Don Shula Leads the '72 Dolphins on the GREATEST Season Ever!

[Music] as the triumphant Miami Dolphins return from Super Bowl 7 a throng of thousands gave of winners welcome to the team coach Don Shula and owner Joe Rock [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Arrowhead Stadium was the scene of the opener Don Shula had set a single goal for the new season to get his team in the Super Bowl and win it beating the Chiefs in their new stadium would be the first step [Music] the irony of opening in Kansas City was apparent to all especially Don Shula for this was a rematch of 1971 s Christmas Day playoff in football's longest Gabe Jarrell your premiums feel gold and sudden-death overtime had beaten the Chiefs and propelled the Dolphins into the Superbowl now as the Dolphins began the 72 schedule all the psychological advantages belong to the favorite Chiefs but Bob Griese passed to an old target Paul Warfield and a new one Marlin Briscoe to lead the offense to two touchdowns [Music] Miami's famous no-name defense was superb stopping the Chiefs running game shutting off their big threat Otis Taylor and harrassing LEM dawson throughout the game Miami's dominance was so complete they held Kansas City without a touchdown until only nine seconds remained Miami had easily fought it the revenge minded Chiefs 20 to 10 the next Sunday in the home opener Miami raced away from Houston in the rain [Music] all four of Schiller's backs Morris zonka greasy and kick scored touchdowns as the Dolphins won their second 34 to 13 [Music] then came the Vikings from the opening kickoff it was a bruising battle on their very first series Fran Tarkenton burned Miami with the bomb and Minnesota led but the dolphin defense led by Nick Buoniconti number 85 kept Miami in the game by sacking talking tanana way the long pass by employing a fifth defensive back in Chile's nickel secondary Jarrell your premiums long-range field goals of 38 42 and 51 yards kept his team close but Miami trail with less than two minutes left then Bob Griese in a masterpiece of clutch passing move the Dolphins downfield [Music] Miami's great come-from-behind victory was their third-straight and left them the only undefeated team and pro football the season's fourth Sunday was at New York's Shea Stadium where the Dolphins completely stymied Joe Namath with their 53 defense Bob Matheson number 53 dropping back like a linebacker or rushing in like an end frustrated Namath all day led by Bob Griese who enjoyed perfect protection and Howard twilly who reclaimed his regular job from injured Marlin Briscoe Miami one now after only four games the Dolphins already had a two-game edge in the AFC East San Diego was next in the game that the Dolphins lost their leader for most of the season a record Orange Bowl crowd of 80,000 watched in silence as Bob Griese sat on the poly turf with a fractured leg [Music] but Miami was well-prepared and his Bob Griese was wheeled off the field on a stretcher his successor the last of the crew cuts 38 year-old Earl Morel took his place at the line of scrimmage with the poise of the old pro that he is moral soon have the Orange Bowl rocking with cheers as he completed 8 of 10 and hit Paul Warfield and Howard twilly four touchdown passes [Music] but no name defense got the team into the scoring column as well.when safety Dick Anderson went 35 yards with a charge of fumble Miami had won its fifth straight to remain unbeaten but the cost had been high game number six brought Buffalo and with greasy on the sidelines the dolphin defense took charge of the game Oh Jay Simpson was held 213 yards rushing in the first half and in the second Manny Fernandez stole a handoff and the ball game as Miami squeeze passed the bills by a single point [Music] the following week in Baltimore the Dolphins attack opened up on the coast [Music] but the specialty teams were the real stars blocking two kicks and recovering a fumble punt the Colts never got within the miami 28 as the team shut out baltimore the season second half began with miami still unbeaten in buffalo the ground game rolled over the bills the decisive factor was the magic feet of mercury Morris who stutter stepped through the mud and one of his most impressive performances as a pro [Music] Miami had win number eight 3260 the next Sunday Morris continued his great play scoring three touchdowns against New England the entire offense was awesome as Miami passed their opponents out of the Orange Bowl [Music] the 52 to nothing pasting of the Patriots made Don Shula the first NFL coach with 100 victories in only 10 years in game 10 Joe Namath arm gave the Jets a 10-point lead then with me off on the brink of another score defensive captain Nick Buoniconti turned the tide and the Dolphins surged ahead [Music] the Mercurial morris was turned loose churning and cutting through the Jett defense in a brilliant display of open field running [Music] the wind was Miami's tenth and wrapped up the Eastern Division title for the second straight year on Monday night against st. Louis Larry Csonka pulled his way for well over a hundred yards for the fourth time this season and a dazzling aerial show demonstrated dolphin receiving death on defense Miami capitalized on six cardinal turnovers in a 3110 romp over st. Louis [Music] next in New England zonkers 45-yard burst earned him his second straight 1000 yard season as the Dolphins established a team yardage record