1973 Miami Dolphins season

8th season in franchise history; second Super Bowl win December 2013 March 2026 Miami Dolphins 1973 12–2 1st AFC East Don Shula Joe Robbie Miami Orange Bowl Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Bengals) 34–16Won AFC Championship(vs. Raiders) 27–10Won Super Bowl VIII(vs. Vikings) 24–7 12 QB Bob Griese LT Wayne Moore LB Nick Buoniconti RB Mercury Morris C Jim Langer WR Paul Warfield FS Jake Scott DE Bill Stanfill FB Larry Csonka K Garo Yepremian G Larry Little SS Dick Anderson Dolphins seasons The 1973 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's eighth season and fourth season in the National Football League (NFL). The team entered the 1973 season as defending Super Bowl champions following its perfect undefeated 1972 season. In week 1, the Dolphins extended their winning streak to 18 with a 21–13 win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the following week, they were defeated 12–7 by the Oakland Raiders to end the winning streak. The streak stood as an NFL record until it was broken by the New England Patriots in 2004 whose record of 21 consecutive wins still stands. The team won the AFC East, finishing with a regular season record of 12–2, and then defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round, the Raiders in the AFC Championship game, and the Minnesota Vikings in the league's eighth Super Bowl. It was the Dolphins' second consecutive (and to date last)as of 2024 Super Bowl victory. With the Dolphins' combined records of 17–0 and 15–2 over the course of their 1972 and 1973 seasons, the Dolphins posted a 32–2 total record over 2 years, for a winning percentage of .941. The Dolphins allowed just 10.7 points per game in the regular season, a franchise record still standing today. The last remaining active member of the 1973 Miami Dolphins was offensive lineman Ed Newman, who retired after the 1984 season, right after making it to Super Bowl XIX, also as a member of the Dolphins. Season summary Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17–0 perfect season of 1972, manySeptember 2019 sports writers, fans, and Dolphins players themselves felt that the 1973 team was better. While the 1972 team faced no competition in the regular season that had a record of better than 8-6 and/or .500, the 1973 team played against a much tougher schedule that included games against the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys (all playoff teams), plus two games against a resurgent Bills squad that featured 2,000-yard rusher O. J. Simpson, and a Cleveland Browns team that finished over .500. Miami finished with a 12–2 regular season, including their opening game victory over the defending 1972 NFC West champions, the San Francisco 49ers that tied an NFL record with eighteen consecutive wins. The Dolphins' streak ended in week two with a 12–7 loss to the Raiders in Berkeley, California. Miami then won the next 10 games. In November, the Dolphins scored 92 consecutive points against opponents, recording back to back shutout wins, before Dallas broke the string with a score on Thanksgiving Day. Just like the two previous seasons, Miami's offense relied primarily on their rushing attack. Fullback Larry Csonka recorded his third consecutive 1,000 rushing yard season (1,003 yards), while running back Mercury Morris rushed for 954 yards and scored 10 touchdowns, while leading the league with 6.4 yards per carry. Running back Jim Kiick was also a key contributor, rushing for 257 yards, and catching 27 passes for 208 yards. Quarterback Bob Griese, the AFC's second leading passer, completed only 116 passes for 1,422 yards, but threw about twice as many touchdown passes (17) as interceptions (8), and earned an 84.3 passer rating. Wide receiver Paul Warfield remained the main deep threat on the team, catching 29 passes for 514 yards and 11 touchdowns. The offensive line remained strong led by center Jim Langer and right guard Larry Little. Griese, Csonka, Warfield, Langer, and Little would all eventually be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Miami's "No Name Defense" continued to dominate their opponents. