Miami Dolphins are a National Football League team based in Miami, Florida. Founded: 1966, as an American Football League expansion team. Entered the NFL as part of the 1970 merger. Home field: They play home games at Sun Life Stadium, in the suburb of Miami Gardens. Uniform colors: Aqua Green and Orange (Dark Blue was added to the logo and uniforms as an accent color in the late 90's). the Dolphins primarily wear white jerseys at home, except for night contests when they dress in aqua jerseys.
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Miami Dolphins, professional football team and one of the four teams in the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). the team is named for the dolphins that inhabit the coastal waters of Florida.

For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula, the winningest head coach in professional football history. His Dolphins teams posted losing records in only 2 of his 26 seasons with the club. In 1972 the Dolphins became the first and only NFL team to complete a 14-game regular season (and the entire postseason) without a loss. Five future Hall of Fame members played for Miami during the 1970s, including running back Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese. During the 1980s and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most prolific passer in NFL history. He piloted the Dolphins to numerous playoff appearances and one Super Bowl, and he holds numerous NFL career passing records.

Miami joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas in 1965. the Dolphins began play in 1966, and after four consecutive losing seasons, Don Shula replaced George Wilson as head coach. Miami joined the NFL in 1970 when the NFL and AFL completed their merger.

the 1970s

the Dolphins were a successful team during the early 1970s, capturing the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese and wide receiver Paul Warfield. the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL history (82 minutes 40 seconds). In Super Bowl VI, however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3.

In 1972 the Dolphins accomplished an amazing feat, becoming the first NFL team to finish a season undefeated (the 1948 Cleveland Browns had accomplished the feat, but as members of the All-America Football Conference). (This is sometimes called the "Perfect Season".) Miami went on to win two playoff games and then Super Bowl VII, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7. During this season, Griese and veteran quarterback Earl Morrall shared the passing duties, and running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to rush for more than 1,000 yards each. the offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little. the 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No-Name Defense because Miami's impressive offense received much more publicity, was the league's best that year. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott.

The Dolphins won 12 games during the 1973 season and repeated as Super Bowl VIII champions, routing the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. Miami reached the playoffs again in 1974 but lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders. After the disappointing defeat, several players, including Csonka, Warfield, and running back Jim Kiick, joined the short-lived World Football League. the Dolphins managed to win ten games in 1975, aided by Griese's consistency and the fine play of wide receiver Nat Moore. they did not make the playoffs however, losing on a tiebreaker to the Baltimore Colts.

Miami rebounded from a losing record in 1976 by winning ten or more games in four of the next five seasons. Shula built a solid defense around a new set of stars, including linebacker A. J. Duhe and linemen Bob Baumhower and Doug Betters. the Dolphins went 10-4 again in 1977, but again lost the division title (and playoff spot) to the Colts. they made the playoffs as a wild card in 1978, but lost in the first round to the Houston Oilers.

Csonka returned to the Dolphins in time for the 1979 season. After winning the division with a 10-6 record, the Dolphins lost the divisional playoff to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

the 1980s

In 1980 the late David Woodley took over at quarterback and Griese retired after the season. the Dolphins finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

the Dolphins were back on top of the AFC East in the 1981 season, with an 11-4-1 record. they reached the divisional playoff against the San Diego Chargers, regarded by some as one of the most memorable games in NFL history. After being down 24-0, Miami tied it at 24. After taking the lead, San Diego tied it up 38-38 late. Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow, under exhaustion, blocked Uwe von Schummann's field goal try on the last play of regulation, and Rolf Benirschke kicked the game-winner for San Diego in overtime.

In the strike-shortened season of 1982, the Dolphins, led by the "Killer B's" defense (Baumhower, Bill Barnett, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper and Bob Brudzinski), held five of their nine opponents to 14 or fewer points en route to their fourth Super Bowl appearance. During the first two rounds of the playoffs they got revenge for previous losses. Late in the season in a snowy game against the New England Patriots, a convicted felon on work release cleared a path for Patriots kicker John Smith to score the game-winning field goal. In the first round in Miami, they met again, with the Dolphins winning easily. In the second round against San Diego the Dolphins got revenge for their loss the previous year, winning even more handily. After shutting out the New York Jets in the AFC championship, they lost Super Bowl XVII to Washington 27-17. Ironically after enjoying success rooted in a defense-first philosophy, and employing a ball control offense to take pressure off of lacklustre quarterbacks, the next 17 seasons would be marked by an average rushing game and defense that limited a great quarterback.

