Super Bowl VII Super Bowl VII was an American football game played on January 14 , 1973 , at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles , California , to decide the National Football League ( NFL ) champion following the 1972 regular season . The American Football Conference ( AFC ) champion Miami Dolphins ( 17 – 0 ) defeated the National Football Conference ( NFC ) champion Washington Redskins ( 13 - 4 ) , 14 – 7 , and became the first and still the only team in NFL history to complete a perfect undefeated season . As the lowest - scoring Super Bowl to date with a total of only 21 points ( 3 TDs , 3 PATs and no field goals ) , Super Bowl VII is most memorable for the final two minutes of the game : Miami ' s quest for a perfect season was jeopardized when Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian picked up a blocked field goal , attempted a forward pass , but batted it in the air , and Redskins ' cornerback Mike Bass caught it and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown . It was the longest period in a Super Bowl to date for one team to be shut out , as Washington was held scoreless until 2 : 07 remained in the fourth quarter . Dolphins safety Jake Scott was named Most Valuable Player . He recorded two interceptions for 63 return yards , including a 55 - yard return from the end zone during the 4th quarter . Scott became the second defensive player in Super Bowl history ( after linebacker Chuck Howley in Super Bowl V ) to earn a Super Bowl MVP . The win made the Dolphins , in their seventh season of existence , the quickest expansion team to win a Super Bowl , a record that stood for 28 years . Although the Baltimore Ravens officially eclipsed that record with their win over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV in just their fifth year of existence , due to the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy the Ravens were considered an expansion team only in a legal sense . The Dolphins remain the quickest genuine expansion team to win a Super Bowl . Background . Miami Dolphins . The Dolphins went undefeated during the season , despite losing their starting quarterback . In the fifth game of the regular season , starter Bob Griese suffered a fractured right leg and dislocated ankle . In his place , 38 - year - old Earl Morrall led Miami to victory in their nine remaining regular season games , and was the 1972 NFL Comeback Player of the Year . Morrall had previously played for Dolphins head coach Don Shula when they were both with the Baltimore Colts , where Morrall backed up quarterback Johnny Unitas and started in Super Bowl III . But Miami also had the same core group of young players who helped the team advance to the previous year ' s Super Bowl VI . ( The only Dolphins starter in Super Bowl VII over the age of 30 was 32 - year - old Nick Buoniconti . ) The Dolphins still had a powerful running attack , spearheaded by running backs Larry Csonka , Jim Kiick , and Eugene " Mercury " Morris . ( Morris , who in previous seasons had been used primarily as a kick returner , took over the starting halfback position from Kiick , who had been the starter the previous four years . The more - experienced Kiick , however , would start in Super Bowl VII . ) Csonka led the team with 1 , 117 yards and six touchdowns . Kiick contributed 521 yards and five touchdowns , and also caught 21 passes for 147 yards and another touchdown . Morris , a breakaway runner , rushed for 1 , 000 yards , caught 15 passes for 168 yards , added another 334 yards returning kickoffs , and scored a league - leading 12 rushing touchdowns . Overall , Miami set a record with 2 , 960 total rushing yards during the regular season , and became the first team ever to have two players rush for 1 , 000 yards in one season . Miami led the NFL in points scored ( 385 ) . Receiver Paul Warfield once again provided the run - based Dolphins with an effective deep threat option , catching 29 passes for 606 yards , an average of 20 . 