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti recovered three fumbles and returned one for a touchdown. Safety Dick Anderson led the team with eight interceptions, which he returned for 163 yards and two touchdowns. And safety Jake Scott, the previous season's Super Bowl MVP, had four interceptions and 71 return yards. The Dolphins were still using their "53" defense devised at the beginning of the 1972 season, where Bob Matheson (#53) would be brought in as a fourth linebacker in a 3–4 defense, with Manny Fernandez at nose tackle. Matheson could either rush the quarterback or drop back into coverage. In 2007, ESPN.com ranked the 1973 Dolphins as the eight-greatest defense in NFL history,The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007 noting that the team "held 11 opponents to 14 points or less, setting a record by allowing just 150 points in a 14-game season". Through 11 games and the first half of a Monday night against Pittsburgh, they had permitted only 104 points. Defensive end Bill Stanfill set a Dolphins' sack record that still stands, with 18.5. In the playoffs and Super Bowl, they allowed only 33 points against Cincinnati, Oakland and Minnesota. Stanfill, Manny Fernandez, Hall of Fame middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti, and safeties Dick Anderson (AP Defensive Player of the Year) and Jake Scott were all named to the 1973 All-Pro team. They also held record-breaking rusher O. J. Simpson to his lowest total yardage of the season, a mere 55 yards in Week Six. To date, the 1973 Miami Dolphins remain one of two teams (the 2019 Baltimore Ravens being the other) in NFL history with 12 players on their roster to be selected for the Pro Bowl. Offseason Draft 1973 NFL draft 1973 Miami Dolphins 2 52 Chuck Bradley TE Oregon Placed on IR 3 78 Leon Gray OT Jackson State Released, signed with New England Patriots yes 4 104 Bo Rather WR Michigan yes 5 111 Don Strock QB Virginia Tech yes 5 130 Dave McCurry DB Iowa State 6 156 Ed Newman OG Duke yes yes 7 160 Kevin Reilly LB Villanova 7 163 Benny Shepherd RB Arkansas Tech 7 178 Willie Hatter WR Northern Illinois 7 182 Thomas Smith FB Miami (FL) yes 8 208 Archie Pearmon DE Northeast Oklahoma 9 234 Karl Lorch DT USC 10 260 Ron Fernandes DE Eastern Michigan 11 286 Chris Kete C Boston University 12 312 Mike Mullen LB Tulane 13 338 Joe Booker RB Miami (OH) 14 364 Greg Boyd RB Arizona 15 389 Bill Palmer TE St. Thomas 16 416 James Jackson DE Norfolk State 17 442This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant. Charlie Wade WR Tennessee State Mr. Irrelevant yes no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/mia/1973_draft.htm 1973 Miami Dolphins draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com October 18, 2014 Personnel Staff / Coaches 1973 Miami Dolphins President – Joe Robbie Vice president – Don Shula Director of player personnel – Bobby Beathard Head coach – Don Shula Offense – Bill McPeak Offensive backs – Carl Taseff Offensive line – Monte Clark Assistant head coach/defense – Bill Arnsparger Defensive line – Mike Scarry Defensive backs – Tom Keane None - N/A None - N/Ahttps://www.profootballarchives.com/1973nflmia.html 1973 Miami Dolphins (NFL) Scores, Roster, Stats, Coaches, Draft profootballarchives.com Roster 1973 Miami Dolphins 12 Bob Griese 15 Earl Morrall 10 Don Strock 22 Mercury Morris 39 Larry Csonka FB 32 Hubert Ginn 21 Jim Kiick 23 Charles Leigh American football FB 36 Don Nottingham 29 Tom Smith American football FB 86 Marlin Briscoe 42 Paul Warfield 82 Bo Rather 34 Ron Sellers 81 Howard Twilley 80 Marv Fleming 88 Jim Mandich 79 Wayne Moore American football OT 67 Bob Kuechenberg OG 62 Jim Langer C 66 Larry Little OG 73 Norm Evans OT 77 Doug Crusan OT 55 Irv Goode OG 64 Ed Newman OG 76 Willie Young offensive tackle, born 1947 OT 83 Vern Den Herder DE 75 Manny Fernandez American football DT 72 Bob Heinz DT 84 Bill Stanfill DE 68 Ron Berger DT 65 Maulty Moore DT 70 Larry Woods DE 59 Doug Swift 85 Nick Buoniconti 57 Mike Kolen 51 Larry Ball 58 Bruce Bannon y 53 Bob Matheson 56 Jesse Powell American football 25 Tim Foley defensive back CB 45 Curtis Johnson cornerback CB 13 Jake Scott FS 40 Dick Anderson SS 49 Charlie Babb SS 26 Lloyd Mumphord CB 48 Henry Stuckey CB 1 Garo Yepremian K 20 Larry Seiple P -- Chuck Bradley tight end y C IR 10 Don Strock y QB Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 July 27, 1973 vs. College All-Stars W 14–3 1–0 Soldier Field (Chicago) 54,103 Recap 2 August 4, 1973 Cincinnati Bengals W 14–13 2–0 Miami Orange Bowl 78,091 Recap 3 August 11, 1973 New Orleans Saints W 14–13 3–0 Miami Orange Bowl 80,050 Recap 4 August 18, 1973 Chicago Bears T 9–9 3–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 