During the third game of the 1983 season, Shula replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino, who went on to win the AFC passing championship and rookie of the year award. During the mid-1980s Marino produced the most impressive set of passing statistics in NFL history, setting single-season records for most yards (5,084), touchdown passes (48), and completions (362) during the 1984 season. Seldom sacked by defenders, Marino was protected by an outstanding offensive line as he passed to receivers such as Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. Despite the regular season success (the Dolphins went 12-4, the only team in the AFC East with a winning record), they were upset in the divisional playoff by the Seattle Seahawks. Defensive End Doug Betters was the Defensive Player of the Year.

In 1984, the Dolphins won their first 11 games en route to a 14-2 season. Marino, in his first full season, was voted MVP as he threw for over 5000 yards and 48 touchdowns. Miami beat the Seahawks and Steelers in the playoffs to get to Super Bowl XIX. In the title game, however, Miami lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38-16. It would be Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.

In 1985 Miami went 12-4 and was the only team that beat the Chicago Bears all year. After beating the Cleveland Browns in the divisional playoffs, many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX. the Cinderella New England Patriots, the Dolphins' opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans. New England forced 6 turnovers on the way to a 31-14 win - the Patriots' first in Miami since 1969.

In 1986 the Dolphins, hampered by defensive struggles, stumbled to 8-8, out of the playoff picture. the problems continued in 1987, with an 8-7 record in a strike-shortened year; their first at new Joe Robbie Stadium. Miami had their first losing season in years in 1988, and were back to 8-8 in 1989.

the 1990s

By 1990 the Dolphins had finally shaped up on defense, and finished with a 11-5 record, second in the AFC East. they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round, but lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoff. the team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991, and narrowly missed the playoffs on an overtime loss to the New York Jets the final week of the season.

the Dolphins finished 11-5 in 1992, capturing the AFC East title in Mark Higgs' best season as a running back and Keith Jackson (newly acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles) leading the team in receiving. they beat the Chargers in the divisional playoff, but were stunned by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship.

1993 turned into a disastrous year for the Dolphins. Both Marino and backup Scott Mitchell suffered season-ending injuries, and Miami lost its final 5 games to miss the playoffs at 9-7. With Marino back for the 1994 season they won the AFC East again with a 10-6 record. After beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round, they suffered a heart-breaking last-second loss to the San Diego Chargers in the divisional playoff.

In 1995 Marino broke the career passing records formerly held by Fran Tarkenton for yards (48,841), touchdowns (352), and completions (3,913). the Dolphins finished 9-7, second in the AFC East, but still made the playoffs as a wild card; losing to Buffalo in the first round. Following the 1995 season Don Shula became an executive in the Dolphins' front office. Jimmy Johnson, who had won a collegiate national championship at the University of Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, was named as Shula's replacement.

In 1996 Miami finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs, with rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar's 1000-yard rushing season one of the lone bright spots. In 1997 Miami stumbled late and backed into the playoffs with a 9-7 season, losing to the New England Patriots in the wild card round.

Miami had a solid 10-6 season in 1998 with a career season for receiver O.J. McDuffie, but it was not enough to get past the New York Jets into first place in the division. the Dolphins beat the Bills in the wild card round, but lost to the eventual champion Denver Broncos (who lost only one of two games that season to Miami) in the divisional playoff.

In 1999 Marino would be injured in a game where backup Damon Huard led a comeback. In Marino's first game back, he would have the worst game of his career, on Thanksgiving in Dallas, throwing 5 interceptions and having a passer rating of 0.0. Miami went 2-6 in their last eight games, but still backed into the playoffs at 9-7. After a close win over Seattle in the wild card round, they suffered one the worst playoff losses in NFL history against the Jacksonville Jaguars: 62-7. After the season, Jimmy Johnson left the team and Marino retired.

the 2000s

2000–2001

Zach Thomas contributed heavily to the Dolphins 00' and 01' playoff runs.Before the 2000 season, Dave Wannstedt, formerly of the Chicago Bears, became the new coach, and ex-Jacksonville Jaguars backup Jay Fiedler became the new quarterback, even though former Marino backup Damon Huard had been considered the favorite. Despite lowered expectations, the defense broke through with Jason Taylor and Trace Armstrong each getting 10 sacks, and four players (Sam Madison, Brian Walker, Brock Marion and Patrick Surtain) tallying at least five interceptions. All-pro linebacker Zach Thomas also contributed many tackles. In addition, Lamar Smith rushed for 1,139 yards, and Miami finished atop the AFC East with an 11–5 record. In the first round of the playoffs, Miami took the Indianapolis Colts to overtime and won on a Lamar Smith touchdown run. Smith finished with 209 yards on 40 carries, but in the next round, the Dolphins were shut out by the Oakland Raiders, and a worn-out Smith was barely able to run.

