# 1975 Miami Dolphins season

The 1975 Miami Dolphins season was the team's tenth, and sixth in the National Football League (NFL).

## Season summary

Although they tied for the division title at 10–4 with the Baltimore Colts, the Colts won the tiebreaker in 1975 with a sweep of both games. The sole wild card in the conference was Cincinnati at 11–3, so the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time since 1969.
The 1975 Dolphins were without running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick and wide receiver Paul Warfield. They signed three-year contracts with the Memphis Southmen in March 1974 to play in the World Football League, beginning in 1975. The second-year league folded in the season's twelfth week, and the trio returned to the NFL in 1976 with other teams.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1975 Miami Dolphins draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 23 | Darryl Carlton | Tackle | Tampa |
| 2 | 36 | Freddie Solomon | Wide receiver | Tampa |
| 2 | 49 | Stan Winfrey | Running back | Arkansas State |
| 3 | 75 | Gerald Hill | Linebacker | Houston |
| 4 | 100 | Bruce Elia | Linebacker | Ohio State |
| 5 | 106 | Morris Owens | Wide receiver | Arizona State |
| 5 | 127 | Barry Hill | Defensive back | Iowa State |
| 6 | 143 | Steve Towle | Linebacker | Kansas |
| 7 | 179 | Phillip Kent | Running back | Baylor |
| 8 | 205 | Barney Crawford | Defensive tackle | Harding |
| 9 | 231 | James Wilson | Guard | Clark Atlanta |
| 10 | 239 | Clyde Russell | Running back | Oklahoma |
| 10 | 256 | Joe Jackson | Tight end | Penn State |
| 10 | 257 | Joe Danelo | Kicker | Washington State |
| 11 | 283 | John Dilworth | Defensive back | Northwestern State |
| 12 | 309 | Joe Yancey | Tackle | Henderson State |
| 13 | 334 | Leonard Isabell | Wide receiver | Tulsa |
| 14 | 338 | James Lewis | Defensive back | Tennessee State |
| 14 | 361 | John Graham | Quarterback | Colorado State |
| 15 | 387 | Skip Johns | Running back | Carson–Newman |
| 16 | 413 | Vernon Smith | Center | Georgia |
| 17 | 439 | Dwaine Copeland | Running back | Middle Tennessee State |
| Made roster ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 22 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–31 | 0–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 2 | September 28 | at New England Patriots | W 22–14 | 1–1 | Schaefer Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | October 5 | at Green Bay Packers | W 31–7 | 2–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
| 4 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–16 | 3–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 5 | October 19 | at New York Jets | W 43–0 | 4–1 | Shea Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 26 | at Buffalo Bills | W 35–30 | 5–1 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | November 2 | at Chicago Bears | W 46–13 | 6–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 8 | November 9 | New York Jets | W 27–7 | 7–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 9 | November 16 | at Houston Oilers | L 19–20 | 7–2 | Astrodome | Recap |
| 10 | November 23 | Baltimore Colts | L 17–33 | 7–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 11 | December 1 | New England Patriots | W 20–7 | 8–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 12 | December 7 | Buffalo Bills | W 31–21 | 9–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| 13 | December 14 | at Baltimore Colts | L 7–10 (OT) | 9–4 | Memorial Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | Denver Broncos | W 14–13 | 10–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Baltimore Colts$^{(3)}$ | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 395 | 269 | W9 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 7–4 | 357 | 222 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 420 | 355 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–6 | 3–8 | 258 | 433 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 1–7 | 2–9 | 258 | 358 | L6 |