1974 Miami Dolphins season

Last updated

1974 Miami Dolphins season
Owner Joe Robbie
General manager Mike Robbie
Head coach Don Shula
Home field Miami Orange Bowl
Results
Record11–3
Division place1st AFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Raiders) 26–28
Pro Bowlers 12
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 1974 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League, the 9th overall, and the 5th under head coach Don Shula. The team entered the 1974 season as two-time defending Super Bowl champions. They could not improve on their 12-2 record from last season and finished 11-3. Despite this, the Dolphins finished first in the AFC East for the fourth consecutive season, and they finished with the second best record in the NFL. In the playoffs, the Raiders beat the Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game in the famous "Sea of Hands" game.

Contents

Offseason

NFL Draft

1974 Miami Dolphins draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
126 Don Reese   Defensive tackle Jackson State
238 Andre Tillman   Tight end Texas Tech
247 Benny Malone   Running back Arizona State
252 Jeris White   Defensive back Hawaii
378 Nat Moore  *  Wide receiver Florida
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Personnel

Staff

1974 Miami Dolphins staff
Front office

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Don Shula

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches



Roster

1974 Miami Dolphins roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 15at New England Patriots L 24–340–1 Schaefer Stadium Recap
2September 22at Buffalo Bills W 24–161–1 Rich Stadium Recap
3September 29at San Diego Chargers W 28 –212–1 San Diego Stadium Recap
4October 7 New York Jets W 21–173–1 Miami Orange Bowl Recap
5October 13at Washington Redskins L 17–203–2 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Recap
6October 20 Kansas City Chiefs W 9–34–2Miami Orange Bowl Recap
7October 27 Baltimore Colts W 17– 75–2Miami Orange Bowl Recap
8November 3 Atlanta Falcons W 42–76–2Miami Orange Bowl Recap
9November 10at New Orleans Saints W 21–07–2 Tulane Stadium Recap
10November 17 Buffalo Bills W 35–288–2Miami Orange Bowl Recap
11November 24at New York Jets L 14–178–3 Shea Stadium Recap
12December 2 Cincinnati Bengals W 24–39–3Miami Orange Bowl Recap
13December 8at Baltimore Colts W 17–1610–3 Memorial Stadium Recap
14December 15 New England Patriots W 34–2711–3Miami Orange Bowl Recap

Standings

AFC East
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Miami Dolphins 1130.7866–29–2327216W3
Buffalo Bills 950.6435–37–4264244L2
New York Jets 770.5004–45–6279300W6
New England Patriots 770.5004–44–7348289L3
Baltimore Colts 2120.1431–71–10190329L4

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff

AFC Divisional Playoff: Miami Dolphins at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Period1234Total
Dolphins7361026
Raiders0771428

at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information
  • Scoring
    • MIA – N. Moore 89 kickoff return (Yepremian kick) MIA 7–0
    • OAK – C. Smith 31 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) 7–7
    • MIA – field goal Yepremian 33 MIA 10–7
    • OAK – Biletnikoff 13 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) OAK 14–10
    • MIA – Warfield 16 pass from Griese (kick failed) MIA 16–14
    • MIA – field goal Yepremian 46 MIA 19–14
    • OAK – Branch 72 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) OAK 21–19
    • MIA – Malone 23 run (Yepremian kick) MIA 26–21
    • OAK – Davis 8 pass from Stabler (Blanda kick) OAK 28–26

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Otto</span> American football player (born 1938)

James Edwin Otto is an American former professional football player who played as a center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He played college football at the University of Miami for the Miami Hurricanes.

The National Football League playoffs for the 1974 season began on December 21, 1974. The postseason tournament concluded with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX, 16–6, on January 12, 1975, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Lechler</span> American football player (born 1976)

Edward Shane Lechler is an American former professional football player who played as punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 NFL season</span> 1980 National Football League season

The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Indianapolis Colts season</span> 50th season in franchise history; first one in the AFC South division

The 2002 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 50th in the National Football League (NFL) and 19th in Indianapolis. The Colts made it to the playoffs after a one-year absence in 2001 when they finished with a 6–10 record. This was the first of nine consecutive playoff appearances for the Colts. The 2002 season marked the first for the Colts in the newly formed AFC South after competing for 32 seasons in the AFC East. The season is memorable for the team hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy. He would later take the Colts to Super Bowl XLI after a successful 2006 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 New England Patriots season</span> Season of National Football League team the New England Patriots; first Super Bowl appearance

The 1985 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League (NFL) and 26th overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses and finished third in the AFC East Division. They then became the first team in NFL history ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning three playoff games on the road, defeating the New York Jets 26–14 in the AFC wild card game, the Los Angeles Raiders 27–20 in the AFC Divisional Game and the Miami Dolphins 31–14 in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots' win in Miami was their first victory in that stadium since 1966 and while they did defeat Miami on the road in 1969 that game was played in Tampa Bay. The win over the Dolphins in the game has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, as the Dolphins were heavily favored.

