The1970 Miami Dolphins seasonwas the team's fifth, and first in theNational Football League(NFL). It was the team's first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first of 26 seasons under head coachDon Shula.The team improved on their 3–10–1 record from1969,and finished the regular season at 10–4, second in the newly alignedAFC Eastto only theBaltimore Colts,the eventualSuper Bowlchampion. In 1970, the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders for the first time in franchise history.[1]
| 1970Miami Dolphinsseason | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 2ndAFC East |
| Playoff finish | LostDivisional Playoffs (atRaiders) 14–21 |
| Pro Bowlers | 3 QBBob Griese WRPaul Warfield FBLarry Csonka |
The Dolphins got off to a fresh start at 4–1, lost three straight to even their record at 4–4, then won six straight to end the season to clinch their first-ever winning season and playoff berth, as thewild cardteam. They met theOakland Raidersin the openingdivisional round,whom they had defeated in Miami in early October,[2]but lost 21–14 on the road in the sun and mud.[3][4][5]
Shula had moved over to the Dolphins on February 18,[6][7]after seven seasons as head coach of theBaltimore Colts,now in the same division.[8][9]
Offseason
editNFL Draft
edit| 1970 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 29 | Jim Mandich | Tight end | Michigan | |
| 3 | 55 | Tim Foley* | Defensive back | Purdue | |
| Made roster*Made at least onePro Bowlduring career | |||||
Personnel
editStaff / Coaches
edit|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Roster
edit| Quarterbacks(QB)
Running backs(RB)
Wide receivers(WR)
Tight ends(TE)
|
Offensive linemen(OL)
|
Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
|
Rookies in italics
|
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | atBoston Patriots | L14–27 | 0–1 | 32,607 |
| 2 | September 27 | atHouston Oilers | W20–10 | 1–1 | 39,840 |
| 3 | October 3 | Oakland Raiders | W20–13 | 2–1 | 57,140 |
| 4 | October 10 | atNew York Jets | W20–6 | 3–1 | 62,712 |
| 5 | October 18 | atBuffalo Bills | W33–14 | 4–1 | 41,312 |
| 6 | October 25 | Cleveland Browns | L0–28 | 4–2 | 75,313 |
| 7 | November 1 | atBaltimore Colts | L0–35 | 4–3 | 60,240 |
| 8 | November 8 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L17–24 | 4–4 | 58,171 |
| 9 | November 15 | New Orleans Saints | W21–10 | 5–4 | 52,866 |
| 10 | November 22 | Baltimore Colts | W34–17 | 6–4 | 67,699 |
| 11 | November 30 | atAtlanta Falcons | W20–7 | 7–4 | 54,036 |
| 12 | December 6 | Boston Patriots | W37–20 | 8–4 | 51,032 |
| 13 | December 13 | New York Jets | W16–10 | 9–4 | 75,099 |
| 14 | December 20 | Buffalo Bills | W45–7 | 10–4 | 70,990 |
- Saturday (October 3, 10), Monday (November 30)
Note:Intra-division opponents are inboldtext.
Standings
edit| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Colts | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–1–1 | 8–2–1 | 321 | 234 | W4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 297 | 228 | W6 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 255 | 286 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 3–4–1 | 3–7–1 | 204 | 337 | L5 |
| Boston Patriots | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 149 | 361 | L3 |
- Note:Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Postseason
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 27 | atOakland Raiders | L14–21 | 0–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,401 |
References
edit- ^100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.26
- ^"Raiders still seek first win after loss to Miami".Lodi News-Sentinel.(California). UPI. October 5, 1970. p. 10.
- ^"Lamonica's 'bomb' wins for Raiders".Milwaukee Sentinel.UPI. December 28, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
- ^"Oakland slips, slides past Dolphin defense".Lodi News-Sentinel.(California). UPI. December 28, 1970. p. 22.
- ^Maule, Tex(January 4, 1971)."Rushing to stake a claim".Sports Illustrated.p. 10.
- ^"Money entices Shula to sign with Dolphins".Toledo Blade.(Ohio). Associated Press. February 19, 1970. p. 38.
- ^100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.24
- ^"Shula replaces Miami's Wilson".Milwaukee Sentinel.UPI. February 19, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
- ^"Dollar signs convince Shula to jump to Miami Dolphins".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). Associated Press. February 19, 1970. p. 4D.
- ^"1970 Miami Dolphins draftees".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedOctober 18,2014.