9 yards per catch . Miami ' s offensive line , led by future hall of famers Jim Langer and Larry Little was also a key factor for the Dolphins ' offensive production . And Miami ' s " No - Name Defense " ( a nickname inspired by Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry when he could not recall the names of any Dolphins defenders just before Super Bowl VI ) , led by future hall of fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti , allowed the fewest points in the league during the regular season ( 171 ) . Safety Jake Scott recorded five interceptions . Because of injuries to defensive linemen ( at the beginning of the season the Dolphins were down to four healthy defensive linemen ) defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger created what he called the " 53 " defense , in which versatile Bob Matheson ( number 53 ) would be used as either a defensive end in the standard 4 - 3 defense or as a fourth linebacker in a 3 - 4 defense , with Manny Fernandez at nose tackle . As a linebacker , Matheson would either rush or drop back into coverage . Said Nick Buoniconti , " Teams would be totally confused . " The Dolphins ' undefeated , untied regular season was the third in NFL history , and the first of the post - Merger era . The previous two teams to do it , the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears , both lost those years ' NFL Championship Games . The Cleveland Browns completed a perfect season in 1948 , including a Championship victory , when they were part of the All - America Football Conference . Washington Redskins . After finishing the 1970 season with a 6 – 8 regular season record , the Redskins hired George Allen as their head coach , hoping he could turn the team ' s fortunes around . Allen ' s philosophy was that veteran players win games , so immediately after taking over the team , he traded away most of the younger team members and draft choices for older , more established players . His motto was " The future is now . " Washington quickly became the oldest team in the NFL and earned the nickname " The Over the Hill Gang . " The average age of starters was 31 years old . However , Allen ' s strategy turned the Redskins around as the team improved to a 9 – 4 – 1 record in 1971 , and finished the 1972 season with an NFC - best 11 - 3 record . Washington was led by 33 - year old quarterback Billy Kilmer , who completed 120 out of 225 passes for 1 , 648 yards and a league leading 19 touchdowns during the regular season , with only 11 interceptions , giving him an NFL best 84 . 8 passer rating . Kilmer had started the first three games of the season , was replaced in game four by 38 - year - old Sonny Jurgensen , then replaced Jurgensen when he was lost for the season with an Achilles tendon injury . Their powerful rushing attack featured two running backs . Larry Brown gained 1 , 216 yards ( first in the NFC and second in the NFL ) in 285 carries during the regular season , caught 32 passes for 473 yards , and scored 12 touchdowns , earning him both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award . Running back Charley Harraway had 567 yards in 148 carries . Future hall of fame wide receiver Charley Taylor and wide receiver Roy Jefferson provided the team with a solid deep threat , combining for 84 receptions , 1 , 223 receiving yards , and 10 touchdowns . Washington also had a solid defense led by linebacker Chris Hanburger ( four interceptions , 98 return yards , one touchdown ) , and cornerbacks Pat Fischer ( four interceptions , 61 return yards ) and Mike Bass ( three interceptions , 53 return yards ) Playoffs . Morrall led the Dolphins to a 20 - 14 playoff win over the Cleveland Browns . However , Griese started the second half of the AFC Championship Game to help rally the Dolphins to a 21 – 17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers , largely due to a fake punt by Dolphin Larry Seiple . Meanwhile , the Redskins advanced to the Super Bowl without allowing a touchdown in either their 16 - 3 playoff win over the Green Bay Packers or their 26 - 3 NFC Championship Game victory over the Cowboys . Super Bowl pregame news and notes . Much of the pregame hype surrounded the chances of the Dolphins completing a perfect , undefeated season , as well as their quarterback controversy between Griese and Morrall . Griese was eventually picked to start the Super Bowl because Shula felt more comfortable with Morrall as the backup just in case Griese was ineffective due to his recent inactivity . Miami was also strongly motivated to win the Super Bowl after having been humiliated by the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI . Wrote Nick Buoniconti , " There was no way we were going to lose the Super Bowl ; there was no way . " Head coach Don Shula , loser of Super Bowls III and VI , was also determined to win . Although Shula was relaxed and charming when dealing with the press , it was all an act ; Dolphins players described him as " neurotic " and " absolutely crazy . " He was also sick Super Bowl