback Terry Bradshaw from Louisiana Tech University . The NFL rules became the standardized rules for the merged league, with two exceptions that were both carried over from the AFL: After experimenting with compromise rules regarding
SECTION 50
#17328516194664784-417: The cities of Miami and Buffalo, especially in climate and culture. The rivalry was extremely lopsided in favor of Miami during the 1970s, as the Dolphins won all 20 games against the Bills during that decade. Fortunes changed in the 1980s and 1990s when Jim Kelly became the Bills' starting quarterback. Though both teams were extremely dominant during that period, the Bills ultimately held the edge and dominated
4876-439: The co-sponsor, Starbrite Car Polish.) The cheerleaders' founding choreographer was June Taylor , famed colleague of Jackie Gleason , who led the squad until her retirement in 1990. In April 2010, the Dolphins started the first Volunteer Program in the NFL. Special Teams is a unique volunteer organization created to enlist and mobilize the ongoing services of the community with the Dolphins staff, players and alumni. The mission of
4968-422: The defending Super Bowl champion Patriots 28–29, and handed them the second of their 2 losses that season. The rivalry briefly intensified in 2005 when Nick Saban , Bill Belichick 's former Browns defensive coordinator was hired as their new head coach and when Saban nearly signed quarterback Drew Brees , as well as in 2008, when the two teams battled for the AFC East division title. Miami and New England are also
5060-464: The defensive coordinator. The AFL merged with the NFL in 1970, and the Dolphins were assigned to the AFC East division in the NFL's new American Football Conference . For the rest of the 20th century, the Shula-led Dolphins emerged as one of the most dominant teams in the NFL, with only two losing seasons between 1970 and 1999. They were extremely successful in the 1970s, completing the first complete perfect season in NFL history by finishing with
5152-399: The four AFC East teams, the Dolphins are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The Dolphins were also one of the first professional football teams in the southeast , along with the Atlanta Falcons . The Dolphins were founded by Joe Robbie , an attorney and politician, and Danny Thomas , an actor and comedian. They began play in
5244-461: The franchise's history; to date, it is the last season the Dolphins won the AFC East. The team's season ended with a 27–9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. The 2009 and 2010 seasons saw regression with a 7–9 record in both years. After a 4–9 start to the 2011 season, Sparano was fired. Todd Bowles finished the 6–10 season as interim coach. Prior to the 2012 season, the team hired Joe Philbin as head coach. In his first season at
5336-406: The helm, Philbin led the team to a 7–9 record. In the 2013, the team improved to a 8–8 record but still missed the postseason. In the 2014 season, the team added Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator. The Dolphins once again finished 8–8. After a 1–3 start to the 2015 season, Philbin was fired. Dan Campbell was named as interim coach and finished the year with a 5–7 mark. Prior to the 2016 season,
5428-411: The helm, he led the team to a 8–8 record and missed the postseason. In the 1997, the team improved to a 9–7 mark and made the postseason. The team saw their season end in the Wild Card Round with a 17–3 loss to the New England Patriots. In the 1998 season, the team went 10–6 and made the postseason. The Dolphins defeated the Bills 24–17 in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Denver Broncos 38–3 in
5520-484: The homes of the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers , respectively. This was also the last season in which Franklin Field was the home of the Philadelphia Eagles ; they moved to Veterans Stadium , another multi-purpose stadium, in 1971 . Seven teams played their home games on artificial turf in 1970. This was up from 2 teams in both the NFL and AFL in 1969. The teams were: Cincinnati, Dallas, Miami, Pittsburgh and St. Louis, who joined Houston and Philadelphia,
5612-437: The late 2000s. After winning every game against the division rival Buffalo Bills in the 1970s, the two teams gradually developed a competitive rivalry in the 80s and 90s, often competing for AFC supremacy when Jim Kelly emerged as the quarterback for the Bills. The Dolphins have also maintained a strong rivalry with the New York Jets throughout much of their history. Following the retirements of Marino and Shula and
SECTION 60
