1972 Miami Dolphins season - wikipedia 1972 Miami Dolphins season 1972 Miami Dolphins season Head coach Don Shula Owner Joe Robbie Home field Miami Orange Bowl Results Record 14 -- 0 Division place 1st AFC East Playoff finish Won AFC Divisional Playoff ( Browns ) 20 -- 14 Won AFC Championship Game ( at Steelers ) 21 -- 17 Won Super Bowl VII ( vs. Redskins ) 14 -- 7 ← 1971 Dolphins seasons 1973 → Jim Kiick ( center right ) rushing the ball for Miami in Super Bowl VII. The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the team 's seventh season, and third season in the National Football League ( NFL ). The 1972 Dolphins are the only NFL team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season. The undefeated campaign was led by coach Don Shula and notable players Bob Griese, Earl Morrall, and Larry Csonka. The 1972 Dolphins went 14 -- 0 in the regular season and won all three post-season games, including Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins, to finish 17 -- 0. The team remains the only NFL team to complete an entire season undefeated and untied from the opening game through the Super Bowl ( or championship game ). The closest team to repeating this feat was the 2007 New England Patriots, who recorded the most wins in a season in NFL history by going 18 -- 0 before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII ( the Dolphins won 18 straight through and until the first week of the 1973 season ). The 2007 Patriots were able to record a better regular season than the 1972 Dolphins because the NFL lengthened it to 16 games in 1978. Besides the 1972 Dolphins and 2007 Patriots, the only other team to ever complete the regular season undefeated and untied is the Chicago Bears, who accomplished the feat in both 1934 and 1942. Both of those Bears teams however failed to win the NFL Championship Game. During the 1972 season, Bob Griese 's ankle was broken in Week 5 as he was sacked by San Diego Chargers defensive tackle Ron East and defensive end Deacon Jones. He was replaced by veteran Earl Morrall for the rest of the regular season. Griese returned to the field as a substitute in the final regular season game against the Baltimore Colts and then also relieved Morrall for the second half of the AFC Championship game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and then started for Miami in Super Bowl VII. On the ground, running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to each rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Paul Warfield led the receivers, averaging over 20 yards per catch on 29 receptions. The offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little and Pro Bowler Norm Evans. The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No - Name Defense because Miami 's impressive offense received much more publicity, as well as Cowboys coach Tom Landry coining the phrase in an interview, was the league 's best that year. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill, tackle Manny Fernandez, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott. In all, nine players -- Csonka, Morris, Warfield, Little, Evans, Buoniconti, Stanfill, Anderson and Scott -- were selected to the Pro Bowl, and Morrall, Stanfill and Anderson were named 1st team All - Pro. On August 20, 2013, four decades after their accomplishment, President Barack Obama hosted the 1972 Dolphins, noting that they `` never got their White House visit ''. Contents 1 Roster 2 Regular season 2.1 Preseason 2.2 Schedule 2.3 Postseason 2.4 Standings 3 Urban legend 4 The perfect season 5 Television coverage 6 2013 White House visit 7 References 8 External links Roster 1972 Miami Dolphins roster Quarterbacks 11 Jim Del Gaizo 12 Bob Griese 15 Earl Morrall Running backs 21 Jim Kiick 23 Charles Leigh 22 Mercury Morris 32 Hubert Ginn 39 Larry Csonka Wide receivers 86 Marlin Briscoe 28 Ed Jenkins 82 Otto Stowe 81 Howard Twilley 42 Paul Warfield Tight ends 80 Marv Fleming 88 Jim Mandich Offensive linemen 73 Norm Evans T 54 Howard Kindig T 67 Bob Kuechenberg G 62 Jim Langer C 66 Larry Little G 60 Al Jenkins G 77 Doug Crusan T 79 Wayne Moore T Defensive linemen 83 Vern Den Herder DE 78 Jim Dunaway DT 75 Manny Fernandez DT 72 Bob Heinz DT 65 Maulty Moore DT 