The 1982 New York Jets season was the 23rd season for the franchise and its 13th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 10–5–1 record from 1981 and return to the playoffs under head coach Walt Michaels. The season was marred by an eight-week players’ strike, cancelling eight scheduled games, and eliminating divisional play for the season; the top eight teams from each conference advanced to the playoffs. The Jets finished the season with a record of 6–3 in sixth place in the American Football Conference. They defeated the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Raiders in the first two rounds of the playoffs to advance to their first AFC Championship Game. There, they fell to their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, 14–0.

The 1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 41st season in the National Football League. The team finished second in the AFC Central division, but qualified for the postseason for the second consecutive season. The Steelers got off to a terrific start winning eight of their first nine games. However, a costly three game losing streak would put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Steelers would recover to win their last two games, but had to settle for a Wild Card berth with a 10–4 record. The Steelers would lose in the playoffs to the Oakland Raiders 33–14 in Oakland.

The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 44th in the National Football League. The team attempted to win their third consecutive Super Bowl championship, but ultimately lost to their bitter rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in the AFC Championship Game. Despite failing to reach the Super Bowl, the 1976 Steelers are fondly remembered as one of the franchise's most dominant teams, thanks to a record-setting defense and running game. The Steelers' strong defense finished the season with just 9.9 points allowed per game, the fewest in the NFL, and a franchise record that still stands.

The 1995 Indianapolis Colts season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League and 12th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1995 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division with the Miami Dolphins. However, the Colts finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).

The 1977 Baltimore Colts season was the 25th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Led by third-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with 10 wins and 4 losses, tied for first in the AFC East division with the Miami Dolphins. The Colts had the tiebreaker over Miami based on better conference record, and the Dolphins missed the playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Baltimore Colts season</span> 18th season in franchise history; first in the AFC East and first Super Bowl win

The 1970 Baltimore Colts season was the 18th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Led by first-year head coach Don McCafferty, the Colts finished the 1970 season with a regular season record of 11 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie to win the first AFC East title. The Colts completed the postseason in Miami with a victory over the Cowboys in Super Bowl V, their first Super Bowl title and third world championship. The Baltimore Colts would not return to a championship game again.

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.

The 1985 Miami Dolphins season was the 20th season in franchise history. The club won their fourth consecutive AFC East championship and appeared in the AFC Championship Game. It was the first season since their undefeated 1972 season without offensive lineman Ed Newman.

The 2000 Oakland Raiders season was the franchise's 31st season in the National Football League (NFL), the 41st overall, their sixth season of their second stint in Oakland, and the third season under head coach Jon Gruden. The Raiders finished the season 12–4, winning the AFC West for the first time since 1990. They returned to the playoffs for the first time since 1993, when the team was still in Los Angeles. The Divisional Round playoff game versus the Miami Dolphins would be their first home playoff game in Oakland since defeating the Houston Oilers in the 1980 AFC Wild Card Playoffs.

The 1980 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League, and the 21st overall. Their 11–5 record was tied for best in the AFC.

The 1973 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 14th season, and fourth in the National Football League.

The 1974 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 15th season in Oakland and fifth in the National Football League. The team would post a superb 12–2 record; the campaign's two losses would be by a total of four points. The Raiders' record would ensure their fourth AFC West title in five years.

The 1975 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 16th season, and 6th in the National Football League.

The 1970 Miami Dolphins season was the team's fifth, and first in the National Football League (NFL). It was the team's first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first of 26 seasons under head coach Don Shula. The team improved on their 3–10–1 record from 1969, and finished the regular season at 10–4, second in the newly-aligned AFC East to only the Baltimore Colts, the eventual Super Bowl champion. In 1970, the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders for the first time in franchise history.

References

  1. "1974 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.