1973 Miami Dolphins season
1973 Miami Dolphins season | |
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Head coach | Don Shula |
Owner | Joe Robbie |
Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
Results | |
Record | 12–2 |
Division place | 1st AFC East |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bengals) 34–16 Won Conference Championship (Raiders) 27–10 Won Super Bowl VIII (Vikings) 24–7 |
The 1973 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise’s eighth, and fourth in the National Football League (NFL). The team entered the 1973 season as defending Super Bowl champions, with an undefeated 14–0 regular season winning streak the previous season, and a final 17–0 record including post-season and Super Bowl VII victory.
The team won the AFC East, and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the league’s eighth Super Bowl. It was the Dolphins’ second-consecutive (and to date last)[1] Super Bowl victory.
Contents
Season summary
Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17–0 perfect season of 1972, many 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, 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. Miami finished with a 12–2 regular season, including their opening game victory over 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
NFL Draft
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1973 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
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2 | 52 | Chuck Bradley | Tight end | Oregon | |
3 | 83 | Leon Gray * | Offensive tackle | Jackson State | |
4 | 104 | Bo Rather | Wide receiver | Michigan | |
5 | 111 | Don Strock | Quarterback | Virginia Tech | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel
Staff
1973 Miami Dolphins staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
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1 | September 16, 1973 | San Francisco 49ers | W 21–13 |
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2 | September 23, 1973 | at Oakland Raiders | L 7–12 |
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3 | September 30, 1973 | New England Patriots | W 44–23 |
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4 | October 7, 1973 | New York Jets | W 31–3 |
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5 | October 15, 1973 | at Cleveland Browns | W 17–9 |
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6 | October 21, 1973 | Buffalo Bills | W 27–6 |
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7 | October 28, 1973 | at New England Patriots | W 30–14 |
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8 | November 4, 1973 | at New York Jets | W 24–14 |
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9 | November 11, 1973 | Baltimore Colts | W 44–0 |
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10 | November 18, 1973 | at Buffalo Bills | W 17–0 |
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11 | November 22, 1973 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 14–7 |
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12 | December 3, 1973 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–26 |
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13 | December 9, 1973 | at Baltimore Colts | L 3–16 |
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14 | December 15, 1973 | Detroit Lions | W 34–7 |
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Game summaries
Week 1
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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49ers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Dolphins | 3 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 21 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 82° F, wind 8 mph, relative humidity 80%
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information |
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Week 2
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Raiders | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
at Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 62° F, wind 13 mph, relative humidity 86%
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information |
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Week 4
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Dolphins | 14 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: October 7
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 80° F, wind 6 mph, relative humidity 83%
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information |
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Week 8
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
Jets | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York
- Date: November 4
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 47° F, wind 17 mph, relative humidity 43%
- Pro Football Reference.com
Game information |
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Week 12
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Steelers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 26 |
Dolphins | 20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: December 3
- Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 75° F, wind 14 mph, relative humidity 56%
- Game attendance: 68,901
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information |
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Week 14
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Dolphins | 14 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: December 15
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 69° F, wind 7 mph, relative humidity 65%
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information | ||
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Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
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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 |
Postseason
AFC Divisional Playoff
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Bengals | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Dolphins | 14 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: December 23, 1973
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), wind 8 mph, relative humidity 60%
- Game attendance: 78,928
- Referee: Bernie Ulman
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis
- Pro Football Reference.com
Game information |
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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.
AFC Championship Game
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Raiders | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: December 30, 1973
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), wind 8 mph, relative humidity 74%
- Game attendance: 79,325
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis
- Pro Football Reference.com
Game information |
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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 6 passes during the game, completing 3.
Super Bowl VIII
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Vikings (NFC) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Dolphins (AFC) | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Date: January 13, 1974
- Game time: 3:50 p.m. EST/2:50 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,882
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (CBS): Ray Scott, Pat Summerall and Bart Starr
- Pro Football Reference.com
Game information |
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Larry Csonka rushed for 145 yards on 33 carries, scoring 2 TDs, and was named MVP. Bob Griese threw just 7 passes all game, completing 6.
Awards and honors
- Larry Csonka, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
- Larry Csonka, Pro Bowl Selection
- Bob Griese, Pro Bowl Selection
Notes and references
- ↑ as of 2013
- ↑ The List: Best NFL defense of all-time, 2007
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 296