At halftime of their Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Miami Dolphins will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s perfect season.
Sunday night’s game between the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be the first time the Dolphins have recognized their 1972 squad for earning the only flawless season in NFL history.
Each new celebration, however, carries with it two irrefutable aspects: one sorrowful and one extremely good.
The saddest aspect is, of course, the passing of team members from 1972, most recently former starting wide receiver Marlin Briscoe. And obviously, more than a dozen of the 1972 Dolphins, including Coach Don Shula and fellow Hall of Famers Nick Buoniconti and Jim Langer, will be absent from this celebration.
They will be remembered and mourned during the celebration of an accomplishment that grows more spectacular with each passing year, as NFL teams have been attempting and failing to replicate the 1972 Dolphins’ feat for the past 50 years.
“I recall the past, so what? So you go undefeated and win the Super Bowl; someone will accomplish this feat in five years “This week, Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese stated in a Zoom media conference. “Nobody did it. In 10 years, they’ll complete the task. In the past 15 years, nobody has done it. 20 years? No, nobody. 30 (years) later, the good teams arrive in the Brady season, and the New York Giants led by Eli Manning defeated the Patriots in the Super Bowl. And everyone believes that going undefeated is a difficult achievement. Yes, I believe that, as time has passed, more people have come to appreciate that it was unique. We did not recognize its significance. We simply believed… we did not attempt to remain unbeaten. We simply went out and attempted to win each game. We won each game, as we intended. However, it is now more difficult because there are more games. I believe we receive more respect now than we did back then due to our unbeaten record.”
Six weeks into the 2022 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles are the only team with a chance to match the 1972 Dolphins’ feat; they would actually surpass it because the regular season now consists of 17 games as opposed to 14 in 1972.
On paper, the Eagles’ next four games at home against Pittsburgh, away at Houston, at home against Washington, and away at Indianapolis appear to allow them to reach double-digit victories without suffering a loss.
“Well, we’re all beginning to snarl about it in our beards,” “Larry Csonka, a legend, stated. “When the sixth or seventh game has been played, you are relieved that one or two teams remain unbeaten. Then, around the ten-game mark, you begin to desire them to vanish more quickly since you’re on high alert. It’s a matter of envy. In one sense, it’s enjoyable. In a different context, it is still a competition, and it may be a little annoying, especially when you’re at the Super Bowl and you know the game will come down to the wire. Nobody can surpass us, but they certainly can tie us. Therefore, you are exerting significant force against them to do this. It evokes a sense of vitality. It makes you feel like you’re a part of it once more, which is a great thing.”
Regularly Honoring The 1972 Dolphins
Miami Dolphins initially honored the 1972 Dolphins on the 20th anniversary of their perfect season by inducting them into the Dolphin Honor Roll during halftime of a game against the Buffalo Bills.
In 2007, the Dolphins celebrated their 35th anniversary on the day Greg Camarillo’s touchdown reception in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens gave them their sole victory of the season.
It occurred again in 2012, the 40th anniversary, and then again in August 2013, when the 1972 Dolphins paid a White House visit to President Barack Obama.
The NFL’s designation of the 1972 Dolphins as the greatest team of all time as part of the NFL’s 100 Greatest campaign was arguably the most prestigious accolade of all.
“Well, 50 years implies we’ve been around for 50 years, during which time we’ve been frequently mimicked but never replicated.” “Larry Little of the Hall of Fame noted. “It means a great deal to me since I never believed our record would survive this long or, more accurately, because I believed other teams would eventually tie us. Not that no team will exceed us in the future. However, you are aware that you cannot surpass us.
“I never imagined that we would be alone on the summit of the mountain. I expected someone else to join us, but that has not happened.”
A Year For Dolphins Anniversaries
While the 1972 season is the most notable, this season also marks the anniversaries of several others.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1982 Dolphins, who reached the Super Bowl despite a strike-shortened season.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Dolphins, the last squad to reach the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Buffalo Bills at home.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Ricky Williams leading the NFL in rushing and setting a team record with 1,853 yards.
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