#17328516194665704-1522: The league's attendance title. They notched the only two crowds of 70,000 or greater in league history, including a throng of 73,227 against the powerful New Jersey Generals on March 4. In the last game, against the Pittsburgh Maulers , a huge crowd patiently waited through a late-June downpour which postponed the game for more than an hour. When play finally started the Bulls won 26–2. Sources 1. Danny Miller (K) 2. Rich Hendley (P) 3. Brian Franco (K/P) 5. Jeff Brockhaus (K) 8. Jeff Pierce (P) 9. Ken Hobart (QB) 14. Ben Bennett (QB) 14. Ron Rice (P) 15. Robbie Mahfouz (QB) 16. Buck Belue (QB) 17. Matt Robinson (QB) 20. Billy Cesare (SS) 21. Willie McClendon (RB) 22. Kevin Gray (CB) 23. Kerry Baird (CB) 23. Donald Dykes (CB) 24. Marvin Lewis (FB) 25. Charlie Dean (CB) 26. Chester Gee (CB) 27. Michael Whiting (RB) 28. Matt Courtney (CB) 32. Larry Mason (RB) 33. Vaughan Johnson (LB) 35. John Lott (FS) 44. Larry Key (RB) 44. Bobby Hosea ( FS ) 45. Mike Goedeker (LB) 46. Don Bessillieu (FS) 47. Sammy Brown (SS) 50. John McLean (LB) 51. Dave Otey (C) 52. Tom Dinkel (LB) 53. Fernando Jackson (LB) 55. Carl Qualls (LB) 55. Dann Lute (LB) 56. Rufus Norman (LB) 56. Doug West (LB) 57. Greg Zappala (LB) 58. Andy Hendel (LB) 59. Russ Washington (LB) 60. Gary Anderson (G/C) 63. Nat Hudson (T) Miami Dolphins National Football League ( 1970 –present) The Miami Dolphins are
5796-409: The lower-level seats were moved closer to the field. There are roughly 10,000 fewer seats. St. Petersburg Beach hosted the Dolphins' first training camp in 1966. St. Andrew's School in Boca Raton hosted training camp in the late 1960s. The Dolphins subsequently trained in Miami Gardens at Biscayne College, later renamed St. Thomas University , from 1970 until 1993. In 1993, the Dolphins opened
5888-433: The now-famous 2018 Miracle in Miami play against the Patriots. On September 29, 2016, the Dolphins debuted their new Color Rush uniform in a Thursday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals . The all-orange uniform marked the first time since 2010 that the Dolphins wore an orange uniform. However, the set was only used for that game as the Dolphins immediately retired the uniform soon after. In later years,
5980-420: The only two franchises to have posted undefeated regular-season records since the NFL-AFL merger, with Miami going 14–0 in 1972 and New England going 16–0 in 2007 , but only the 1972 Dolphins were able to win the Super Bowl. As of the 2023 season, the Dolphins lead the all-time series 62–55. The Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills have a long-standing rivalry, as there are stark characteristic differences between
6072-403: The only two teams in Florida until the Jacksonville Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995. As of the 2023 season, the Buccaneers lead the all-time series 7–5. The Dolphins won a notable pair of games against the Kansas City Chiefs, defeating them in "The Longest Game", the final game in Municipal Stadium , and then the first regular season game at Arrowhead Stadium in 1972. As of the 2023 season,
6164-441: The original style uniforms with block numbers and the iconic leaping dolphin logo was the final game of the 2012 season, a 28–0 shutout loss to the New England Patriots in Foxboro . The white jerseys were worn for the game, and as rumors of a new look had been swirling, many fans watching knew that it would likely be the last time their team would wear the leaping dolphin logo. A new logo and new uniforms were unveiled shortly before
6256-419: The popularity of the fight song amongst Dolphins fans, have ensured the song's longevity. The Dolphins revealed a new fight song by T-Pain and Jimmy Buffett featuring Pitbull on August 7, 2009, which was introduced for the 2009 NFL season. The fight song was played during the preseason home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 17, 2009, but was not played during the second preseason game against
6348-404: The realignment), the new conferences, AFC and NFC, function similar to Major League Baseball 's American and National leagues, and each of those two were divided into three divisions: East, Central, and West. The two Eastern divisions had five teams; the other four divisions had four teams each. The realignment discussions for the NFC were so contentious that one final plan, out of five of them,
6440-436: The rise of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots , the Dolphins suffered a decline in the 2000s and 2010s. During this period, the team's level of play was largely described as mediocre. They have only made the playoffs four times since Marino's retirement and have largely been unable to find a consistent quarterback to replace him. Jimmy Johnson was hired to replace Shula prior to the 1996 season. In his first season at
6532-403: The same division. Plans were also made to add two expansion teams, but this would not take place until 1976, seven years after the merger, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks joined the league. The 26-team league also began to use an eight-team playoff format, four from each conference, that included the three division winners and a wild card team, the second-place team with