rolling up over 500 against the Pats the win streak had now reached an even dozen [Music] in Yankee Stadium a relaxed Alex Webster and his Giants were determined to break the Miami streak Chile's team was bucking the law of averages and a hostile crowd of 63,000 who would have enjoyed nothing more than to witness a dolphin defeat in the Big Town but Jim kit averaging 11 yards each time he got the ball put on a brutal Display of power running and great catches by angel Paul Warfield decimated the giant secondary as Miami one with room to spare [Music] the Dolphins were now only one game away from the NFL's first perfect 14 game season the regular schedules finale brought Baltimore and a moral to war filled collaboration for another sensational touchdown [Music] Warfield's touched down and garel your premiums field goals of 35 40 and 50 yards accounted for all the Miami scoring it was in this game at the dolphin ground attack broke a 36 year old record to become the greatest rushing team in NFL history and the first to have to 1,000 yard runners on the same squad but no names were again superb completely shutting off Marty Dom Brees and Johnny Unitas for Miami's third consecutive shutout over Baltimore [Music] but most important the 16 to nothing when was Miami's 14th straight and gave the team and achievement unequaled in the history of the NFL a perfect 14 game season [Music] Shula and assistance on spire o'clock Keynes Gary and tassa coached a team that ranked number one in offense and defense in the NFL their perfect season was even more impressive because they accomplished it without their regular quarterback however Earl Morel succeeded greasy as leading passer in the conference and was named all-pro as good as Morel was no one can completely replace a Bob Griese whose strong arm and quick feet run enemy defenses right the Dolphins rushing record was nothing less than a personal tribute to Miami's final ffensive LY of Jim Langer norm Evans Doug cruising way more and Bob kitchen burg their leader was all-pro Larry little number 66 a human-sized famous for cutting down quarterbacks for the second straight season little was voted best offensive lineman in the American Conference Chile's concept of a three back offense brought a new dimension to the Miami attack with zonkers power kicks clutch and the specter of mercury speed they were the most prolific infantry in the annals of the pro game they were also teammates in the truest sense making the key block and cheering the others from the sidelines [Music] in the playoff with Cleveland the Miami specialty team blocked the punt for a touchdown and the Dolphins took an early lead [Music] but the Browns came back to go ahead but slightly over eight minutes left to play dear Miami showed why it was unbeaten Earl Morel and Paul Warfield combined to deliver the death knell and a determined Jim tech behind devastating blocking finished the 80 yard clutch Drive in the Cleveland Enzo the Dolphins in the pressure-packed performance had come from behind to win and Miami's inexorable march through the season continued next was Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game among the sign carrying zealots in bed sheet but deck three River Stadium on their very first series the Steelers scored and took the lead [Music] time after time Pittsburgh steel curtain defense stop Miami then on a fourth and five situation came the most important play of the game and perhaps the entire season for the dog [Music] with Steelers seemingly running interference for him but eleris eiffel's risky fourth down gambled succeeded and Miami was on its way [Music] to take advantage of sciples great effort the coach of the year made a difficult decision to get the offense untracked Shula replaced Errol moral with Bob Griese the results were not long in coming [Music] on his first pass of the playoffs the gifted greasy split the Steeler defense with a pass that Paul Warfield took for 52 yards several plays later greasy pitch to Jim kit the money performer without peer who scored the go-ahead touchdown it was one of four that kicked would score in the three postseason games Miami had its 16th straight and repeated as conference champions for them it was on to the Super Bowl for crestfallen Steeler udas the banners came down for good the Dolphins had ended their great season while the Miami Dolphins the Super Bowl was an entire season in one game they were not about to lose it Bob Griese hit on six of six passes in the first half and through to Howard twilly for the game's first score the rest of the Super Bowl served as a showcase for the Dolphins variety of talents the dolphin defense was the real story of this game stopping Larry Brown Cole Jake Scott was named Most Valuable Player for his two interceptions and Manny Fernandez had the kind of a day a defensive lineman dreams about as the no-name defense completely controlled the game [Music] so playing an almost perfect football game in a perfect season the Miami Dolphins were world champions [Music] only seven years since Joe Robbie was planted a franchise in the old AFL Miami not only won the Super Bowl but had gone an entire season undefeated a feat no other NFL team in history has accomplished it is unlikely ever to happen again

Channel: NFL Films

Views: 112,981

Keywords: NFL, Football, NFL Films, American Football

Id: -XH2CtYb2AY

Length: 21min 41sec (1301 seconds)

Published: Mon May 04 2020