The Incomparable 1972 Miami Dolphins
I’ve done what others have done: find fault with the ’72 Dolphins. But when you compare that team to how other great teams have performed, there is only one conclusion–they’re incomparable.
A few years ago, I wrote an article comparing the 1972 and 1973 Miami Dolphins. I concluded that the 1973 team was even better than the undefeated 1972 team. But in drawing that conclusion, I was in no way trying to diminish the accomplishments of the 1972 team. After all, it’s the only undefeated team in NFL history.
But when I made my comparison back in 2017, I didn’t make it solely for a reason others advance about the ’72 Dolphins. They contend that the ’72 team succeeded primarily because it played an ‘easy schedule.’ While that may be true, they are not the only team in league history to have had an easy schedule.
How easy was it? To answer that question, let’s look at how another great team performed–the 1974–1976 Minnesota Vikings. I chose the Vikings because they went to two Super Bowls during those three years, and compiled an outstanding regular-season record of 33–8–1 over 42 games.
How many of those 42 teams had a winning record? Only eight! And the Vikes’ record against those teams was a mere 4–3–1. How about the three-year post-season record? It was the same, 4–3. That’s an overall 3-year record of 8–6–1 against winning teams. Not that impressive!
How about the ’72 Dolphins? That team played five teams with winning records (regular and post-season combined). The Dolphins won all five games.
Here’s another comparison. The 1974–1976 Vikings were 29–5 against teams that didn’t have a winning record. The 1972 Dolphins did much better–going 12–0 against under-.500 teams. When combined with the 1973 team, the Dolphins went 19–1 against the sub-.500 teams. Impressive!
My point is this: a big part of winning championships is the ability to beat teams that you are supposed to beat.
The Vikings were good in that regard, but they still lost five games to teams they should have been able to beat. Put another way; they were upset by an underdog. The 1972 Dolphins, on the other hand, weren’t upset. They won every single game against lesser foes.
The bottom line is this: in the 100 years that the NFL has been in existence, only one team has finished the season with a perfect record–the ’72 Dolphins. Yes, others have come close. The ’76 Raiders went 16–1, the ’84 49ers and ’85 Bears finished 18–1, respectively. The 2007 NE Patriots marched into the Super Bowl with a perfect 18–0 record but then lost to the underdog NY Giants. They also lost a chance for perfection. They failed where the Dolphins succeeded.
While I still hold the belief that the ’72 Miami Dolphins weren’t the greatest team in NFL history, I must give credit where credit is due. In that year, they beat every team (good and not-so-good) to achieve something no other team has ever done–win them all. Try as you might you can’t discredit a team for doing what no one else was able to do before or since. It’s an accomplishment we may never see again.
Look for part two of this article titled Remembering Don Shula and the ’72 Miami Dolphins.
