The Miami Dolphins have had some of the best seasons of any NFL team over their history. Which ones are the top in franchise history?
Believe it or not, the Miami Dolphins used to be one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. In fact, despite their troubles in the 21st century, they remain in the top 10 in all-time winning percentage.
The glory years of the 1970s and 1980s produced some of both the best players and best seasons that the Dolphins have ever had, and they remain fondly in the memories of the fans that are old enough to remember them. Things haven’t been as glorious since the departures of Dan Marino and Don Shula, as the team has been mediocre at the very best for the better part of two decades.
Remembering the good ol’ days can be therapeutic for fans who can legally purchase alcohol but weren’t alive for the last playoff victory. So we are going to take a walk down memory lane and take a look at the 5 best seasons in Miami Dolphins history.
We start off with a season that doesn’t rank in the top 10 in terms of wins but appears on the list due to their historical struggles from the season prior:
#5 best season in Miami Dolphins history: 2008
Not a lot of great seasons in a franchise’s history start with the team getting off to a 2-4 start, or end with a loss on Wild Card Weekend. But thanks to some innovation from the coaching staff and a career resurgence of quarterback Chad Pennington, the 2008 season was probably the best and most enjoyable one of the last two decades.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and the Dolphins needed a spark to their offense in the early going of 2008. After starting out 0-2 and facing a date in New England with the mighty Patriots, head coach Tony Sparano and his crew cooked up the idea of the Wild Cat offense, and Miami never looked back.
The Dolphins would win 9 of the final 10 games of the regular season, winning the AFC East for the only time this century and securing a playoff date with the Baltimore Ravens. Miami would come up short in the postseason, but that didn’t stop that season from being one of the most memorable in team history.
It wasn’t just that the Dolphins qualified for the elusive playoff spot, but it came on the heels of what was the worst season the franchise ever endured. After being an overtime victory away from becoming the first team in league history to go 0-16 in 2007, Miami’s turnaround was historic. Their +10 in the win column was the biggest one-year improvement any team had ever seen and made for what was probably the most enjoyable season since the Marino era.
#4 best season in Miami Dolphins history: 1985
The 1985 season ended in bitter disappointment and will be one of the ultimate “What If” scenarios in team and league history. But it makes for one of the most memorable seasons that the franchise has ever seen. Their 12 regular-season wins are still tied for the second-most in team history, but one victory sticks out far more than the others during that year.
The Chicago Bears were on a tear in 1985, boasting one of the best defenses that the game has ever seen on their way to a 12-0 start. Leading up to Week 13, they had held their opponents to a combined 3 points in their previous three games, and just 29 points in their previous six.
They had a date in Miami on a Monday night in early December, the same franchise whose crown they were chasing as the only undefeated team in sports history. The Dolphins would defend that honor, handing the Bears their only loss of the regular season in one of the more memorable games in team history.
Miami would have gotten to do it again, on the biggest stage, by playing the Bears in the Super Bowl that year. Instead, the Dolphins lost to the rival Patriots in the AFC Championship game, robbing us of a second Super Bowl appearance for Marino and one of the most storybook matchups in NFL history.
#3 best season in Miami Dolphins history: 1973
How could the second of the only two Super Bowl victories in franchise history end up at third on the list? We’ll get to Mr. Marino in a second.
The Dolphins followed their undefeated 1972 season with a performance that was nearly as dominant as their historic year, though it didn’t appear so in the win column. But Miami was incredibly difficult to defeat. Their defense ranked number 1 in the league, which, paired with their top-5 ranked offense, made for one of the best teams in the history of the franchise.
The Dolphins would lose just two games during the 1973 regular season, and their victories included margins of victory of 44, 28, and 27 points. They kept it rolling in the playoffs, defeating both the Bengals and Raiders handily before meeting the Vikings in Super Bowl VIII. Minnesota proved no match for Miami, as the Dolphins won their second championship in a row.
It would be the end of the reign of that particular group and would be the last Super Bowl appearance for Miami for another 12 years. They have only made it back to the big game one time since, and have been ringless since that 1973 season.
#2 best season in Miami Dolphins history: 1984
Yes, 1973 was the Super Bowl season. But 1984 is arguably far further ingrained in the brains of Miami Dolphins fans that are of a certain age today.
The team was good in 1982. So good in fact that they didn’t own a selection in the 1983 Draft until late in the first round. But they selected a quarterback out of the University of Pittsburgh that would become the best player in franchise history.
Dan Marino only started 9 games during his rookie season, but he showed flashes of what was to come and put it on display for the world during the 1984 campaign.
That year saw Marino become the first quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season while throwing for 48 touchdowns, records that stood for 37 and 33 years, respectively. Since the changes in the rules just 12 years ago, those records have been broken a combined 14 times over. But that doesn’t take away from Marino’s record-setting season. In fact, it makes it that much more impressive.
The Dolphins made it to the Super Bowl that year but fell to the mighty San Francisco 49ers. But we knew that we had what was possibly the best quarterback in the league and that he’d lead us back to the big game plenty of times over the next decade and a half. Right? Right?
#1 best season in Miami Dolphins history: 1972
As if there would be any question as to which was the best season in franchise history. As the record so obviously shows, the 1972 campaign for the Miami Dolphins was also the best season in modern North American sports history.
All Miami Dolphins know the story. In fact, they know it so well that they’re ready to throw it at you as a counter in nearly any football-related argument. The team led by third-year head coach Don Shula and veteran quarterbacks Bob Griese and Earl Moral rolled through the regular season in dominating fashion. Their offense was ranked first in both points and yards, and the same could be said for their defense. Their average margin of victory was 15.3 points, easily the highest in team history.
In the playoffs, Miami defeated the Browns and Steelers on their way to their second Super Bowl appearance in as many years. They would defeat the Redskins in Super Bowl VII by a score of 14-7, a lackluster game that was highlighted by Miami kicker Garo Yepremian’s career lowlight when he embarrassingly threw a pick-6 off of a botched field goal. But they were victorious and earned the right to be called the greatest team in any sport, ever.