week with the flu , which he kept secret . Still , many favored the Redskins to win the game because of their group of " Over the Hill Gang " veterans , and because Miami had what some considered an easy schedule ( only two Dolphin opponents , Kansas City and the New York Giants posted winning records , and both of those teams were 8 - 6 ) and had struggled in the playoffs . Allen had a reputation for spying on opponents . A school overlooked the Rams facility that the NFL designated the Dolphins practice field , so the Dolphins found a more secure field at a local community college . Dolphins employees inspected the trees every day for spies . Miami cornerback Tim Foley , a future broadcaster who was injured and would not play in Super Bowl VII , was writing daily stories for a Miami newspaper and interviewed George Allen and Redskin players , provoking charges from Allen that Foley was actually spying for Shula . Allen was extremely uptight and prickly dealing with the press Super Bowl week , and accused the press of ruining his team ' s preparation . Allen pushed the team so hard in practices that the players joked among themselves that they should have left Allen in Washington . During practice the day before Super Bowl VII , the Dolphins ' five foot seven , 150 pound kicker , Garo Yepremian , relaxed by throwing 30 - yard passes to David Shula , Don Shula ' s son . During the pre - game warmups , he consistently kicked low line drives and couldn ' t figure out why . Television and entertainment . The game was broadcast in the United States by NBC with play - by - play announcer Curt Gowdy and color commentator Al DeRogatis . This was the first Super Bowl to be televised live in the city in which it was being played . Despite unconditional blackout rules in the NFL that normally would have prohibited the live telecast from being shown locally , the NFL allowed the game to be telecast in the Los Angeles area on an experimental basis when all tickets for the game were sold . The league then changed its blackout rules the following season to allow games sold out at least 72 hours in advance to be televised in the host market . No subsequent Super Bowl has ever been blacked out under this rule , as all have been sold out ( owing to its status as the marquee event on the NFL schedule , meaning that tickets sell out pretty quickly ) . The pregame show was a tribute to Apollo 17 , the sixth and last mission to date to land on the Moon and the final one of Project Apollo . The show featured the crew of Apollo 17 and the Michigan Marching Band . Later , the Little Angels of Chicago ' s Angels Church from Chicago performed the national anthem . The halftime show , featuring Woody Herman and the Michigan Marching Band along with The Citrus College Singers and Andy Williams , was titled " Happiness Is " . Game summary . According to Buoniconti , the Dolphins ' priority on defense was to stop Larry Brown and force Kilmer to pass . Buoniconti looked at Washington ' s offensive formation on each play and shifted the defense so it was strongest where he felt Brown would run . This strategy proved successful . Washington ' s offensive line also had trouble handling Dolphins ' defensive tackle / nose tackle Manny Fernandez , who was very quick . " He beat their center Len Hauss like a drum , " wrote Buoniconti . Miami ' s defenders had also drilled in maintaining precise pursuit angles on sweeps to prevent the cut - back running that Duane Thomas had used to destroy the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI . Washington ' s priority on defense was to disrupt Miami ' s ball - control offense by stopping Larry Csonka . They also intended to shut down Paul Warfield by double - covering him . As they had in Super Bowl VI , Miami won the toss and elected to receive . Most of the first quarter was a defensive battle with each team punting on their first two possessions . Then Miami got the ball on their own 37 - yard line with 2 : 55 left in the first quarter . Running back Jim Kiick started out the drive with two carries for eleven yards . Then quarterback Bob Griese completed an 18 - yard pass to wide receiver Paul Warfield to reach the Washington 34 - yard line . After two more running plays , on third and four Griese threw a 28 - yard touchdown pass to receiver Howard Twilley ( his only catch of the game ) . Twilley fooled Pat Fischer by faking a route to the inside , then broke to the outside and caught the ball at the five - yard line , dragging Fischer into the end