78,590 Recap 5 August 24, 1973 Los Angeles Rams W 17–14 4–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 78,618 Recap 6 August 31, 1973 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–20 4–1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,619 Recap 7 September 6, 1973 at Dallas Cowboys L 23–26 4–2–1 Texas Stadium 61,378 Recap Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 16 San Francisco 49ers W 21–13 1–0 Miami Orange Bowl 68,275 2 September 23 at Oakland Raiders L 7–12 1–1 California Memorial Stadium 74,121 3 September 30 New England Patriots W 44–23 2–1 Miami Orange Bowl 62,508 4 October 7 New York Jets W 31–3 3–1 Miami Orange Bowl 63,850 5 October 15, 1973 at Cleveland Browns W 17–9 4–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 70,070 6 October 21 Buffalo Bills W 27–6 5–1 Miami Orange Bowl 65,241 7 October 28 at New England Patriots W 30–14 6–1 Schaefer Stadium 57,617 8 November 4 at New York Jets W 24–14 7–1 Shea Stadium 57,791 9 November 11 Baltimore Colts W 44–0 8–1 Miami Orange Bowl 60,332 10 November 18 at Buffalo Bills W 17–0 9–1 Rich Stadium 77,138 11 November 22 at Dallas Cowboys W 14–7 10–1 Texas Stadium 58,089 12 December 3, 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–26 11–1 Miami Orange Bowl 68,901 13 December 9 at Baltimore Colts L 3–16 11–2 Memorial Stadium 58,446 14 December 15, 1973 Detroit Lions W 34–7 12–2 Miami Orange Bowl 53,375 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 49ers 3 7 3 0 Dolphins 3 3 0 15 September 16 Orange Bowl 1:00 p.m. EST 92 F; wind 8 mph on Jim Tunney Jack Whitaker and Wayne Walker CBS yes Q1 SF Gossett 47 yard field goal SF 3–0 Q1 MIA Yepremian 31 yard field goal Tie 3–3 Q2 MIA Yepremian 53 yard field goal MIA 6–3 Q2 SF Washington 3 yard run (Gossett kick) SF 10–6 Q3 SF Gossett 30 yard field goal SF 13–6 Q4 MIA Warfield 10 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) Tie 13–13 Q4 MIA Yepremian 45 yard field goal MIA 16–13 Q4 MIA Safety, Wittum tackled by Johnson in end zone MIA 18–13 Q4 MIA Yepremian 22 yard field goal MIA 21–13 yes San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins - September 16th, 1973 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197309160mia.htm 2025-03-08 Pro-Football-Reference.com en Week 2 at Raiders 1973 Oakland Raiders season Miami Dolphins 1973 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Two: Miami Dolphins (1–0) at Oakland Raiders (0–1) September 23 4:00 p.m. Dolphins 0 0 0 7 Raiders 3 3 3 3 Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California 74,121 62 F C Norm Schachter NBC Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis Box Score First quarter OAK – George Blanda 12-yard field goal. Raiders 3–0. Drive: Second quarter OAK – George Blanda 46-yard field goal. Raiders 6–0. Drive: Third quarter OAK – George Blanda 19-yard field goal. Raiders 9–0. Drive: Fourth quarter OAK – George Blanda 10-yard field goal. Raiders 12–0. Drive: MIA – Jim Mandich 28-yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick). Raiders 12–7. Drive: Top passers MIA – Bob Griese – 12/25, 90 yards, TD OAK – Daryle Lamonica – 7/10, 63 yards, INT Top rushers MIA – Mercury Morris – 7 rushes, 48 yards OAK – Marv Hubbard – 20 rushes, 88 yards Top receivers MIA – Jim Mandich – 2 receptions, 38 yards, TD OAK – Fred Biletnikoff – 3 receptions, 36 yards The Raiders became the first team to defeat Miami since Super Bowl VI. The game was played at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley due to a scheduling conflict at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum with the A's.Koppett Leonard Blanda Kicks End Dolphin String, 12‐7 https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/24/archives/blanda-kicks-end-dolphin-string-127-blandas-4-kicks-beat-dolphins.html 12 February 2022 New York Times September 24, 1973 Week 4 Jets 0 0 0 3 Dolphins 14 10 7 0 October 7 Orange Bowl 1:00 p.m. EST 80 F; wind 6 mph on Chuck Heberling yes Q1 MIA Morris 3 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q1 MIA Briscoe 12 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 14–0 Q2 MIA Yepremian 19 yard field goal MIA 17–0 Q2 MIA Warfield 3 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 24–0 Q3 MIA Warfield 40 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 31–0 Q4 NYJ Howfield 38 yard field goal MIA 31–3 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 6 Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphinshttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197310140buf.htm Buffalo Bills 6 at Miami Dolphins 27 June 28, 2010 Sports Reference LLC Pro-Football-Reference.com Buffalo Bills (4–2) Miami Dolphins (5–1) 3 0 0 3 3 21 3 0 October 21, 1973 Orange Bowl (astroturf)Miami, Florida 1:00 PM 65,241 80 F, relative humidity 77%, wind 17 mph on mph Fred Silva Miami took over first place in the AFC East by halting Simpson's streak of consecutive 100-yard performances. They held him to 55 yards on 14 carries before he left the game with an ankle sprain in the fourth quarter. Miami posted a 21-point second quarter highlighted by a pair of touchdown passes from Bob Griese to Jim Mandich. The Bills made no first downs in the first half.Packers racked, O. J. squeezed October 22, 1973 C3 Chicago Tribune Leypoldt and Garo Yepremian opened and closed the scoring by swapping field goals. The Dolphins' other touchdown came when a 21-yard Paul Warfield reception set up a Mercury Morris 4-yard touchdown.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EjEcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OFoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6696,3258612&dq=buffalo+bills+simpson&hl=en Dolphins Stop Simpson Bills August 24, 2010 October 22, 1973 The Victoria Advocate June 2016 medicmedic Week 8 Dolphins 7 7 10 0 Jets 0 14 0 0 November 4 Shea Stadium 1:00 p.m. EST 47 F; wind 17 mph on Fred Wyant yes Q1 MIA Morris 19 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q2 NYJ Riggins 1 yard run (Howfield kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 NYJ Riggins 3 yard run (Howfield kick) NYJ 14–7 Q2 MIA Morris 4 yard run (Yepremian kick) Tie 14–14 Q3 MIA Warfield 37 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 21–14 Q3 MIA Yepremian 20 yard field goal MIA 24–14 yes Pro Football Reference.com Week 10 Week 10: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Billshttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197311180buf.htm Miami Dolphins 17 at Buffalo Bills 0 June 28, 2010 Sports Reference LLC Pro-Football-Reference.com Miami Dolphins (9–1) Buffalo Bills (5–5) 7 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 November 18, 1973 Rich Stadium (astroturf)Orchard Park, New York 1:00 PM 77,138 37 degrees, relative humidity 70%, wind 12 mph on mph, wind chill 28 Dick Jorgensen The Dolphins clinched the East Division title with a 17–0 shutout of the Bills. Miami's first touchdown drive included two fourth-and-one conversions by Jim Kiick. With Miami leading 10–0, Buffalo drove from their own 20-yard-line to the Dolphins' 4-yard-line and then turned the ball over on downs four plays later at the 1-yard-line.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HOgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xTgHAAAAIBAJ&pg=3448,1093665&dq=buffalo+bills+1973&hl=en Miami defeats Bills to clinch division crown June 28, 2010 November 19, 1973 Bangor Daily News In the game, the Bills were shut out despite a pair of 100-yard rushing efforts by Simpson and Braxton who posted 120 and 119 yards respectively. Week 12 Steelers 0 3 7 16 Dolphins 20 10 0 0 December 3 Orange Bowl 9:00 p.m. EST 68,901 75 F; wind 14 mph on Ben Dreith Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith ABC yes Q1 MIA Anderson 27 yard interception return (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q1 MIA Yepremian 28 yard field goal MIA 10–0 Q1 MIA Yepremian 46 yard field goal MIA 13–0 Q1 MIA Mandich 2 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 20–0 Q2 MIA Anderson 38 yard interception return (Yepremian kick) MIA 27–0 Q2 PIT Gerela 37 yard field goal MIA 27–3 Q2 MIA Yepremian 14 yard field goal MIA 30–3 Q3 PIT P. Pearson 5 yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) MIA 30–10 Q4 PIT Harris 21 yard run (Gerela kick) MIA 30–17 Q4 PIT B. Pearson 17 yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick) MIA 30–24 Q4 PIT Safety, Griese tackled by White in end zone MIA 30–26 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 14 Lions 0 0 0 7 Dolphins 14 17 3 0 December 15 Orange Bowl 1:00 p.m. EST 69 F; wind 7 mph on Norm Schachter Jack Buck and Pat Summerall CBS yes Q1 MIA Warfield 21 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q1 MIA Warfield 7 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 14–0 Q2 MIA Yepremian 27 yard field goal MIA 17–0 Q2 MIA Warfield 