| This pro football team began play in 1966 in the | | | | appearance that year in Oakland and only lost by one |
| American Football League as an expansion team. | | | | score, 21-14. |
| Their home field is the Dolphin Stadium located in the | | | | Their first Super Bowl appearance was in 1971. They |
| suburbs of Miami in Miami Gardens. Their headquarters | | | | played in Super bowl VI and lost to the Dallas |
| are in Davie, Florida and are called the Miami Dolphins | | | | Cowboys that year. The next year was a different |
| Training Facility. Founded by Joseph Robbie in 1966, | | | | story. They completed the first ever NFL's perfect |
| they belong to the Easter division of the American | | | | season record which ended in a Super Bowl win. They |
| Football Conference of the NFL. They were a part of | | | | accomplished this by winning all of their 14 regular play |
| the original AFL-NFL merger. They are the oldest pro | | | | season games followed by two playoff games and |
| sports franchise of any type of major league sports | | | | then won Super Bowl VII. They are the only team to |
| club in the state of Florida. | | | | have ever done this feat to the present. In 1872, the |
| Their history is a colorful one. In 1965 the AFL awarded | | | | Dolphins held the fourth most perfect regular season |
| a team franchise to a lawyer by the name of Joseph | | | | record in the history of pro football. |
| Robbie and the actor Danny Thomas for $7.5 million | | | | The team also won Super Bowl VIII and this made |
| dollars. A contest in 1965 was held to determine the | | | | them the first team to make an appearance in three |
| new name for the as-yet unnamed team. 19,843 | | | | consecutive Super Bowls and the second team ever |
| entries made it into the pot with over a thousand | | | | to win back-to-back championships. They also made |
| different names proposed. There were a dozen | | | | appearances in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, |
| finalists that make it to the last pile. The names were | | | | but lost both games. |
| the Marauders, Missiles, Mariners, Mustangs, Moons, | | | | For almost all of the Dolphins years of play, they were |
| Suns, and Sharks. However, the number 622 entrant | | | | coached by Don Shula. He is considered by most to |
| was the one chosen - The Dolphins. Mrs. Robert | | | | be the most successful pro football head coach in |
| Swanson, for her effort, won lifetime passes to all the | | | | history. His team had only two losing seasons in the |
| future Dolphin games because of the strangest of | | | | twenty six years that he was with the club. There |
| reasons. Her nickname entry was chosen because | | | | have been 6 Hall of Famers that played for Miami |
| she successfully predicted the score and the winner of | | | | during the 1970s and these include quarterback Bob |
| the football game in 1965 between rivals the University | | | | Griese and running back Larry Csonka. In the 1980s |
| of Miami and Notre Dame - which was a scoreless tie. | | | | and 1990s their quarterback Dan Marino was touted |
| The first four seasons for the Dolphins were winning | | | | as being the most prolific passer in NFL history. He |
| ones under their first head coach, George Wilson. | | | | broke numerous passing records established in the |
| Then Shula was hired and hard work ensued for the | | | | league and he led the Dolphins to a lot of playoff |
| team. He was a stickler for early training camps, four | | | | berths and to Super bowl XIX. The Dolphins are |
| workouts a day, and punctuality. But the entire Dolphin's | | | | considered by many to be Florida's team. Maybe that |
| hard work paid off immediately because his first year | | | | is true, maybe not. But they are surely the best so far |
| as coach of the team saw them finish the year with a | | | | as their record stands. |
| 10-4 record. They also had their first playoff | | | | |