1975 Miami Dolphins season

Last updated

1975 Miami Dolphins season
Owner Joe Robbie
Head coach Don Shula
Home field Orange Bowl
Results
Record10–4
Division place2nd AFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers 3
C Jim Langer
FS Jake Scott
G Bob Kuechenberg

The 1975 Miami Dolphins season was the team's tenth, and sixth in the National Football League (NFL).

Contents

Season summary

Although they tied for the division title at 10–4 with the Baltimore Colts, the Colts won the tiebreaker in 1975 with a sweep of both games. The sole wild card in the conference was Cincinnati at 11–3, so the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time since 1969.

The 1975 Dolphins were without running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick and wide receiver Paul Warfield. They signed three-year contracts with the Memphis Southmen in March 1974 to play in the World Football League, beginning in 1975. [1] The second-year league folded in the season's twelfth week, and the trio returned to the NFL in 1976 with other teams.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1975 Miami Dolphins draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
123 Darryl Carlton   Tackle Tampa
236 Freddie Solomon   Wide receiver Tampa
249Stan Winfrey  Running back Arkansas State
375Gerald Hill  Linebacker Houston
4100 Bruce Elia  Linebacker Ohio State
5106 Morris Owens  Wide receiver Arizona State
5127 Barry Hill   Defensive back Iowa State
6143 Steve Towle  Linebacker Kansas
7179Phillip Kent  Running back Baylor
8205Barney Crawford  Defensive tackle Harding
9231James Wilson  Guard Clark Atlanta
10239Clyde Russell Running back Oklahoma
10256 Joe Jackson   Tight end Penn State
10257 Joe Danelo   Kicker Washington State
11283John Dilworth Defensive back Northwestern State
12309Joe Yancey  Tackle Henderson State
13334Leonard Isabell Wide receiver Tulsa
14338James Lewis Defensive back Tennessee State
14361John Graham  Quarterback Colorado State
15387Skip Johns Running back Carson–Newman
16413Vernon Smith  Center Georgia
17439Dwaine Copeland Running back Middle Tennessee State
      Made roster  

[2]

Personnel

Coaches / Staff

1975 Miami Dolphins staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Don Shula

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Kickers – Carl Taseff


Roster

1975 Miami Dolphins roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • None - N/A


Practice squad

  • None - N/A


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 22 Oakland Raiders L 21–310–1 Miami Orange Bowl Recap
2September 28at New England Patriots W 22–141–1 Schaefer Stadium Recap
3October 5at Green Bay Packers W 31–72–1 Lambeau Field Recap
4October 12 Philadelphia Eagles W 24–163–1Miami Orange Bowl Recap
5October 19at New York Jets W 43–04–1 Shea Stadium Recap
6October 26at Buffalo Bills W 35–305–1 Rich Stadium Recap
7November 2at Chicago Bears W 46–136–1 Soldier Field Recap
8November 9 New York Jets W 27–77–1Miami Orange Bowl Recap
9November 16at Houston Oilers L 19–207–2 Astrodome Recap
10November 23 Baltimore Colts L 17–337–3Miami Orange Bowl Recap
11December 1 New England Patriots W 20–78–3Miami Orange Bowl Recap
12December 7 Buffalo Bills W 31–219–3Miami Orange Bowl Recap
13December 14at Baltimore Colts L 7–10 (OT)9–4 Memorial Stadium Recap
14December 20 Denver Broncos W 14–1310–4Miami Orange Bowl Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Baltimore Colts (3)1040.7146–28–3395269W9
Miami Dolphins 1040.7146–27–4357222W1
Buffalo Bills 860.5715–37–4420355L1
New York Jets 3110.2142–63–8258433L2
New England Patriots 3110.2141–72–9258358L6

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indianapolis Colts</span> National Football League franchise in Indiana

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 season, the Colts have played their games in Lucas Oil Stadium. Previously, the team had played for over two decades (1984–2007) at the RCA Dome. Since 1987, the Colts have served as the host team for the NFL Scouting Combine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Dolphins</span> National Football League franchise in Miami Gardens, Florida

The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Greater Miami area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a northern suburb of Miami. The team is owned by Stephen M. Ross. The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida. Of the four AFC East teams, the Dolphins are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The Dolphins were also one of the first professional football teams in the southeast, along with the Atlanta Falcons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Griese</span> American football player (born 1945)

Robert Allen Griese is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He earned All-American honors playing college football with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the Dolphins of the AFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Shula</span> American football player and coach (1930–2020)

Donald Francis Shula was an American professional football player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. For most of his career, Shula was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Warfield</span> American football player (born 1942)

Paul Dryden Warfield is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1977 for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, except for a year in the World Football League (WFL) with the Memphis Southmen in 1975. He was known for his speed, fluid moves, grace, and jumping ability. A consistent big-play threat throughout his career, his 20.1 average yards per reception is the highest in NFL history among players with at least 300 receptions.

