Recalling The 1973 Miami Dolphins

One of the greatest teams in NFL history, the 1973 Miami Dolphins, many, including me, believing they were even better than their undefeated team the season before.

Miami under Don Shula had a (12-2) record, one loss in a meaningless game vs the Baltimore Colts in the penultimate regular season game, the other before an incredible Oakland Raiders’ crowd not at the Oakland Coliseum, but in Berkeley, California.

Certainly Miami won much easier in the 1973 post-season than in 1972, but some of that manifested from the fact in the days before the better record gained home advantage, the arbitrary method of ascertaining home advantage, forced an undefeated ‘Phins” team to sojourn to Pittsburgh, for the 1972 AFC title game.

However the incredible domination by the run first, short pass Miami team, most evident in a methodical win vs a very good Minnesota Vikings’ team in the 8th Super Bowl, puts that 1973 team just about at the top of the list for any one NFL season.

Running greats Larry Csonka (number 39) toting “the pigskin” with #22 “Mercury” Morris blocking, teamed with Jim Kiick to form arguably the greatest one team trio of running backs in NFL history.