- Super Bowl Championships: 2
- Last Super Bowl Championship: Super Bowl 8
- Claim to Fame: The Dolphins are the only team to win a Super Bowl with a perfect record (14-0 in 1972)
- Claim to Shame: The Dolphins have missed the playoffs 14 times in the past 16 years.
As the ninth member of the American Football League, the Miami Dolphins began play in 1966. They jumped out of the gates when RB Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in their first game, but came back to earth in losing that game and finishing their first season at 3-11.
After a few trying years, the Dolphins quickly turned things around. By the time new head coach Don Shula came on board in 1970, Miami was ready to be a contender and finished 10-4.
From 1970-74 their combined record was 65-15-1. They made the playoffs each year, competed for the Super Bowl in three of them, and won Super Bowl 7 and Super Bowl 8. During that time they also completed a perfect season in 1972.
After their second championship, the Fins would remain competitive despite several stars defecting to the rival World Football League.
It wasn’t until the 1980’s when Miami would make their next appearances in the league’s title game, finishing as runners-up in the 1982 and 1984 seasons. From 1983-1999 they were lead by Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino who currently sits fifth all-time in NFL passing yards with 61,361.
The 2017 and 2018 seasons were trying years for Dolphins’ fans as the team finished 6-10 and 7-9. That led to the ouster of longtime starter Ryan Tannehill, who was replaced by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and second-year QB Josh Rosen from Arizona.
The 2019 season is going to be another long one for the rebuilding franchise. The hope is that their young players, like Rosen and Minkah Fitzpatrick, make strides in their development with a view to being competitive in the 2020 season and beyond. The playoffs are not a realistic goal in Brian Flores’ first season as head coach.
