1976 Miami Dolphins season
The 1976 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 11th, and seventh as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins failed to improve on their previous season's output of 10–4, winning only six games.[1] One of these wins came over their new in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — who proceeded to lose all 14 games that year. The 6–8 finish marked the first losing record of head coach Don Shula's career.
| 1976 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–8 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 4 QB Bob Griese G Bob Kuechenberg C Jim Langer PR/KR Nat Moore |
The Dolphins would not have another losing season until the 1988 Season.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1976 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Larry Gordon | Linebacker | Arizona State | |
| 1 | 19 | Kim Bokamper * | Defensive end | San Jose State | |
| 2 | 49 | Loaird McCreary | Tight end | Tennessee State | |
| 3 | 80 | Duriel Harris | Wide receiver | New Mexico State | |
| 4 | 98 | Melvin Mitchell | Guard | Tennessee State | |
| 6 | 174 | Gary Davis | Running back | Cal Poly-SLO | |
| 7 | 185 | Joe Ingersoll | Guard | UNLV | |
| 7 | 200 | John Owens | Defensive end | Tennessee State | |
| 8 | 230 | Bob Simpson | Defensive end | Colorado | |
| 9 | 257 | Norris Thomas | Defensive back | Southern Miss | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
| |||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | at Buffalo Bills | W 30–21 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | 77,683 |
| 2 | September 19 | at New England Patriots | L 14–30 | 1–1 | Schaefer Stadium | 46,053 |
| 3 | September 26 | New York Jets | W 16–0 | 2–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 49,754 |
| 4 | October 3 | Los Angeles Rams | L 28–31 | 2–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 60,753 |
| 5 | October 10 | at Baltimore Colts | L 14–28 | 2–3 | Memorial Stadium | 58,832 |
| 6 | October 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–20 (OT) | 2–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 43,325 |
| 7 | October 24 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–20 | 3–4 | Tampa Stadium | 61,437 |
| 8 | October 31 | New England Patriots | W 10–3 | 4–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 52,863 |
| 9 | November 7 | at New York Jets | W 27–7 | 5–4 | Shea Stadium | 53,344 |
| 10 | November 14 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–14 | 5–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 48,945 |
| 11 | November 22 | Baltimore Colts | L 16–17 | 5–6 | Miami Orange Bowl | 62,104 |
| 12 | November 28 | at Cleveland Browns | L 13–17 | 5–7 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,715 |
| 13 | December 5 | Buffalo Bills | W 45–27 | 6–7 | Miami Orange Bowl | 43,475 |
| 14 | December 11 | Minnesota Vikings | L 7–29 | 6–8 | Miami Orange Bowl | 46,543 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Colts(2) | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 11–1 | 417 | 246 | W1 |
| New England Patriots(4) | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 376 | 236 | W6 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 5–3 | 6–6 | 263 | 264 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 169 | 383 | L4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0–8 | 2–10 | 245 | 363 | L10 |
References
- 1976 Miami Dolphins
- "1976 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
External links
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