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1973 Miami Dolphins season
OwnerJoe Robbie
Head coachDon Shula
Home fieldMiami Orange Bowl
Results
Record12–2
Division place1st AFC East
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Bengals) 34–16
Won AFC Championship
(vs. Raiders) 27–10
Won Super Bowl VIII
(vs. Vikings) 24–7
Pro Bowlers12
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

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 champion 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)[1] 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

[edit]

Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17–0 perfect season of 1972, many[who?] 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.

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,[2] 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". 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.

Offseason

[edit]

Draft

[edit]
Main article: 1973 NFL draft
1973 Miami Dolphins draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 52 Chuck Bradley  TE Oregon Placed on IR
3 78 Leon Gray *  OT Jackson State Released, signed with New England Patriots
4 104 Bo Rather  WR Michigan
5 111 Don Strock  QB Virginia Tech
5 130 Dave McCurry  DB Iowa State
6 156 Ed Newman *  OG Duke
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)
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
17 442[3] Charlie Wade  WR Tennessee State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[4]

Personnel

[edit]

Staff / Coaches

[edit]
1973 Miami Dolphins staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Don Shula

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • None - N/A

Strength and conditioning

  • None - N/A


[5]

Roster

[edit]
1973 Miami Dolphins roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)


Linebackers (LB)


Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve


Rookies in italics

Preseason

[edit]
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 July 27 vs. College All-Stars W 14–3 1–0 Soldier Field (Chicago) 54,103 Recap
2 August 4 Cincinnati Bengals W 14–13 2–0 Miami Orange Bowl 78,091 Recap
3 August 11 New Orleans Saints W 14–13 3–0 Miami Orange Bowl 80,050 Recap
4 August 18 Chicago Bears T 9–9 3–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 78,590 Recap
5 August 24 Los Angeles Rams W 17–14 4–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 78,618 Recap
6 August 31 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–20 4–1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 46,619 Recap
7 September 6 at Dallas Cowboys L 23–26 4–2–1 Texas Stadium 61,378 Recap

Regular season

[edit]

Schedule

[edit]
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 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 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 Detroit Lions W 34–7 12–2 Miami Orange Bowl 53,375

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

[edit]

Week 1

[edit]
1 234Total
49ers 3 730 13
• Dolphins 3 3015 21
Scoring summary
Q1SFGossett 47 yard field goalSF 3–0
Q1MIAYepremian 31 yard field goalTie 3–3
Q2MIAYepremian 53 yard field goalMIA 6–3
Q2SFWashington 3 yard run (Gossett kick)SF 10–6
Q3SFGossett 30 yard field goalSF 13–6
Q4MIAWarfield 10 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)Tie 13–13
Q4MIAYepremian 45 yard field goalMIA 16–13
Q4MIASafety, Wittum tackled by Johnson in end zoneMIA 18–13
Q4MIAYepremian 22 yard field goalMIA 21–13

[6]

Week 2 at Raiders

[edit]
See also: 1973 Oakland Raiders season
Week Two: Miami Dolphins (1–0) at Oakland Raiders (0–1)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 0 077
Raiders 3 3 3312

at Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

Game information

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.[7]

Week 4

[edit]
1 234Total
Jets 0 003 3
• Dolphins 14 1070 31
  • Date: October 7
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C); wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
  • Referee: Chuck Heberling
Scoring summary
Q1MIAMorris 3 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q1MIABriscoe 12 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 14–0
Q2MIAYepremian 19 yard field goalMIA 17–0
Q2MIAWarfield 3 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 24–0
Q3MIAWarfield 40 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 31–0
Q4NYJHowfield 38 yard field goalMIA 31–3

[8]

Week 6

[edit]
Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins[9]
1 234Total
Buffalo Bills (4–2) 3 003 6
• Miami Dolphins (5–1) 3 2130 27
  • Date: October 21, 1973
  • Location: Orange Bowl (astroturf)
    Miami, Florida
  • Game start: 1:00 PM
  • Game attendance: 65,241
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), relative humidity 77%, wind 17 mph (27 km/h) mph
  • Referee: 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.[10] 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.[11]

Week 8

[edit]
1 234Total
• Dolphins 7 7100 24
Jets 0 1400 14
  • Date: November 4
  • Location: Shea Stadium
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C); wind 17 mph (27 km/h)
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
Scoring summary
Q1MIAMorris 19 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q2NYJRiggins 1 yard run (Howfield kick)Tie 7–7
Q2NYJRiggins 3 yard run (Howfield kick)NYJ 14–7
Q2MIAMorris 4 yard run (Yepremian kick)Tie 14–14
Q3MIAWarfield 37 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 21–14
Q3MIAYepremian 20 yard field goalMIA 24–14


[12]

Week 10

[edit]
Week 10: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills[13]
1 234Total
• Miami Dolphins (9–1) 7 1000 17
Buffalo Bills (5–5) 0 000 0

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.[14] 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.[13]

