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Miami Dolphins, professional football team
and one of the four teams in the Eastern Division of the American
Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League
(NFL). The team is named for the dolphins that inhabit the
coastal waters of Florida.
For
most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula,
the winningest head coach in professional football history.
His Dolphins teams posted losing records in only 2 of his
26 seasons with the club. In 1972 the Dolphins became the
first and only NFL team to complete a 14-game regular season
(and the entire postseason) without a loss. Five future Hall
of Fame members played for Miami during the 1970s, including
running back Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese. During
the 1980s and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most
prolific passer in NFL history. He piloted the Dolphins to
numerous playoff appearances and one Super Bowl, and he holds
numerous NFL career passing records.
Miami
joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion
team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor
Danny Thomas in 1965. The Dolphins began play in 1966, and
after four consecutive losing seasons, Don Shula replaced
George Wilson as head coach. Miami joined the NFL in 1970
when the NFL and AFL completed their merger.
In 2003 the Dolphins again started strong (4-1) but finished
weak, with devastating mid-season losses to the Patriots,
Colts and Titans submarining them. Miami finished 10-6, but
it was still short of a playoff spot. At the end of the season
it was announced that Dan Marino would return to the team
as its president, but quit after a month.
The
2004 offseason was difficult for the Dolphins. Tight end Randy
McMichael was arrested for domestic violence and wide receiver
David Boston (signed from San Diego) suffered an injury in
training camp and will miss the season (Boston also failed
a drug test for steroids later in the season). But the biggest
shock came when Ricky Williams retired under mysterious circumstances,
probably related to drug use. Many experts predicted a disastrous
season for the Dolphins. These predictions proved right; the
Dolphins dropped their first six games of the 2004 year, marking
the worst start in franchise history. This led to them being
dead-last in the NFL as well as the subject to nicknames like
"Stinky Fish" and, to fans, "We Stink".
After a 1-8 start, Wannstedt resigned on November 9, 2004.
He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator
Jim Bates. Under Bates, the Dolphins fared much better, winning
three of their final seven games, including a 29-28 upset
victory over the defending champion Patriots on December 20.
Despite this, the Dolphins decided not to hire Bates for the
permanent coaching position. Instead, they hired Louisiana
State University coach Nick Saban.
Founded: 1966, as an American Football League
expansion team. Entered the NFL as part of the 1970 merger.
Home stadium: Dolphins Stadium (formerly
Pro Player Stadium and Joe Robbie Stadium), Miami
Note: The Dolphins previously played home
games at the Orange Bowl stadium.
Uniform
colors: Aqua Green and Orange (Dark Blue was added
to the logo and uniforms as an accent color in the late 90's).
The Dolphins primarily wear white jerseys at home, except
for night contests when they dress in aqua jerseys. Since
the 2003 season, the Dolphins have worn an alternate orange
jersey once each season for nationally televised contests.
Helmet design: A dolphin wearing a football
helmet, jumping in front of an orange sunburst
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Arizona
Cardinals 