The 2001 offseason brought in rookie Chris Chambers at wide receiver, but Trace Armstrong left, as did two offensive linemen, Richmond Webb, a Pro Bowl anchor since 1990, and Kevin Donnalley. During the 2001 season, the Dolphins relied on a strong defense to finish 11–5, earning a Wild Card spot and finishing second in the AFC East behind the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. The Dolphins lost in the first round of the playoffs 20–3 to the Baltimore Ravens.


2002

Ricky Williams during a Pro Bowl stint Miami revitalized its running game in time for the 2002 season by trading for New Orleans Saints running back Ricky Williams. In addition, rookie tight end Randy McMichael made his presence felt. The Dolphins, behind a new offensive scheme under freshly hired offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and a power running game led by Williams, quickly rushed out to a 5–1 start, including an incredible last minute comeback by Fiedler against the Broncos. However, Fiedler injured his thumb and would be out for an extended period of time. This intrigued some Dolphins fans, who believed backup Ray Lucas could outdo the much-maligned Fiedler. However, Lucas was abysmal in his first two games and merely average in his third, and the team dropped three straight. Miami rebounded with wins over Baltimore and an impressive thumping of San Diego, but lost to Buffalo. Still, Miami pulled off an impressive win over the Oakland Raiders and sat at 9–5 with two weeks left in the season, in prime position to steal the AFC East. However, despite dominating the New England Patriots for most of the game in Week 17, the Dolphins blew an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter of a devastating loss. Due to a tiebreaker, both the Dolphins and Patriots lost out on the playoffs as the Jets took the AFC East title. Many fans called for Wannstedt's firing, but he was kept on for the 2003 season. Despite it all, the team believed it had plenty to look forward to, as Ricky Williams broke Dolphins records with 1,853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.

2003

The 2003 Miami Dolphins were a hard team to pinpoint. The defense was again solid and forced a lot of turnovers, and opposing offenses found running the ball extremely difficult. However, poor offensive line play (despite most of the starters returning) gave little room for Ricky to run, and the offense was stagnant. The Dolphins began with a repeat of 2002's season end, with a complete meltdown against the Houston Texans, but they rebounded to win four straight games. During a crushing overtime loss at the hands of the Patriots, Jay Fiedler was injured, forcing newly acquired backup Brian Griese to lead the Dolphins to victory the next week over San Diego. That, however, was Griese's high point, and after a good showing against Indianapolis in a losing effort, he was lousy against the Titans and highly ineffective against the Ravens. When Griese and the Dolphins fell behind to the Washington Redskins, Jay Fiedler came off the bench and saved their season, leading them to a comeback victory, 24–23. Miami looked like it might rebound thanks to a victory over the Dallas Cowboys that took them to 8–4, but two key losses to the Patriots and the Eagles ended Miami's postseason hopes. Miami finished 10–6.


2004

The 2004 offseason was disastrous for the Dolphins. Tight end Randy McMichael was arrested for domestic violence and wide receiver David Boston (signed from San Diego) suffered an injury in training camp and missed the entire season (Boston also failed a drug test for steroids later in the season). But the biggest shock came when Ricky Williams retired for then-unspecified reasons, until it was eventually revealed that a) Williams had recently suffered his third strike under the NFL's substance abuse policy, and b) to a lesser degree felt he was unnecessarily overused by Wannstedt. Many experts predicted a disastrous season for the Dolphins. These predictions proved right as Miami dropped their first six games of the 2004 season, marking the worst start in franchise history at the time. After the team fell to 1–8, Wannstedt resigned on November 9, 2004. He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Bates. The Dolphins fared slightly better under Bates, winning three of their final seven games, including a 29–28 upset victory over the defending champion Patriots on December 20 in a nationally televised Monday Night Football contest. Despite this, the Dolphins decided not to hire Bates for the permanent coaching position.


2005–2006

After a 4-12 season, the Dolphins selected running back Ronnie Brown with their first pick.Instead of retaining Jim Bates, the Dolphins hired LSU coach Nick Saban. With the second pick the 2005 NFL Draft, Nick Saban elected to go with Auburn running back Ronnie Brown. And with that, the Nick Saban era kicked off with a 34–10 win against the Denver Broncos. From there, however, the Dolphins struggled, losing seven of their next nine games to fall to 3–7. The two wins came over the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints, a game that took place in Tiger Stadium due to Hurricane Katrina. After a frustrating two months, however, the Dolphins would rally late in the season, as they won their final six games, including a win to end the season over the New England Patriots. The team finished the year 9–7, and narrowly missed the playoffs.

