50 Fun Facts About Miami Dolphins

In which league did the Miami Dolphins begin play in 1966?

They joined the NFL in the 1970 merger after four dismal seasons that produced a 15-39-2 record.

Which comedian co-founded the Dolphins with the attorney whose name later went on their stadium?

The pair paid $7.5 million for the franchise in 1965; the star of Make Room for Daddy soon sold his share.

How was the team's name chosen in 1965?

The contest drew 19,843 entries and more than a thousand different names; 622 people submitted the winner.

Who was the Dolphins' first head coach?

The former Detroit Lions coach went 15-39-2 in four seasons before the franchise's fortunes changed.

From which team did Don Shula come when he was hired by Miami in 1970?

He had coached the Colts since 1963 and went on to 26 seasons in Miami with only two losing records.

What record did the 1972 Dolphins finish with, including the playoffs?

It remains the only perfect season in NFL history; the 2007 Patriots went 18-0 before losing the Super Bowl.

Which backup led the 1972 Dolphins for most of the season after Bob Griese broke his ankle?

The 38-year-old veteran had also stepped in for Johnny Unitas under Shula in Baltimore; Griese returned for the Super Bowl.

Which two 1972 Dolphins became the first teammates to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season?

The team led the league in total offence, total defence, scoring offence and scoring defence, the only side ever to do all four.

Which rival coach gave the 1972 Dolphins defence its 'No-Name Defense' nickname?

The Cowboys coach meant it as a dig at their lack of stars; Nick Buoniconti and Jake Scott made him regret it.

Whom did the Dolphins beat 14-7 in Super Bowl VII to complete the perfect season?

Safety Jake Scott was named MVP, and Washington's only points came off a botched Miami field-goal attempt.

Which Dolphins kicker's ill-fated pass attempt was returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl VII?

After his kick was blocked, the Cypriot picked up the ball, tried to throw and instead batted it to Mike Bass.

Whom did Miami beat 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII to repeat as champions?

It made the Dolphins the first team to reach three straight Super Bowls, having lost VI to Dallas the year before the perfect season.

The Dolphins' 1971 Christmas Day playoff win over Kansas City is remembered as what?

The double-overtime 27-24 win lasted 82 minutes and 40 seconds and put Miami in its first Super Bowl.

Which team beat Miami in the 1974 playoffs in the game known as the 'Sea of Hands'?

Clarence Davis's catch among three defenders ended the dynasty; Csonka, Kiick and Warfield then left for the World Football League.

Which upstart competitor lured Csonka, Kiick and Warfield away from Miami in 1975?

The upstart league folded midway through its second season, but the Dolphins never got their dynasty back.

What was the nickname of the Dolphins defence that reached Super Bowl XVII in 1982?

Baumhower, Barnett, the Blackwood brothers, Bokamper, Betters and Brudzinski gave it the name.

Which Dolphin scored the first kickoff-return touchdown in Super Bowl history, in Super Bowl XVII?

His 98-yard return was not enough; John Riggins' 43-yard fourth-and-one run won it 27-17 for Washington.

With which pick of the 1983 draft did the Dolphins select Dan Marino?

He was the last of the famous class of 1983 quarterbacks taken in the first round, after Elway, Kelly and three others.

How many touchdown passes did Marino throw in his record-breaking 1984 season?

He also became the first quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards, finishing with 5,084, and won the MVP in his second season.

Which team beat Marino's Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX?

Joe Montana was MVP at Stanford Stadium; Marino never got back to the game in 15 more seasons.

Which 15-1 team's only defeat of the 1985 season came against Miami?

The Monday-night win kept the 1972 team's perfect record unique, and the old Dolphins reportedly watched from the sideline.

Which pair of Dolphins receivers were known as the 'Marks Brothers'?

The two were Marino's favourite targets throughout the 1980s and both rank among the franchise's all-time leaders.

Against which team did Marino pull off his famous fake spike in 1994?

He mimed a clock-stopping spike, then threw the winning touchdown to Mark Ingram in a 28-24 comeback.

How many career passing yards did Marino retire with in 1999?

That and his 420 touchdown passes were both NFL records at the time; he entered the Hall of Fame in 2005.

In which 1994 comedy did Dan Marino play himself?

The plot revolves around the kidnapping of the Dolphins' mascot, Snowflake, before the Super Bowl.