zone . " Griese read us real good all day , " said Fischer . Yepremian ' s extra point gave the Dolphins a 7 - 0 lead with one second remaining in the period . ( Yepremian noticed that the kick was too low , just like his practice kicks ) . On the third play of the Redskins ' ensuing drive , Miami safety Jake Scott intercepted quarterback Billy Kilmer ' s pass down the middle intended for Taylor and returned it eight yards to the Washington 47 - yard line . However a 15 - yard illegal man downfield penalty on left guard Bob Kuechenberg nullified a 20 - yard pass completion to tight end Marv Fleming on the first play after the turnover , and the Dolphins were forced to punt after three more plays . After the Redskins were forced to punt again , Miami reached the 47 - yard line with a 13 - yard run by Larry Csonka and an 8 - yard run by Kiick . But on the next play , Griese ' s 47 - yard touchdown pass to Warfield was nullified by an illegal procedure penalty on receiver Marlin Briscoe ( Briscoe ' s first , and only , play of the game ) . Then on third down , Redskins defensive tackle Diron Talbert sacked Griese for a 6 - yard loss and the Dolphins had to punt . The Redskins then advanced from their own 17 - yard line to the Miami 48 - yard line ( their first incursion into Miami territory ) with less than two minutes left in the half . But on third down and three yards to go , Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti intercepted Kilmer ' s pass to tight end Jerry Smith at the Miami 41 - yard line and returned it 32 yards to the Washington 27 - yard line . From there , Kiick and Csonka each ran once for three yards , and then Griese completed a 19 - yard pass ( his sixth completion in six attempts ) to tight end Jim Mandich , who made a diving catch at the 2 - yard line . Two plays later , Kiick scored on a 1 - yard blast behind Little and Csonka with just 18 seconds left in the half , and Yepremian ' s extra point gave the Dolphins a lead of 14 – 0 before halftime ( once again , Yepremian noticed the kick was too low ) . Miami ' s defense dominated the Redskins in the first half , limiting Washington to 49 yards rushing , 23 yards passing , and four first downs . The Redskins had more success moving the ball in the second half . They took the second half kickoff and advanced across midfield for only the second time in the game , driving from their own 30 - yard line to Miami ' s 17 - yard line in a seven - play drive that featured just two runs . On first down at Miami ' s 17 - yard line , Kilmer threw to Charley Taylor , who was open at the 2 - yard line , but Taylor stumbled right before the ball arrived and the ball glanced off his fingertips . After a second - down screen pass to Harraway fell incomplete , left tackle Manny Fernandez sacked Kilmer on third down for a loss of eight yards , and Washington ' s drive ended with no points after kicker Curt Knight ' s ensuing 32 - yard field goal attempt was wide right . " That was an obvious turning point , " said Allen . Later in the period , the Dolphins drove 78 yards to Washington ' s 5 - yard line , featuring a 49 - yard run by Csonka , the second - longest run in Super Bowl history at the time . However , Redskins defensive back Brig Owens intercepted a pass intended for Fleming in the end zone for a touchback . Early in the fourth quarter , Washington threatened to score by mounting its most impressive drive of the game , driving 79 yards from its own 11 to Miami ' s 10 - yard line in twelve plays . On second down at the Miami 10 - yard line , Kilmer threw to tight end Jerry Smith in the end zone . Smith was wide open , but the ball hit the crossbar of the goalpost and fell incomplete . Then on third down , Scott intercepted Kilmer ' s pass to Taylor in the end zone and returned it 55 yards to the Redskins 48 - yard line . After Miami moved the ball to the 34 - yard line on their ensuing drive , kicker Garo Yepremian attempted a 42 - yard field goal in what is now remembered as one of the most famous blunders in NFL lore : " Garo ' s Gaffe " . As had been the case all day , Yepremian ' s kick was too low , and it was blocked by Washington defensive tackle Bill Brundige . The ball bounced to Yepremian ' s right and he reached it before holder Earl Morrall . But instead of falling on the ball , Yepremian picked it up and , with Brundige bearing down on him , made a frantic attempt to pass the ball to Csonka , who blocked on field goals . Unfortunately for Miami , the ball slipped out of his hands and went