84 Bill Stanfill DE Linebackers 51 Larry Ball 85 Nick Buoniconti 57 Mike Kolen 53 Bob Matheson 56 Jesse Powell 59 Doug Swift Defensive backs 40 Dick Anderson SS 49 Charlie Babb SS 25 Tim Foley CB 43 Mike Howell FS 45 Curtis Johnson CB 26 Lloyd Mumphord CB 13 Jake Scott FS Special teams 20 Larry Seiple P 1 Garo Yepremian K 7 Billy Lothridge P Rookies in italics Regular season Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record August 5, 1972 at Detroit Lions L 23 -- 31 0 -- 1 August 12, 1972 Green Bay Packers L 13 -- 14 0 -- 2 August 19, 1972 at Cincinnati Bengals W 35 -- 17 1 -- 2 August 25, 1972 Atlanta Falcons W 24 -- 10 2 -- 2 5 August 31, 1972 at Washington Redskins L 24 -- 27 2 -- 3 6 September 10, 1972 Minnesota Vikings W 21 -- 19 3 -- 3 Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance September 17, 1972 at Kansas City Chiefs W 20 -- 10 1 -- 0 79,829 September 24, 1972 Houston Oilers W 34 -- 13 2 -- 0 77,821 October 1, 1972 at Minnesota Vikings W 16 -- 14 3 -- 0 47,900 October 8, 1972 at New York Jets W 27 -- 17 4 -- 0 63,841 5 October 15, 1972 San Diego Chargers W 24 -- 10 5 -- 0 80,010 6 October 22, 1972 Buffalo Bills W 24 -- 23 6 -- 0 80,010 7 October 29, 1972 at Baltimore Colts W 23 -- 0 7 -- 0 60,000 8 November 5, 1972 at Buffalo Bills W 30 -- 16 8 -- 0 46,206 9 November 12, 1972 New England Patriots W 52 -- 0 9 -- 0 80,010 10 November 19, 1972 New York Jets W 28 -- 24 10 -- 0 80,010 11 November 27, 1972 St. Louis Cardinals W 31 -- 10 11 -- 0 80,010 12 December 3, 1972 at New England Patriots W 37 -- 21 12 -- 0 60,999 13 December 10, 1972 at New York Giants W 23 -- 13 13 -- 0 62,728 14 December 16, 1972 Baltimore Colts W 16 -- 0 14 -- 0 80,010 Postseason Game Date Opponent Result Record Attendance Divisional playoffs December 24, 1972 Cleveland Browns W 20 -- 14 15 -- 0 80,010 Conference championship December 31, 1972 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 21 -- 17 16 -- 0 50,350 Super Bowl VII January 14, 1973 Washington Redskins W 14 -- 7 17 -- 0 90,182 Standings AFC East view talk PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK Miami Dolphins 14 0 0 1.000 8 -- 0 11 -- 0 385 171 W14 New York Jets 7 7 0. 500 6 -- 2 6 -- 5 367 324 L2 Baltimore Colts 5 9 0. 357 4 -- 4 5 -- 6 235 252 L2 Buffalo Bills 9. 321 2 -- 6 2 -- 9 257 377 W1 New England Patriots 11 0. 214 0 -- 8 0 -- 11 192 446 L1 Urban legend There is an urban legend that every season, whenever the last remaining undefeated NFL team loses its first game, all the surviving members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins open bottles of champagne in celebration. Coach Don Shula tried to play down the myth by saying that two players, Dick Anderson and Nick Buoniconti, who live near each other sometimes have a toast together. However, in a college football broadcast on ABC, following the loss of an undefeated team, Bob Griese, after being asked by his colleague, commented that he called former Dolphins, and they had Diet Cokes together. That celebration comes with the connotation that they no longer drink alcoholic beverages, but that a toast was customary. The perfect season Main article : Perfect season The 1972 team on the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll The 1972 Miami Dolphins were the first team to execute a perfect regular season in the post-merger NFL. They are the only team in NFL history to go undefeated and untied in the regular season and postseason. After their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI ( Miami 's only loss during calendar year 1972 ), Don Shula had vowed to not get to the Super Bowl but to win it. To achieve this, he made the team watch the loss two times at training camp. Shula would later go on to say : I think that 's when we all came together for what was going happen for the next two years. What I stressed in the locker room was that we wanted to make sure this would n't happen again. Our goal was not to go to the Super Bowl but to win it. An enduring controversy is that the 1972 Dolphins played a soft schedule not possible under the current scheduling formula. Prior to the implementation of position scheduling in 1978, opponents were set by the NFL on a rotating basis. Statistically, the Dolphins ' 1972 regular - season opponents had an aggregate winning percentage of. 397 and only two had winning records for that season ( both the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants finished 8 -- 6 ). This does not however constitute any record : the 1975 Minnesota Vikings, who began 10 -- 0 and finished 12 -- 2, played fourteen opponents with an average winning percentage of. 332 and nine of their games were against teams 4 -- 10 or worse. The Dolphins were beneficiaries of a weak AFC East which saw the Colts lapse from a perennial contender into a three - year stretch in which they would win only 11 games ; a Bills team which had yet to find its legs with O.J. Simpson and the return of coach Lou Saban ; a dysfunctional Patriots organization which had little to no talent to surround former No. 1 overall draft choice Jim Plunkett ; and a Jets squad with a porous defense, offsetting the benefits of Joe Namath remaining healthy throughout the season and an emerging John Riggins in the running game. Miami also caught a scheduling break by facing an Oilers squad in the midst of back - to - back 1 -- 13 seasons, and a Cardinals squad which appeared to lack direction by rotating its starting quarterbacks instead of giving the job full - time to Jim Hart. Also, the Dolphins caught the Vikings in the midst of a massive transformation following the return of Fran Tarkenton. 1972 saw Minnesota miss the playoffs for the only time between 1968 and 1978, going 7 -- 7. However, the NFL 's rules at the time also forced the undefeated Dolphins ( 14 -- 0 ) to play the Steelers ( 11 -- 3 ) in Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game, a game in which the Dolphins won on the road to reach the Super Bowl. Subsequent rule changes have since changed the playoff structure so that this would never happen again. Since the 1975 season, teams that have won their division and have had a superior record than their opponent ( as was the case with the 1972 Dolphins when they faced the Steelers ) would play their postseason games at home. The Miami Dolphins 1972 team consisted mostly of the same core of players it possessed from 1970 through 1974 ( five seasons ) was the most dominant professional football team in the NFL during that stretch. In those five seasons the Dolphins made the playoffs all five years, won three AFC Championships, went to the Super Bowl three times for two wins and went undefeated and untied while winning the Super Bowl in 1972. They posted a record of 64 -- 14 - 1. They were also the fastest franchise to win a Super Bowl after its inception and joining the NFL ( 7 years after they started in the AFL and then 3 years after becoming a member of the NFL ). Television coverage Fans in the Miami area could not catch the home games on television -- they had to be there at the games, listen to the radio, or travel to watch the games on TV. For Miami - Dade residents in 1972, that would have meant driving northwest on Florida 's Turnpike towards Orlando, or north on Interstate 95 to areas along the east coast of the state which picked up signals from Orlando and / or Jacksonville. 1972 was the last year that all home games were blacked out on local television even if they sold out. Super Bowl VII was the first game to be televised in the market of origin under new rules which would come into effect the following season -- games must be sold out within 72 hours of kickoff time in order to be aired in the market of origin. As all Super Bowls except the first have sold out, none have been blacked out since ( tickets sell out rather quickly due to high demand to see such a major game ). Coincidentally, President Richard Nixon, many of his White House staff, and members of Congress were angered by the blackout rules, since they could not watch the Dolphins ' eventual Super Bowl opponent, the Redskins, play at home, even though all games at RFK Stadium had been sold out since 1966. 