16 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 24–0 Q2 MIA Warfield 4 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 31–0 Q3 MIA Yepremian 28 yard field goal MIA 34–0 Q4 DET Owens 5 yard run (Mann kick) MIA 34–7 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Standings NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296 Postseason Divisional Bengals 3 13 0 0 Dolphins 14 7 10 3 December 23 Orange Bowl 1:00 p.m. EST 78,928 55 F; wind 8 mph on Bernie Ulman Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis NBC yes Q1 MIA Warfield 13 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q1 CIN Muhlmann 24 yard field goal MIA 7–3 Q1 MIA Csonka 1 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 14–3 Q2 MIA Morris 4 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 21–3 Q2 CIN Craig 45 yard interception return (Muhlmann kick) MIA 21–10 Q2 CIN Muhlmann 46 yard field goal MIA 21–13 Q2 CIN Muhlmann 10 yard field goal MIA 21–16 Q3 MIA Mandich 7 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick) MIA 28–16 Q3 MIA Yepremian 50 yard field goal MIA 31–16 Q4 MIA Yepremian 46 yard field goal MIA 34–16 yes Pro Football Reference.com The Dolphins outgained Cincinnati in total yards, 400–194, and first downs, 27–11, while also scoring on three of their first four possessions and shutting out the Bengals in the second half. The Dolphins racked up 241 yards on the ground, including 106 from Mercury Morris and 71 from Larry Csonka, while receiver Paul Warfield caught 5 passes for 95 yards and a score. Bob Griese completed 11 of 18 passes for 159 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, for a passer rating of 103.7. Griese's 18 pass attempts were the most that he would throw throughout the entire 1973-74 playoffs. For the rest of the playoffs, Griese would throw less than 10 times per game. Conference Championship Raiders 0 0 10 0 Dolphins 7 7 3 10 December 30 Orange Bowl 4:00 p.m. EST 79,325 74 F; wind 8 mph on Tommy Bell Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis NBC yes Q1 MIA Csonka 11 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q2 MIA Csonka 2 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 14–0 Q3 OAK Blanda 21 yard field goal MIA 14–3 Q3 MIA Yepremian 42 yard field goal MIA 17–3 Q3 OAK Siani 25 yard pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) MIA 17–10 Q4 MIA Yepremian 26 yard field goal MIA 20–10 Q4 MIA Csonka 2 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 27–10 yes Pro Football Reference.com Running back Larry Csonka led the Dolphins to a victory with 117 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Mercury Morris also ran for 86 yards. Bob Griese threw just six passes during the game, completing three. Super Bowl Super Bowl VIII Vikings 0 0 0 7 Dolphins 14 3 7 0 January 13 Rice Stadium 2:50 p.m. CDT 71,882 Cloudy; 47 F Ben Dreith Ray Scott, Pat Summerall, and Bart Starr CBS yes Q1 MIA Csonka 5 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0 Q1 MIA Kiick 1 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 14–0 Q2 MIA Yepremian 28 yard field goal MIA 17–0 Q3 MIA Csonka 2 yard run (Yepremian kick) MIA 24–0 Q4 MIN Tarkenton 4 yard run (Cox kick) MIA 24–7 yes Pro Football Reference.com Larry Csonka rushed for 145 yards on 33 carries, scoring two touchdowns, and was named MVP. Bob Griese threw just seven passes all game, completing six. Awards and honors Larry Csonka, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Pro Bowl Selections (voted by NFL coaches for players other than their own):Hill of Jets, 11 Dolphins In Pro Bowl, New York Times (archives), William N. Wallace, Dec. 20, 1973. Even though the headline states 11 Dolphins, the article itself lists 12 Dolphins including kicker Garo Yepremian. Offense: Bob Griese, Quarterback Jim Langer, Offensive line (center) Larry Little, Offensive line (guard) Wayne Moore, Offensive line (tackle) Larry Csonka, Running back Mercury Morris, Running back Paul Warfield, Wide Receiver Garo Yepremian, Place Kicker Defense: Bill Stanfill, Defensive end Nick Buoniconti, Middle Linebacker Dick Anderson, Safety Jake Scott, Safety Notes and references External links 1973 Miami Dolphins at Pro-Football-Reference.com Miami Category:Miami Dolphins seasons Category:AFC East championship seasons Category:American Football Conference championship seasons Category:Super Bowl champion seasons Miami Dolphins Category:1970s in Miami