straight up in the air . Yepremian attempted to bat the ball out of bounds , but instead batted it back up into the air , and it went right into the arms of Redskins cornerback Mike Bass , who returned the fumble 49 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14 - 7 with 2 : 07 left in the game . To the surprise of some , the Redskins did not try an onside kick , but instead kicked deep . The Redskins were forced to use up all of their timeouts on the Dolphins ' ensuing five - play possession , but forced Miami to punt ( nearly blocking the punt ) from its own 36 - yard line with 1 : 14 remaining in the game , giving themselves a chance to drive for the tying touchdown . However , Miami ' s defense forced two incompletions and a 4 - yard loss on a swing pass , and then defensive end Vern Den Herder ' s 9 - yard sack on fourth down as time expired in the game . Griese finished the game having completed 8 out of 11 pass completions for 88 yards and a touchdown , with one interception . Csonka was the game ' s leading rusher with 15 carries for 112 yards . Kiick had 38 rushing yards , two receptions for six yards , and a touchdown . Morris had 34 rushing yards . Manny Fernandez had 11 solo tackles and six assists . Kilmer completed six more passes then Griese , but finished the game with just 16 more total passing yards and was intercepted three times . Said Kilmer , " I wasn ' t sharp at all . Good as their defense is , I still should have thrown better . " Washington ' s Larry Brown rushed for 72 yards on 22 carries and also had five receptions for 26 yards . Redskins receiver Roy Jefferson was the top receiver of the game , with five catches for 50 yards . Washington amassed almost as many total yards ( 228 ) as Miami ( 253 ) , and actually more first downs ( 16 to Miami ' s 12 ) . Final statistics . Source : " The NFL ' s Official Encyclopedic History of Professional Football " , ( 1973 ) , p . 153 , Macmillan Publishing Co . New York , NY , LCCN 73 - 3862 Officials . " Note : A seven - official system was not used until 1978 " Super Bowl postgame news and notes . As Shula was being carried off the field after the end of the game , a kid who shook his hand stripped off his watch . Shula got down , chased after the kid , and retrieved his watch . Manny Fernandez was a strong contender for MVP . Wrote Nick Buoniconti , " It was the game of his life – in fact , it was the most dominant game by a defensive lineman in the history of the game , and he would never be given much credit for it . They should have given out two game balls and made Manny Fernandez the co - MVP with Jake Scott . " Larry Csonka also said he thought Fernandez should have been the MVP . The MVP was selected by Dick Schaap , the editor of SPORT magazine . Schaap admitted later that he had been out late the previous night , struggled to watch the defense - dominated game , and was not aware that Fernandez had 17 tackles . When Garo Yepremian went back to the Dolphins ' sideline after his botched field goal attempt , Nick Buoniconti told him that if they lost he would " Hang you up by one of your ties . " Yepremian was so traumatized by his botched field goal attempt that he had to be helped from the post - game party by his brother because of a stress - induced stabbing pain down his right side . Depressed , he spent two weeks in seclusion until he was cheered up by a letter , apparently from Shula , praising him for his contributions to the team and urging him to ignore criticism . Yepremian kept the letter and mentioned it to Shula in 2000 , but Shula had no knowledge of it . They concluded the letter was actually written by Shula ' s wife Dorothy , who died from breast cancer in 1991 . She had signed her husband ' s name to it . Nevertheless , " Garo ' s Gaffe " made Yepremian famous and led to a lucrative windfall of speaking engagements and endorsements . " It ' s been a blessing , " says Yepremian . The same teams met 10 years later in Super Bowl XVII , which was also played in the Los Angeles area , at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena . The Redskins won that game , 27 - 17 . Two starters from Miami ' s undefeated team , guard Bob Kuechenberg and defensive end Vern Den Herder , were still active during the strike - shortened 1982 season . The Redskins had no players remaining from Super Bowl VII on their Super Bowl XVII roster . The last member of the 1972 Redskins still active with the franchise , offensive tackle Terry Hermeling , retired after the 1980 season .