In Saban's second season, the Dolphins were expected to contend for a playoff spot. The season, however, turned out to be a major disappointment. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper never recovered from his devastating knee injury from the previous season, and was ultimately benched after the fourth game of the season and eventually put on Injured Reserve. After starting the season 1–6, they won four straight games, back in the playoff hunt at 5–6, but a few losses later ended their playoff hopes. This was Saban's first and last losing season as a head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

On January 3, 2007, Saban announced that he had accepted a contract for eight years and a guaranteed $32 million to coach at the University of Alabama. Saban left despite making several public statements in the preceding weeks assuring fans and owner Wayne Huizenga that he would be staying on as coach of the Dolphins. Cam Cameron, previously the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, was then introduced as the new head coach of the Dolphins.


2007

The Dolphins began their season with Trent Green as their starting quarterback but after four games, Green was put on the injured reserve. For the rest of the way, the Dolphins went with Cleo Lemon and rookie John Beck as their quarterbacks. The Dolphins also suffered another setback with then NFL leading rusher Ronnie Brown went down for the season with a knee injury.

Midway through the 2007 season, the NFL scheduled the Dolphins' home game against the New York Giants to be played in London's Wembley Stadium; this was the NFL's first regular-season game to be played outside of North America. The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13-10. Shortly afterwards, one of Miami's top wide receivers Chris Chambers, who was acquired in 2001, was traded to the San Diego Chargers. On December 16, the Dolphins ended a 16 game losing streak by defeating the Baltimore Ravens at home 22–16 in overtime on a 64 yard touchdown from Cleo Lemon to Greg Camarillo, making the wideout an instant cult hero with the fans. Despite the win over the Ravens, the team would lose its next two games to finish an NFL worst 1–15, which tied the then NFL record for most losses in a season with 15, a record shared by 7 other teams, according to Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau. The record for most losses has since been held by the 2008 Detroit Lions with an 0-16 record.

2008

Late in the 2007 season, two-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells was named Executive Vice President of the Dolphins football operations. Shortly after the season finale, Parcells fired general manager Randy Mueller and on January 3, 2008, head coach Cam Cameron was fired along with almost all of his staff. That same offseason, the Dolphins also parted ways with two Pro Bowlers and long-time Dolphins, releasing linebacker Zach Thomas (who later signed with the Dallas Cowboys) and trading defensive end Jason Taylor to the Washington Redskins for a second round draft pick.

Parcells then proceeded to hire Tony Sparano, who was previously an assistant under Parcells during his days as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins ultimately took Jake Long, star offensive lineman out of the University of Michigan with the first pick of the 2008 draft and drafted quarterback (Chad Henne) with their second round pick for a second consecutive year. After the New York Jets traded for Brett Favre and released quarterback Chad Pennington the same day, the Dolphins quickly signed Pennington, who was a former Parcells draft pick.

Going into their bye week (week 4), the only Dolphins victory was over the New England Patriots in week 3. Their next game was against the San Diego Chargers on October 5, 2008 in which the Dolphins prevailed 17–10 and earned a .500 record 2–2; however, the two wins were against the two teams that contested the 2007–08 AFC Championship game. The implementation of the "Wildcat" offense or single-wing offense was covered heavily by the media, despite the package being used sparingly during their two upset victories vs. the Patriots and Chargers.

Early on, Miami suffered the narrowest of defeats when they lost 29-28 to the Houston Texans. The team, however, would bounce back with four consecutive victories over the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Oakland Raiders. After a crushing twenty point loss to New England, the Dolphins fell to third in the AFC East division. Again Miami rebounded to win their next four games, against the (St. Louis Rams, Bills in Toronto, 49ers, and Chiefs). This brought their record to 10-5 and let them control their destiny against the New York Jets in the regular season finale.

Pennington, the former Jet, outdueled future Hall of Famer Brett Favre to lead the Dolphins to victory 24-17 to win the AFC East past the New England Patriots. A year after going 1–15, the Dolphins completed a remarkable turnaround under first-year coach Tony Sparano, joining the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to make 10-win improvements. Miami, which ended the regular season by winning five straight and nine of 10, made the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. It was the Dolphins' first AFC East title since 2000. However, the Dolphins lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens 27–9.

2009

On March 25, 2009 it was reported by ESPN reporter Chris Mortensen that the Dolphins intend to have Chad Henne be the starting quarterback by the 2010 season. Leaving current starting quarterback, Chad Pennington's future with the team in doubt after the 2009 season. Henne will receive at least 12 quarters of play in the 2009 preseason to prepare him for the 2010 season.