Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins brought professional football to South Florida in 1966, when attorney Joe Robbie and entertainer Danny Thomas paid $7.5 million for an expansion franchise in the American Football League. A fan contest picked the name, and the team quickly became a regional anchor, eventually joining the NFL in 1970 after the AFL–NFL merger. The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida and helped put the Southeast on the pro football map.

The franchise's golden era came under Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, who took over in 1970. In 1972, the Dolphins completed the only perfect season in NFL history, finishing 17-0 with a Super Bowl VII win over Washington. They repeated as champions in Super Bowl VIII the next year. Quarterback Dan Marino later rewrote the passing record books in the 1980s, throwing a then-record 48 touchdown passes in 1984, though a title eluded him. The team has won two Super Bowls, five AFC championships, and thirteen division titles, and it continues to chase glory with a fast, explosive offense under current head coach Mike McDaniel. [edit]

The Dolphins began play in 1966 at the Miami Orange Bowl, where they stayed until moving to a new stadium in 1987. That facility, built by Joe Robbie and later renamed Hard Rock Stadium, opened on August 16, 1987, with 73,000 seats. It has hosted five Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XXIII and the 2009 game. The team's early years were lean, but the arrival of Don Shula in 1970 changed everything. Shula led the team to three straight Super Bowls from 1971 to 1973, winning two. The 1972 squad remains the only undefeated team in NFL history, going 17-0. After the 1974 season, stars Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield jumped to the World Football League, a blow from which the team never quite recovered its dominance.

The 1980s belonged to Dan Marino, who set numerous passing records and took the team to Super Bowl XIX, where they lost to the 49ers. The 1990s brought playoff appearances but no titles. After a long drought, the Dolphins made the postseason in 2022 and 2023 under Mike McDaniel, with an offense featuring Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The team's history includes eleven Hall of Fame players and a legacy of defensive units like the No-Name Defense and the Killer Bees. [edit]