6624-523: The season, they became the second team to make a 10-game improvement over the previous season. That same season, the Dolphins upset the New England Patriots on the road during Week 3 thanks to the use of the gimmick Wildcat offense , which handed the Patriots their first regular-season loss since December 10, 2006, in which coincidentally, they were also beaten by the Dolphins. However, this success in 2008 proved to be an outlier during this period in
6716-445: The season. All three networks initially signed four-year television contracts through the 1973 season. The first MNF team consisted of veteran play-by-play announcer Keith Jackson , sportscaster Howard Cosell , and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith . Ray Scott remained as lead play-by-play announcer for CBS, but Pat Summerall replaced Paul Christman as that network's lead color commentator after Christman died from
6808-405: The team failed to make the postseason despite a 9–7 record. In the 2003 season, the team went 10–6 but missed the postseason. Following a 1–8 start in the 2004 season, Wannstedt resigned. Jim Bates finished out the year with a 3–4 mark. Nick Saban coached the Dolphins in the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He went 9–7 and 6–10 in those two seasons, missing the playoffs in both. Saban resigned following
6900-475: The team hired Adam Gase as head coach. He led the team to a 10–6 record and a postseason berth in the 2016 season. The team's season ended with a 30–12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. In the 2017 season, the Dolphins regressed to a 6–10 record. In the 2018 season, the Dolphins finished with a 7–9 record. After a cumulative 23–25 record, Gase was fired by the Dolphins. Prior to
6992-415: The team made some slight modifications to the logo and uniform set: The shades of orange and aqua were tweaked, and navy blue was removed from the color scheme, only remaining on the logo. In 2015, the Dolphins brought back their 1970s aqua uniforms for a few select games. Four years later, they brought back a white version from the same era as a second alternate uniform. The aqua throwbacks were worn during
7084-547: The team's founding through 2012. The team's colors were originally aqua and coral , with the coral color paying tribute to the Miami Seahawks and to the many natural coral reefs in Biscayne Bay. The team's original logo consisted of a sunburst with a leaping dolphin wearing a football helmet bearing the letter M. At their debut in 1966, a lighter & brighter orange was used instead of the deep coral color. The dolphin's head
7176-399: The tough Southern Division — they were far more competitive than their record indicated. Six of their losses were by a touchdown or less, including two losses by a last-second field goal. They remained in contention for most of the season, but a six-game losing streak toward the end of the season kept them out of the playoffs. The Bulls were an undisputed success at the gate, running away with
7268-421: The two new conferences at thirteen teams each. In May 1969, the Baltimore Colts , Cleveland Browns , and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the ten AFL teams to form the American Football Conference (AFC); the remaining NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC). Replacing the old Eastern and Western conferences (although divisions from those conferences still existed but were renamed to suit
7360-522: The two teams which played on turf in 1969. Super Bowl V was held at the Orange Bowl in Miami , and was the first Super Bowl played on artificial turf (specifically, Poly-Turf ). To televise their games, the combined league retained the services of CBS and NBC , who were previously the primary broadcasters of the NFL and the AFL, respectively. It was then decided that CBS would televise all NFC teams (including playoff games) while NBC all AFC teams. For interconference games, CBS would broadcast them if
7452-558: The visiting Detroit Lions . It bettered the previous record by seven yards (set seventeen years earlier by Bert Rechichar ), and stood for 43 years (tied in 1998 , 2011 , and 2012 ) until it was broken in 2013 by Denver Broncos ' Matt Prater . His record 64-yard field goal was at elevation in Denver on December 8, at the end of the first half. That record would stand until September 26, 2021, when Baltimore Ravens ' Justin Tucker kicked
7544-451: The worst team with a 15–39–2 record in their first four seasons under head coach George Wilson , before Don Shula was hired as head coach. Shula was a Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts , after losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFL's New York Jets , and finishing 8–5–1 the following season. Shula got his first NFL coaching job from then-Detroit head coach George Wilson, who hired him as
