1970 Miami Dolphins season
5th season in franchise history; first in the National Football League
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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. During this season, the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders for the first time in franchise history.[1]
| 1970 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home stadium | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoffs | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Raiders) 14–21 |
| Pro Bowlers | 3 QB Bob Griese WR Paul Warfield FB Larry Csonka |
The Dolphins got off to a fresh start at 4–1, lost three straight to even their record at 4–4, 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,[6][7] after seven seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, now in the same division.[8][9]
Offseason
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 | |
| 4 | 81 | Curtis Johnson | Cornerback | Toledo | |
| 6 | 132 | Dave Campbell | Defensive end | Auburn | |
| 7 | 159 | Jake Scott * | Safety | Georgia | |
| 8 | 185 | Narvel Chavers | Running back | Jackson State | |
| 9 | 211 | Hubert Ginn | Running back | Florida A&M | |
| 10 | 237 | Dick Nittenger | Guard | Tampa | |
| 11 | 263 | Brownie Wheless | Tackle | Rice | |
| 12 | 289 | Mike Kolen | Linebacker | Auburn | |
| 13 | 315 | Dave Buddington | Running back | Springfield (Mass.) | |
| 14 | 341 | Gary Brackett | Guard | Holy Cross | |
| 15 | 367 | Pat Hauser | Wide receiver | East Tennessee State | |
| 16 | 393 | Charles Williams | Guard | Tennessee State | |
| 17 | 419 | George Myles | Defensive tackle | Morris Brown | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Hamilton | Wide receiver | Prairie View A&M |
| Jesse Kaye | Quarterback | Tampa |
| Jim Langer | Center | South Dakota State |
| Doug Swift | Linebacker | Amherst |
| Doug Woolsey | Linebacker | Boise State |
| Bill Young | Safety | Tennessee |
| Alan Zerfoss | Tackle | Wyoming |
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Roster
Regular 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
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 27 | at Oakland Raiders | L 14–21 | 0–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,401 |