List of Miami Dolphins starting quarterbacks The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in Miami metropolitan area . They are members of the East Division of the American Football Conference ( AFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . Lawyer Joe Robbie and actor Danny Thomas were granted enfranchisement on August 15 , 1965 , committing their team as the 9th member of the American Football League ( AFL ) . The Dolphins have had 32 different starting quarterbacks ( QB ) in their franchise history ; only George Mira and Tyler Thigpen have started only one game for the Dolphins . The Dolphins ' first starting quarterback was Dick Wood during the first inaugural season game in 1966 , against the Oakland Raiders ; Wood however was replaced a week later by rookie Rick Norton due to inconsistency . Notable Dolphin starting quarterbacks include Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Bob Griese and Dan Marino , whom together combined for 391 total starts and 239 wins all with the Dolphins . Other standouts include Earl Morrall , Don Strock , David Woodley , Jay Fiedler , and Chad Pennington . The Miami Dolphins entered the 2012 season with the franchise ' s 32nd different starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill . He is the first rookie to ever start on opening day for the Dolphins . History . Inception . The Miami Dolphins entered their 1966 inaugural season with Dick Wood as their starting quarterback against the Oakland Raiders . By the end of the first half Woods had thrown four interceptions , two of which translated to ten points by the Raiders . Rookie replacement Rick Norton finished the second half of the game and started the next two games against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills . Trailing 41 - 3 against the Bills , Norton was benched in favor of rookie punter George Wilson Jr . , who played quarterback in college at Xavier University . Wilson outscored the Bills 21 - 17 during his 40 minutes of playing time , throwing three touchdowns and passing for 185 yards . Wilson went on to start the next seven games for the Dolphins . During that time Wilson collected the franchise ' s first and second victories against the Denver Broncos on October 16 , and followed it up a week later with a victory against the Houston Oilers . However , during the week twelve game against the New York Jets , Wilson suffered a shoulder - injury , that sidelined him for the remainder of the season . Dick Wood started the next three games for the Dolphins , but didn ' t finish out the season as rookie quarterback John Stofa started the final game against the Houston Oilers . Stofa led the team to its ' third and final victory of the season by beating the Oilers 29 - 28 . Griese Era . Bob Griese , a quarterback from Purdue , was selected by the Miami Dolphins as the fourth pick , in the first round of 1967 Common Draft . Entering the 1967 season rookie Griese was slated to develop as a backup quarterback behind John Stofa . However , due to an ankle injury suffered during the first game of the season , Stofa was sidelined , and Griese finished the game leading the Dolphins to 35 - 21 victory over the Denver Broncos . Griese started the next two games , but sustained an injury during the week five game against the New York Jets and was replaced by Rick Norton for three games . Griese resumed the role of starting QB for the remaining eight games of his rookie season . For the next 13 seasons Bob Griese started a majority of the Miami Dolphins ' games . During that tenure Griese became the first Miami Dolphin quarterback to start all of the season ' s games in 1970 , lead by head coach Don Shula . In the same year the Dolphins collected their first winning season and playoff berth , but lost against the Oakland Raiders 21 - 14 in the Divisional Round . The following year , 1971 , the Dolphins made their first Super Bowl appearance against the Dallas Cowboys , but lost 24 - 3 . In 1972 Griese started and won the first five games of the season , but fell victim to injury against the San Diego Chargers . Earl Morrall started and won the remaining nine games of season . Morrall started both the Divisional and AFC conference games , but Griese returned to start Super Bowl VII . Griese ' s 14 - 7 win against the Washington Redskins completed the NFL ' s first and only perfect season . Earl Morrall ' s performance earned him the NFL ' s inaugural Comeback Player of the Year Award . Starting 11 of the season ' s 17 games , contributions from his 1972 season and further performances in his career have listed him as one of the top back - up quarterbacks in NFL history . In 1973 Griese started 13 regular season games , and led the Dolphins to their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance , the first in NFL history and second consecutive Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl VIII , the second in NFL history . Over the next seven years Bob Griese started 74 regular season and three playoff games . He sustained a multitude of injuries and shared the starting role with quarterbacks Earl Morrall , Don Strock , and David Woodley , but finally in 1980 , against the Baltimore Colts , Griese sustained a shoulder - injury that would prompt him to retire at the end of the season . Throughout his career Griese played in six pro bowls , two all - star games , was elected the Dolphins MVP six times , and was named All - Pro in 1971 and 1977 . Throughout the 1970s the Miami Dolphins had the highest winning percentage in all of professional sports . Griese was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 . Following the end of the Griese era , quarterback David Woodley became the Dolphins starting quarterback and continued the Dolphin ' s success . Woodley made it to the playoffs in 1981 and in 1982 . During the 1982 season the Dolphins lost in their fourth Super Bowl appearance against the Washington Redskins 17 - 27 . In 1983 , Woodley lost the starting job to rookie quarterback Dan Marino . David Woodley is known as being the transition quarterback between Bob Griese and Dan Marino . Marino Era . Dan Marino , a quarterback from the University of Pittsburgh , was selected by the Miami Dolphins as the 27th pick , in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft . Much like Griese , Marino was slated to develop under starting quarterback David Woodley . During the third game of the season against the Los Angeles Raiders , Marino saw his first action as an NFL quarterback , and passed for ninety yards and threw for two touchdowns . Following a loss during week 4 , Marino replaced Woodley , and the following week started his first game against the Buffalo Bills . Marino , however , lost the game in overtime 35 - 38 . References .