1970 Miami Dolphins season

The 1970 Miami Dolphins season was the team's fifth, and first in the National Football League (NFL). It was the team's first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first of 26 seasons under head coach Don Shula. The team improved on their 3–10–1 record from 1969, and finished the regular season at 10–4, second in the newly-aligned AFC East to only the Baltimore Colts, the eventual Super Bowl champion. In 1970, the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders for the first time in franchise history.[1]

1970 Miami Dolphins season
Head coachDon Shula
Home fieldMiami Orange Bowl
Results
Record10–4
Division place2nd AFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Raiders) 14–21
Pro Bowlers3
QB Bob Griese
WR Paul Warfield
FB Larry Csonka

The Dolphins got off to a fresh start at 4–1, but lost three straight to even their record at 4–4. Miami then won six straight to end the season to clinch their first-ever winning season and playoff berth, as the wild card team. They met the Oakland Raiders in the opening divisional round, whom they had defeated in Miami in early October,[2] but lost 21–14 on the road in the sun and mud.[3][4][5]

Shula had moved over to the Dolphins on February 18, 1970,[6] after seven seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, now in the same division.[7][8]

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 1970 NFL Draft
1970 Miami Dolphins draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 29 Jim Mandich  Tight end Michigan
3 55 Tim Foley *  Defensive back Purdue
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[9]

Personnel

Staff
1970 Miami Dolphins staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches



Roster
1970 Miami Dolphins final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Rookies in italics

Regular season
Main article: 1970 NFL season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance
1 September 20 at Boston Patriots L 14–27 0–1 32,607
2 September 27 at Houston Oilers W 20–10 1–1 39,840
3 October 3 Oakland Raiders W 20–13 2–1 57,140
4 October 10 at New York Jets W 20–6 3–1 62,712
5 October 18 at Buffalo Bills W 33–14 4–1 41,312
6 October 25 Cleveland Browns L 0–28 4–2 75,313
7 November 1 at Baltimore Colts L 0–35 4–3 60,240
8 November 8 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–24 4–4 58,171
9 November 15 New Orleans Saints W 21–10 5–4 52,866
10 November 22 Baltimore Colts W 34–17 6–4 67,699
11 November 30 at Atlanta Falcons W 20–7 7–4 54,036
12 December 6 Boston Patriots W 37–20 8–4 51,032
13 December 13 New York Jets W 16–10 9–4 75,099
14 December 20 Buffalo Bills W 45–7 10–4 70,990
Saturday (October 3, 10), Monday (November 30)

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings
AFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Baltimore Colts 11 2 1 .846 6–1–1 8–2–1 321 234 W4
Miami Dolphins 10 4 0 .714 6–2 8–3 297 228 W6
New York Jets 4 10 0 .286 2–6 2–9 255 286 L3
Buffalo Bills 3 10 1 .231 3–4–1 3–7–1 204 337 L5
Boston Patriots 2 12 0 .143 2–6 2–9 149 361 L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Postseason
Main article: 1970–71 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
Divisional December 27 at Oakland Raiders L 14–21 0–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 54,401

References
  1. 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.26
  2. "Raiders still seek first win after loss to Miami". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. October 5, 1970. p. 10.
  3. "Lamonica's 'bomb' wins for Raiders". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. December 28, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
  4. "Oakland slips, slides past Dolphin defense". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 28, 1970. p. 22.
  5. Maule, Tex (January 4, 1971). "Rushing to stake a claim". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
  6. 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.24
  7. "Shula replaces Miami's Wilson". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. February 19, 1970. p. 1, part 2.
  8. "Dollar signs convince Shula to jump to Miami Dolphins". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. February 19, 1970. p. 4D.
  9. "1970 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
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