The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. All four members of the AFC East were previously members of the Eastern Division of the American Football League (AFL).

Donald Ray Nottingham is a former American football running back who played for the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was affectionately referred to as "The Human Bowling Ball" because of his short but robust frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garo Yepremian</span> Armenian-Cypriot American football player (1944–2015)

Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian was an Armenian-Cypriot football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. During his nine seasons with the Dolphins, Yepremian led the league in scoring in 1971, received two Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro honors, and helped the Dolphins win two Super Bowl titles. Yepremian's first championship victory in Super Bowl VII occurred as a member of the 1972 Dolphins, the only team to complete a perfect season in NFL history. He also played for the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Morrall</span> American football player (1934–2014)

Earl Edwin Morrall was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, both a starter and reserve. He was the last remaining player from the 1950s still active in NFL football. He started for six teams, most notably with the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins. He became known as one of the greatest backup quarterbacks in NFL history, having served in the capacity for two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Johnny Unitas and Bob Griese. An injury to Unitas in 1968 saw Morrall step in to start the season that saw the Colts to a 13–1 record that saw them win their first NFL Championship in nine years before ineffective play in Super Bowl III saw him benched for Unitas. Two years later, in Super Bowl V, Morrall came off the bench for an injured Unitas and kept the Colts in the game before they ultimately won on a last-second field goal. In his first season with Miami in 1972, he came off the bench when Griese became injured early in the year, with Morrall winning all nine starts; Morrall started the first two playoff games, with Griese playing in each game before being named the starter for Super Bowl VII, where the Dolphins completed the only perfect season in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Anderson</span> American football player (born 1946)

Richard Paul Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was selected in third round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft, and he played for his entire professional career for the Dolphins.

Robert Ross Lurtsema is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks. He played in two Super Bowls with the Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Taseff</span> American football player and coach (1928–2005)

Carl N. "Gaucho" Taseff was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Taseff had an 11-year playing career, primarily with the Baltimore Colts, where he was a member of the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championship winning teams. Taseff then coached for 27 seasons, winning Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl VIII as part of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Marino</span> American football player (born 1961)

Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and has worked with them since 2014 as a special advisor. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning first-team All-American honors in 1981. Marino was the last quarterback taken in the first round of the famed quarterback class of 1983. He held or currently holds dozens of NFL records associated with the quarterback position, and despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized among the greatest quarterbacks in American football history.

The 2000 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 48th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 17th in Indianapolis. They finished second in the AFC East with a 10–6 record, but lost in overtime to their division rival Miami Dolphins in the wildcard round of 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 did not return to any further championship games.

The 1984 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League, and the 25th overall. The team started the season with eleven consecutive losses before an upset home win over Dallas in Week 12. The 1984 Bills gave up a team-record 454 points on defense, an average of more than 28 per game. The Bills gave up 30+ points eight times and allowed fewer than 20 points in a game only three times all season. The Bills also allowed sixty quarterback sacks, for a total of 554 yards, the most-ever at the time. The Bills’ 4,341 total yards gained was second-worst in the league in 1984. The 1984 Bills are one of only two NFL teams to have been outscored by 25 points six different times during the season. This season is notable for being Pete Carroll’s first NFL coaching experience. The Bills failed to win a single road game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavien Howard</span> American football player (born 1993)

Xavien Howard is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Baylor Bears and was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, where he spent eight seasons with the team. During his tenure in Miami, Howard was a four-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro member, and led the league in interceptions twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raekwon Davis</span> American football player (born 1997)

Raekwon Davis(Pronounced: RAY-kwon) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He is under contract through the end of the 2025 NFL season in a two-year deal paying him $14 million, of which $7 million is guaranteed.

References

  1. Jones, Robert F. (July 28, 1975). "They're grinning and bearing". Sports Illustrated. p. 16. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011.
  2. "1975 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.