2013 White House visit President Obama honoring the 1972 team at the White House in 2013 Four decades later in 2013, the team was invited by President Barack Obama to visit the White House. This occurred on August 20, when Obama noted that the team `` never got their White House visit ''. As to why this team had not been invited by President Richard Nixon in 1973, Larry Csonka stated that he did not feel neglected as it had not been a regular occurrence at the time. However, MSNBC reported that this was a deliberate snub by Nixon, who was a Redskins fan, even though Nixon owned a vacation home in nearby Key Biscayne, Florida and telephoned Shula only hours after the Dolphins defeated the Colts in the 1971 AFC Championship game to suggest a play for Miami to use in Super Bowl VI ( a down - and - out pass to Warfield which was broken up by Cowboys safety Cornell Green ). Obama had previously invited the 1985 Bears to the White House, as their visit had gotten cancelled due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster by President Reagan. President Obama, a Chicago resident and Bears fan, had called them the greatest team ever, but during the Dolphins ' visit he called his own words into question, also noting that the only loss the 1985 Bears had was to the Dolphins. Bob Kuechenberg, Jim Langer, and Manny Fernandez all refused to attend due to political differences with the Obama administration. References Jump up ^ `` 1972 Miami Dolphins Roster ''. Pro-Football - Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2011. Jump up ^ `` President Obama Honors the 1973 Super Bowl Champion Miami Dolphins ''. YouTube.com/user/whitehouse. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Perfect 1972 Miami Dolphins Team Going to the White House ''. Jump up ^ `` ESPN -- Shoes... The Jaw... by any name, Shula still the king -- Columnist ''. Sports.espn.go.com. February 1, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Urban Legends Reference Pages : 1972 Miami Dolphins Toast First Losses by Undefeated Teams ''. Snopes.com. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ Caesar, Dan ; `` ' 72 Dolphins share a Coke and a smile '' ; in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 19, 1972 ; p. B8 Jump up ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=-0ukAS0WhtAC&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=did+don+shula+make+his+team+watch+the+super+bowl+loss&source=bl&ots=p1sa91HfuJ&sig=OpVHz4ddkK42uS_FABd_5SoQ30Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnkZaoiv3MAhXCQD4KHWiWBxoQ6AEIJzAE#v=onepage&q=did%20don%20shula%20make%20his%20team%20watch%20the%20super%20bowl%20loss&f=false Jump up ^ Moulton, David. `` David Moulton : A final salute to the 1972 Dolphins '' Naples Daily News ``. Naplesnews.com. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ 1975 Minnesota Vikings Jump up ^ `` President Obama Honors the 1973 Super Bowl Champion Miami Dolphins ''. YouTube.com/user/whitehouse. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Csonka : ' 72 Dolphins still at the peak ''. YouTube.com/user/CNN. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 40 yrs Later, Nixon Shunned ' 72 Dolphins Get White - House Respect ''. YouTube.com. August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013. Jump up ^ Laura Miller ( October 7, 2011 ). `` 1985 Chicago Bears Visit the White House The White House ''. Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved September 3, 2012. Jump up ^ `` President Obama Honors the 1973 Super Bowl Champion Miami Dolphins ''. YouTube.com/user/whitehouse. August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013. Jump up ^ Dave Hyde ( August 17, 2013 ). `` At least three ' 72 Dolphins refuse White House invite ''. sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved October 28, 2013. External links 1972 Miami Dolphins Season at Pro-Football Reference Super Bowl champions I : Green Bay Packers II : Green Bay Packers III : New York Jets IV : Kansas City Chiefs V : Baltimore Colts VI : Dallas Cowboys VII : Miami Dolphins VIII : Miami Dolphins IX : Pittsburgh Steelers X : Pittsburgh Steelers XI : Oakland Raiders XII : Dallas Cowboys XIII : Pittsburgh Steelers XIV : Pittsburgh Steelers XV : Oakland Raiders XVI : San Francisco 49ers XVII : Washington Redskins XVIII : Los Angeles Raiders XIX : San Francisco 49ers XX : Chicago Bears XXI : New York Giants XXII : Washington Redskins XXIII : San Francisco 49ers XXIV : San Francisco 49ers XXV : New York Giants XXVI : Washington Redskins