1971 Miami Dolphins season
1971 Miami Dolphins season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Don Shula |
Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
Results | |
Record | 10–3–1 |
Division place | 1st AFC East |
Playoff finish |
Won AFC Divisional Playoff (at Chiefs) 27–24 (2OT) Won AFC Championship Game (Colts) 21–0 Lost Super Bowl VI (vs. Cowboys) 3-24 |
The 1971 Miami Dolphins season was the team's sixth, and second in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their 10-4 record from 1970 and finished 10-3-1. The Dolphins opened the season tying the Denver Broncos, the first season opener in NFL history to end in a tie, the Steelers vs Browns game in 2018 became the second season opener that ended up in a tie, before splitting their next 2 games to sit at 1-1-1. The Dolphins then won 8 in a row to sit at 9-1-1. The Dolphins won their first division title, finishing first in the AFC East, and then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round in 2 overtimes, the game is considered the longest in NFL history by time, and then advanced to their first ever AFC championship game, where they defeated the reigning champion Colts, 21-0, and went on to play in Super Bowl VI, their first Super Bowl berth. However, in the Super Bowl, Miami was walloped 24-3 by Dallas.
Offseason
NFL Draft
1971 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 47 | Otto Stowe | Wide receiver | Iowa State | |
3 | 74 | Dale Farley | Linebacker | West Virginia | |
4 | 99 | Joe Theismann * | Quarterback | Notre Dame | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Personnel
Staff
1971 Miami Dolphins staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 19, 1971 | at Denver Broncos | T 10–10 | 0–0–1 | |
2 | September 26, 1971 | at Buffalo Bills | W 29–14 | 1–0–1 | |
3 | October 3, 1971 | New York Jets | L 14–10 | 1–1–1 | |
4 | October 10, 1971 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 23–13 | 2–1–1 | |
5 | October 17, 1971 | New England Patriots | W 41–3 | 3–1–1 | |
6 | October 24, 1971 | at New York Jets | W 30–14 | 4–1–1 | |
7 | October 31, 1971 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 20–14 | 5–1–1 | |
8 | November 7, 1971 | Buffalo Bills | W 34–0 | 6–1–1 | |
9 | November 14, 1971 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–21 | 7–1–1 | |
10 | November 21, 1971 | Baltimore Colts | W 17–14 | 8–1–1 | |
11 | November 29, 1971 | Chicago Bears | W 34–3 | 9–1–1 | |
12 | December 5, 1971 | at New England Patriots | L 34–13 | 9–2–1 | |
13 | December 11, 1971 | at Baltimore Colts | L 14–3 | 9–3–1 | |
14 | December 19, 1971 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–6 | 10–3–1 |
Game summaries
Week 2
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Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Miami Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 5–3 | 7–3–1 | 315 | 174 | W1 |
Baltimore Colts | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 313 | 140 | L1 |
New England Patriots | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–4 | 6–5 | 238 | 325 | W1 |
New York Jets | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–4 | 6–5 | 212 | 299 | W2 |
Buffalo Bills | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 1–7 | 1–10 | 184 | 394 | L3 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972. [3]
Postseason
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Divisional | December 25, 1971 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 27–24 | |
Conference Championship | January 2, 1972 | Baltimore Colts | W 21–0 | |
Super Bowl VI | January 16, 1972 | N Dallas Cowboys | L 24–3 |
AFC Divisional Playoff
Miami Dolphins 27 K.C. Chiefs 24 (20T)
AFC Championship Game
Miami Dolphins 21 Baltimore Colts 0
Super Bowl VI
Dallas Cowboys 24 Miami Dolphins 3
Scoring summary
- Dallas Mike Clark, FG 14 yds (3–0)
- Dallas L.Alworth, 9 yd pass from Staubach (Mike Clark kick, 10–0)
- Miami Yepremian, FG 23 yds (10–3)
- Dallas Duane Thomas, 5 yd run (Mike Clark kick, 17–3)
- Dallas Mike Ditka, 4 yd pass from Staubach (Mike Clark kick, 24–3)
References
- ↑ "1971 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 297