First-half touchdowns furnished the Dolphins with a 14-0 advantage. The first,
a 28-yard pass from Bob Griese to Howard Twilley, capped a 63-yard drive, and Nick Buoniconti’s 32-yard interception return set up a one-yard TD plunge by Jim Kiick.
At long last, Shula could say the 14 regular-season triumphs – and the playoff victories over Cleveland and Pittsburgh – were “meaningful.”
Humiliated by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1972 Super Bowl at New Orleans, 24-3, Shula and his athletes had waited, dreamed and schemed 363 days for this hour of redemption.
“We didn’t think about 13 and 0, 14 and 0, 15 and 0, or 16 and 0,” the happy Shula told Commissioner Pete Rozelle while accepting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. “But we’re thinking about 17 and 0 right now,” he said with a grin that stretched from here to Miami.
“We have finally accomplished the ultimate … the world championship,” Shula added.
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Two Redskin blockers can’t keep Dolphins defensive tackle Manny Fernandez from pressuring Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer in Super Bowl 7, January 14, 1973. (John Walter/Miami Herald)
The way Bob Matheson remembers it, the Dolphins’ perfect season of 1972 was Murphy’s Law working in reverse. If anything could go right, it would. “It was a season where everything seemed to work out in a storybook fashion. We were the type of team that didn’t beat ourselves. We had the confidence to go out and expect to win every single time we played.”
January 14, 1983, Miami Herald
“The 1972 team was the best in the history of pro football. The record speaks for itself. I’ve had time over the years to reflect on this, and the more you think about it the more amazing it seems.”
Larry Little, 1983
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“We wanted to get back to the Super Bowl and redeem ourselves, and that was what we were committed to the entire season. We were so thoroughly motivated to winning and getting back to the Super Bowl. We weren’t really thinking of an unbeaten season. That was just the icing on the cake.”
Receiver Paul Warfield, 1983
Playing on the 1972 Dolphins was like, “being a part of history. The magnitude of that achievement has to be one of the most important events in sports history. Being a part of the undefeated season is something very, very dear to me.”
Linebacker Nick Buoniconti, 1983
“The entire excitement ... the team, the city, the confidence that we could do it and do it as one was so gratifying. It was unforgettable, and I think the memory will live forever in Miami.”
Defensive tackle Manny Fernandez, 1983
“It was Coach Shula’s emphasis to win, but to win one game at a time. He never let us become complacent. Even after the perfect season, he was gearing us toward another Super Bowl.”
Cornerback Tim Foley, 1983
“As a team we were very close. We never gave up on each other and had the confidence in each other week in and week out.”
Safety Dick Anderson, 1983
DOLPHIN TRIVIA:
Name the starting offensive line during the Dolphins’ perfect season.
Center Jim Langer, guards Larry Little and Bob Kuechenberg, tackles Norm Evans and Doug Crusan.
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Fullback Larry Csonka in the locker room after beating the Cleveland Browns, 20-14, on Christmas Eve 1972 to start the playoffs. (John Pineda/Miami Herald)
PERFECTION TIMELINE
January 5, 1996
Herald Sports Staff
REGULAR SEASON 1972
September 17
At Kansas City, 20-10
Miami builds 20-0 lead in 3rd quarter and coasts
September 24
Houston, 34-13
It’s 27-0 on TD runs of 1, 2, 4 and 2 yards
October 1
At Minnesota, 16-14
Jim Mandich’s 3-yard TD catch caps 4th-quarter comeback
October 8
At New York Jets, 27-17
Jim Kiick’s two scoring runs lead the way
October 15
San Diego, 24-10
Earl Morrall throws for two TDs in first action in relief of injured Bob Griese
October 22
Buffalo, 24-23
Miami withstands late Bills rally
October 29
At Baltimore, 23-0
Three rushing scores, defense lead rout
November 5
At Buffalo, 30-16
Mercury Morris’ TDs stake lead, close scoring
November 12
New England, 52-0
It’s 31-0 by half; even third-string QB Jim Del Gaizo played
November