XXVII : Dallas Cowboys XXVIII : Dallas Cowboys XXIX : San Francisco 49ers XXX : Dallas Cowboys XXXI : Green Bay Packers XXXII : Denver Broncos XXXIII : Denver Broncos XXXIV : St. Louis Rams XXXV : Baltimore Ravens XXXVI : New England Patriots XXXVII : Tampa Bay Buccaneers XXXVIII : New England Patriots XXXIX : New England Patriots XL : Pittsburgh Steelers XLI : Indianapolis Colts XLII : New York Giants XLIII : Pittsburgh Steelers XLIV : New Orleans Saints XLV : Green Bay Packers XLVI : New York Giants XLVII : Baltimore Ravens XLVIII : Seattle Seahawks XLIX : New England Patriots 50 : Denver Broncos LI : New England Patriots LII : Philadelphia Eagles Miami Dolphins seasons 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance Miami Dolphins Super Bowl VII champions 1 Garo Yepremian 7 Billy Lothridge 11 Jim Del Gaizo 12 Bob Griese 13 Jake Scott ( MVP ) 15 Earl Morrall 20 Larry Seiple 21 Jim Kiick 22 Mercury Morris 23 Charles Leigh 25 Tim Foley 26 Lloyd Mumphord 28 Ed Jenkins 32 Hubert Ginn 39 Larry Csonka 40 Dick Anderson 42 Paul Warfield 45 Curtis Johnson 49 Charlie Babb 51 Larry Ball 53 Bob Matheson 54 Howard Kindig 56 Jesse Powell 57 Mike Kolen 59 Doug Swift 60 Al Jenkins 62 Jim Langer 65 Maulty Moore 66 Larry Little 67 Bob Kuechenberg 68 Mike Kadish 72 Bob Heinz 73 Norm Evans 75 Manny Fernandez 77 Doug Crusan 78 Jim Dunaway 79 Wayne Moore 80 Marv Fleming 81 Howard Twilley 82 Otto Stowe 83 Vern Den Herder 84 Bill Stanfill 85 Nick Buoniconti 86 Marlin Briscoe 88 Jim Mandich 89 Karl Noonan Head coach : Don Shula Coaches : Bill Arnsparger Monte Clark Tom Keane Mike Scarry Howard Schnellenberger Carl Taseff Miami Dolphins Honor Roll inductees 1972 Miami Dolphins Dick Anderson Bill Arnsparger Bob Baumhower Doug Betters Nick Buoniconti Mark Clayton Larry Csonka Mark Duper Manny Fernandez Bob Griese Bob Kuechenberg Jim Langer Larry Little Jim Mandich Dan Marino Nat Moore John Offerdahl Joe Robbie Jake Scott Don Shula Bill Stanfill Dwight Stephenson Paul Warfield Richmond Webb Jason Taylor Zach Thomas Miami Dolphins Founded in 1966 Based in Miami Gardens, Florida Headquartered in Davie, Florida Franchise Franchise History Seasons Coaches Players First - round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Records Honor roll Training facility Broadcasters Stadiums Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium Culture `` Fins '' ( Jimmy Buffett song ) Wayne Huizenga Stephen M. Ross Joe Robbie T.D. Cheerleaders Ace Ventura : Pet Detective `` Only Wanna Be with You '' ( Hootie & the Blowfish song ) Ballers Lore Perfect season The Sea of Hands Announcerless Game Epic in Miami Snowplow Game Clock Play Monday Night Miracle Rivalries Buffalo Bills New England Patriots New York Jets Tampa Bay Buccaneers Division championships ( 13 ) 1971 1972 1973 1979 1981 1984 1985 1992 1994 2000 2008 Conference championships ( 5 ) 1971 1972 1973 1982 1984 League championships ( 2 ) 1972 ( VII ) 1973 ( VIII ) Retired numbers 12 13 39 Current league affiliations League : National Football League ( 1970 -- present ) Conference : American Football Conference Division : East Division Former league affiliation League : American Football League ( 1966 -- 1969 ) Seasons ( 52 ) 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Championship seasons in bold 1972 NFL season AFC East Central West East Central West NFC Baltimore Cincinnati Denver Dallas Chicago Atlanta Buffalo Cleveland Kansas City NY Giants Detroit Los Angeles Miami Houston Oakland Philadelphia Green Bay New Orleans New England Pittsburgh San Diego St. Louis Minnesota San Francisco NY Jets Washington 1972 NFL Draft NFL Playoffs Pro Bowl Super Bowl VII Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1972_Miami_Dolphins_season&oldid=833213443 '' Categories : 1972 National Football League season by team Miami Dolphins seasons AFC East championship seasons American Football Conference championship seasons Super Bowl champion seasons 1972 in sports in Florida Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from December 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 30 March 2018, at 08 : 21. 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Question: who did the miami dolphins play in the 1972 super bowl
Answer: Redskins