1972 Miami Dolphins season
Morrall, a 38-year-old who spent much of his career backing up stars including Griese, Johnny Unitas, and Bobby Layne, was named MVP in 1968 under Shula when the pair led the Baltimore Colts to the NFL championship.
The team drafted quarterback Bob Griese in 1967, fullback Larry Csonka in 1968, and defensive end Bill Stanfill and running back Mercury Morris in 1969.
In the 1970 draft and ensuing free agency period, Shula added cornerback Tim Foley, safety Jake Scott, guard Bob Kuechenberg, and future Hall of Fame center Jim Langer.
[21] Late in the second quarter, the Dolphins scored twice in quick succession – a 47-yard Garo Yepremian field goal and a two-yard Larry Csonka run following an interception by Jake Scott.
Miami engineered another four-play scoring drive on its following possession, using a 30-yard Paul Warfield reception to set up a short Larry Csonka touchdown and give the Dolphins a 20–0 halftime lead.
However, Kiick's second touchdown following a fourteen-play drive in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach, and a Tim Foley interception sealed a 34–13 Dolphins victory.
The first-ever meeting between the Dolphins and Vikings began with a long first-quarter touchdown from Fran Tarkenton to John Gilliam; Minnesota held this 7–0 lead into halftime.
A second Yepremian field goal cut Minnesota's lead to one point, but the Vikings responded with thirteen-play drive which ended in a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Jets received the opening kickoff and quickly marched 65 yards downfield, taking a 7–0 lead when a Cliff McClain fumble was recovered by guard Randy Rasmussen in the end zone.
Miami fumbled a punt deep in its own territory in the fourth quarter and allowed New York cut the lead to 24–17, but a late field goal put the game out of reach as the Dolphins won 27–17.
The Dolphins and Chargers traded first-quarter field goals before Dick Anderson returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown to give Miami a 10–3 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Morrall attempted to throw a lateral pass, but fumbled and Buffalo defensive tackle Don Croft secured the ball.
[39] The Bills then overtook the Dolphins on a drive capped off by quarterback Dennis Shaw throwing a 13-yard pass to running back Randy Jackson, although John Leypoldt's extra point attempt would be blocked.
Shortly thereafter, Dolphins quarterback Earl Morrall was intercepted by Bills safety Tony Greene and returned for a touchdown, narrowing Miami's lead to 16–13.
[48] The Dolphins increased their lead further in the second quarter, with a 10-yard field goal by Yepremian and a one-yard rush by running back Jim Kiick on a drive that spanned 89 yards.
New York running back Ron Johnson rushed one-yard for a touchdown, which was preceded by a 34-yard pass from quarterback Norm Snead to wide receiver Don Herrmann.
Miami quickly responded with a 10 play, 82-yard drive capped off by a 12-yard rush by Mercury Morris for a touchdown and a successful extra point attempt by Garo Yepremian.
Later in the first quarter, New York's Rocky Thompson fumbled during a kickoff return, with the ball recovered by Miami running back Charles Leigh.
A turnover by New York's John Mendenhall during a punt return later in the fourth quarter led to another field goal by Yepremian, this time by a distance of 16 yards.
The 1972 Dolphins became the third team in the history of the NFL to complete a regular season undefeated and untied, after the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears, while the 1948 Cleveland Browns achieved a 14–0 record as a member of the All-America Football Conference.
The Dolphins scored first, after rookie safety Charlie Babb blocked Browns placekicker Don Cockroft's punt at the Cleveland 17-yard line and returned the ball for a touchdown.
Miami added to their lead with a 40-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian near the end of the first quarter, although their offense, ranked the best in the league for the 1972 season, otherwise remained mostly stagnant in the first half.
Because home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly rotation prior to the 1975 postseason, the Dolphins traveled to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game on December 31 despite being undefeated.
After Maulty Moore blocked another Gerela field goal attempt, the Dolphins increased their lead to 21–10 following a 49-yard drive capped by another rush by Kiick, this time by 3 yards.
But the Dolphins failed to capitalize and both teams exchanged punts, while Kilmer threw another interception to Nick Buoniconti, who then returned the ball for 32 yards, with two minutes remaining in the half.
[58] There is an urban legend that every season, whenever the last remaining undefeated NFL team loses its first game, all the surviving members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins open bottles of champagne in celebration.
[66] The Dolphins were beneficiaries of a weak AFC East that saw the Colts lapse from a perennial contender into a three-year stretch in which they would win only 11 games; a Bills team yet to find its legs with O. J. Simpson and the return of coach Lou Saban; a dysfunctional Patriots organization that had little to no talent to surround former No.
1 overall draft choice Jim Plunkett; and a Jets squad with a porous defense, offsetting the benefits of Joe Namath remaining healthy throughout the season and an emerging John Riggins in the running game.
Since the 1975 season, teams that have won their division and have had a superior record than their opponent (as was the case with the 1972 Dolphins when they faced the Steelers) would play their postseason games at home.
[68] However, MSNBC reported that this was a deliberate snub by Nixon, who was a Redskins fan, even though Nixon owned a vacation home in nearby Key Biscayne, Florida and telephoned Shula only hours after the Dolphins defeated the Colts in the 1971 AFC Championship game to suggest a play for Miami to use in Super Bowl VI (a down-and-out pass to Warfield that was broken up by Cowboys safety Cornell Green).