Week 12

[edit]
1 234Total
Steelers 0 3716 26
• Dolphins 20 1000 30
  • Date: December 3
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 68,901
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C); wind 14 mph (23 km/h)
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith
Scoring summary
Q1MIAAnderson 27 yard interception return (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q1MIAYepremian 28 yard field goalMIA 10–0
Q1MIAYepremian 46 yard field goalMIA 13–0
Q1MIAMandich 2 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 20–0
Q2MIAAnderson 38 yard interception return (Yepremian kick)MIA 27–0
Q2PITGerela 37 yard field goalMIA 27–3
Q2MIAYepremian 14 yard field goalMIA 30–3
Q3PITP. Pearson 5 yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)MIA 30–10
Q4PITHarris 21 yard run (Gerela kick)MIA 30–17
Q4PITB. Pearson 17 yard pass from Bradshaw (Gerela kick)MIA 30–24
Q4PITSafety, Griese tackled by White in end zoneMIA 30–26

[15]

Week 14

[edit]
1 234Total
Lions 0 007 7
• Dolphins 14 1730 34
Scoring summary
Q1MIAWarfield 21 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q1MIAWarfield 7 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 14–0
Q2MIAYepremian 27 yard field goalMIA 17–0
Q2MIAWarfield 16 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 24–0
Q2MIAWarfield 4 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 31–0
Q3MIAYepremian 28 yard field goalMIA 34–0
Q4DETOwens 5 yard run (Mann kick)MIA 34–7


[16]

Standings

[edit]
AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins 12 2 0 .857 7–1 9–2 343 150 W1
Buffalo Bills 9 5 0 .643 6–2 7–4 259 230 W4
New England Patriots 5 9 0 .357 1–7 3–8 258 300 L2
New York Jets 4 10 0 .286 4–4 4–7 240 306 L2
Baltimore Colts 4 10 0 .286 2–6 2–9 226 341 W2

[17]

Postseason

[edit]

Divisional

[edit]
1 234Total
Bengals 3 1300 16
• Dolphins 14 7103 34
Scoring summary
Q1MIAWarfield 13 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q1CINMuhlmann 24 yard field goalMIA 7–3
Q1MIACsonka 1 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 14–3
Q2MIAMorris 4 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 21–3
Q2CINCraig 45 yard interception return (Muhlmann kick)MIA 21–10
Q2CINMuhlmann 46 yard field goalMIA 21–13
Q2CINMuhlmann 10 yard field goalMIA 21–16
Q3MIAMandich 7 yard pass from Griese (Yepremian kick)MIA 28–16
Q3MIAYepremian 50 yard field goalMIA 31–16
Q4MIAYepremian 46 yard field goalMIA 34–16

[18]

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

[edit]
1 234Total
Raiders 0 0100 10
• Dolphins 7 7310 27
  • Date: December 30
  • Location: Orange Bowl
  • Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 79,325
  • Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C); wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
  • Referee: Tommy Bell
  • TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis
Scoring summary
Q1MIACsonka 11 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q2MIACsonka 2 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 14–0
Q3OAKBlanda 21 yard field goalMIA 14–3
Q3MIAYepremian 42 yard field goalMIA 17–3
Q3OAKSiani 25 yard pass from Stabler (Blanda kick)MIA 17–10
Q4MIAYepremian 26 yard field goalMIA 20–10
Q4MIACsonka 2 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 27–10

[19]

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

[edit]
Main article: Super Bowl VIII
1 234Total
Vikings 0 007 7
• Dolphins 14 370 24
Scoring summary
Q1MIACsonka 5 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 7–0
Q1MIAKiick 1 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 14–0
Q2MIAYepremian 28 yard field goalMIA 17–0
Q3MIACsonka 2 yard run (Yepremian kick)MIA 24–0
Q4MINTarkenton 4 yard run (Cox kick)MIA 24–7

[20] 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

[edit]

Pro Bowl Selections (voted by NFL coaches for players other than their own):[21]

Offense:

Defense:

Notes and references

[edit]
  1. ^ as of 2020
  2. ^ The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007
  3. ^ This last selection is commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant.
  4. ^ "1973 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  5. ^ "1973 Miami Dolphins (NFL) Scores, Roster, Stats , Coaches, Draft". profootballarchives.com.
  6. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  7. ^ Koppett, Leonard (September 24, 1973). "Blanda Kicks End Dolphin String, 12‐7". New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  9. ^ "Buffalo Bills 6 at Miami Dolphins 27". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  10. ^ "Packers racked, O. J. squeezed". Chicago Tribune. October 22, 1973. p. C3.
  11. ^ "Dolphins Stop Simpson Bills". The Victoria Advocate. October 22, 1973. Retrieved August 24, 2010.[dead link]
  12. ^ Pro Football Reference.com
  13. ^ a b "Miami Dolphins 17 at Buffalo Bills 0". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  14. ^ "Miami defeats Bills to clinch division crown". Bangor Daily News. November 19, 1973. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  15. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  16. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  17. ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296
  18. ^ Pro Football Reference.com
  19. ^ Pro Football Reference.com
  20. ^ Pro Football Reference.com
  21. ^ 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.
[edit]
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