7636-416: Was announced at the annual Dolphins Awards Banquet on June 4, 1997. Denny Sym cheered on the Miami Dolphins for 33 years as a one-man sideline show, leading Miami crowds in cheers and chants in his glittering coral (orange) and aqua hat from the Dolphins' first game in 1966 until 2000. Sym died on March 18, 2007. He was 72. 1970 NFL season The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of
7728-475: Was fired as head coach. Prior to the 2022 season, Mike McDaniel was hired as head coach. In his first season, he led the Dolphins to a 9–8 record and a 34–31 loss to the Bills in the Wild Card Round. In the 2023 season, the team improved to a 11–6 mark but the season again ended in the Wild Card Round with a 26–7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Dolphins dominated the New England Patriots during
7820-513: Was first used on a Sunday night in 2003 against Washington , a Dolphin win. In 2004, the orange jersey was brought back for an Monday Night Football match pitting the 2–11 Dolphins against the 12–1 defending champion New England Patriots . The Dolphins scored a huge upset win after trailing by 11 points with less than 5 minutes remaining. Due to the unusual orange jerseys, the game has become known within some Dolphin circles as " The Night That Courage Wore Orange ". The orange jerseys were used for
7912-428: Was given to the logo in 1997 – the sunburst was simplified and the dolphin was darkened and given a more serious game-face expression. The uniforms remained the same; however, a different block number font was used and navy drop shadows were added. On very rare occasions, an orange jersey was used for primetime games. The uniforms essentially swapped the location of orange and aqua from the aqua jersey. The orange jersey
8004-503: Was near the center of the sunburst. In the 1967 season, the dolphin was centered on the sunburst, but it reverted to the original placement between 1968 and 1973. By 1974, the dolphin's body was centered on the sunburst in a slightly smaller logo than the 1967 version. The uniforms featured white pants with aqua and orange stripes, paired with either a white or aqua jersey. On the white jersey, aqua block numbers and names were outlined in orange, with aqua and orange sleeve stripes. Starting with
8096-532: Was out due to injury. Miami posed the biggest divisional challenge to the Brady-led Patriots, however, winning more games against them than the Bills or Jets did during that era. Notable wins over New England by the Dolphins include the Miracle in Miami , which involved a dramatic last-minute game-winning touchdown that paralleled "The Night that Courage Wore Orange", where in 2004 , the Dolphins, at 2–11, upset
8188-554: Was selected from an envelope in a vase by Commissioner Pete Rozelle's secretary, Thelma Elkjer on January 16, 1970. The format agreed on was as follows: This arrangement would keep most of the pre-merger NFL teams in the NFC and the AFL teams in the AFC. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Baltimore were placed in the AFC in order to balance the conferences, while the NFC equalized the competitive strength of its East and West divisions rather than sorting out teams purely geographically. Division alignment in 1970 largely kept traditional rivals in
8280-601: Was taken from team owner Fred "Bubba" Bullard, a Jacksonville land developer. Bullard had initially sought to buy a stake in the Boston Breakers and move them to Jacksonville when it became apparent the Breakers could not find a suitable venue in Boston. However, Breakers owner George Matthews broke off talks when Bullard insisted that coach Dick Coury be fired in favor of Florida State Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden . The team held
8372-474: Was unavailable for late afternoon and night games. The Chicago Cubs baseball team, which shared the stadium with the Bears, did not want to convert it to a football configuration while the Cubs were still in playoff contention. As a result, the Bears' first home game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles was played at Northwestern University 's Dyche Stadium ; Chicago also treated this game as
8464-502: Was unique for a professional football team. Each side had the team's logo of a streaking bull (one side the mirror image of the other); the two logos were bridged by a series of parallel lines, and the team name was incorporated into the bridge as a silhouette against the parallel lines. The Bulls made an immediate splash in their first game, in which they blew out the Washington Federals 53–14. Although they finished 6-12 — last in
#465534