How many career victories did Don Shula finish with, the most in NFL history?

He was also the first head coach to reach six Super Bowls, five with Miami and one with Baltimore.

Who replaced Don Shula as head coach before the 1996 season?

The two-time Super Bowl winner with Dallas came out of retirement; Shula, pressed to step down, moved into the front office.

Which college did Nick Saban leave the Dolphins for in January 2007?

He had insisted days earlier he was not going to be the Alabama coach; the eight-year deal guaranteed $5 million.

What was the Dolphins' record in 2007, the worst in franchise history?

The following year they went 11-5 under Tony Sparano, the greatest single-season turnaround the league had seen.

Which formation did the 2008 Dolphins spring on the Patriots to launch their turnaround season?

Ronnie Brown took direct snaps and scored four touchdowns in a 38-13 rout in Foxborough.

Why did running back Ricky Williams abruptly retire before the 2004 season?

He came back in 2005, was suspended again, played a season in Canada, and returned to rush for 1,121 yards in 2009.

Under what name did Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens open in 1987?

It was the first fully privately financed multipurpose stadium in the US and has carried at least seven names since.

Where did the Dolphins play their home games from 1966 to 1986?

The old bowl also hosted five Super Bowls; it was demolished in 2008 to make way for the Marlins' ballpark.

How many Super Bowls has Hard Rock Stadium hosted?

XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, XLI, XLIV and LIV; the Marlins also played baseball there from 1993 to 2011.

For how much did Hard Rock International buy the stadium naming rights in 2016?

The deal runs to 2034; owner Stephen Ross had just spent hundreds of millions adding a canopy and cutting capacity to about 65,000.

With which pick did the Dolphins take Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 draft?

The Alabama quarterback, born in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, was picked despite concerns about a hip injury.

In 2023 Tua Tagovailoa became the first Dolphin to lead the NFL in passing yards since which season?

His 4,624 yards ended a 31-year wait since Marino's last title; he signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension the next summer.

How many points did the Dolphins score against Denver in Week 3 of 2023, the most by any team since 1966?

The 70-20 win came with 726 total yards, the second-most in league history; Mike McDaniel was in his second season as coach.

Which team did the Dolphins beat in OT in 2000, their last playoff win for 20-plus years?

Lamar Smith's touchdown run won it 23-17; by 2025 the drought that followed was the longest active one in the NFL.

What did the original Dolphins logo show?

The sunburst behind it survived the 2013 redesign, but the helmet did not, to the lasting annoyance of many fans.

What was kept in a tank at the open end of the Orange Bowl to celebrate scores in 1966-68?

Flipper would leap after touchdowns and field goals; the tank was dropped after 1968 to save money and again in the 1970s over the animal's stress.

Which trio recorded the new Dolphins fight song that fans booed off the playlist in 2009?

It was shelved after one preseason game; the original 1972 song by fan Lee Ofman borrows heavily from the Houston Oilers' fight song.

Which jersey number did the Dolphins retire for Larry Csonka in 2002?

It is one of only three numbers the franchise has retired, alongside Bob Griese's 12 and Dan Marino's 13.

Who scored the walk-off touchdown in the 2018 'Miracle in Miami' lateral play against New England?

Tannehill's pass went Stills to Parker to Drake, who ran it in as time expired for a 34-33 win.

In 2006 Miami passed on free agent Drew Brees over his shoulder and traded for which quarterback?

Brees went on to win a Super Bowl in New Orleans; Culpepper was benched after four games and landed on injured reserve.

Jason Taylor, the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, played his college football where?

Miami took him 73rd overall in 1997; he was later named Walter Payton Man of the Year and reached the Hall of Fame in 2017.

In which round of the 1996 draft did Miami land linebacker Zach Thomas?

The 154th overall pick out of Texas Tech spent 12 seasons in Miami and was finally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

From the 1977 season, Bob Griese became known for playing in what?

Griese, the fourth overall pick out of Purdue in 1967, had a rebound year in 1977 after the change.

In December 2024 the Dolphins sold a 10% stake to which investment group?

The deal valued the franchise at $8.1 billion and made Miami one of the first NFL teams to take on private equity money.

The Dolphins' original coral colour honoured Biscayne Bay's reefs and which defunct 1946 team?

That one-season All-America Football Conference club became the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts.