1988 Miami Dolphins season
23rd season in franchise history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1988 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 23rd as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 8–7, winning only six games[1] and failing to reach the playoffs for the third straight season.
| 1988 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home stadium | Joe Robbie Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–10 |
| Division place | 5th AFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 2
|
Even without future Pro Football Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson, who was forced to retire prior to this season due to injuries, the Dolphins offensive line set the record for fewest sacks in a single season with 7 during 1988, protecting quarterback Dan Marino. Marino was only sacked on 0.98% of his dropbacks in 1988, also a single-season NFL record.[2]
This would be the last time Don Shula recorded a losing record during his tenure as Dolphins coach, and in his coaching career overall. It would be the final losing season for the Dolphins for 15 years.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1988 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Eric Kumerow | Linebacker | Ohio State | |
| 2 | 42 | Jarvis Williams | Safety | Florida | |
| 3 | 73 | Ferrell Edmunds * | Tight end | Maryland | |
| 4 | 99 | Greg Johnson | Guard | Oklahoma | |
| 5 | 126 | Rodney Thomas | Cornerback | BYU | |
| 6 | 153 | Mel Bratton | Running back | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 156 | George Cooper | Running back | Ohio State | |
| 7 | 180 | Kerwin Bell | Quarterback | Florida | |
| 8 | 212 | Harry Galbreath | Guard | Tennessee | |
| 8 | 220 | Louis Cheek | Tackle | Texas A&M | |
| 9 | 239 | Jeff Cross * | Defensive end | Missouri | |
| 10 | 266 | Artis Jackson | Defensive tackle | Texas Tech | |
| 11 | 292 | Tom Kelleher | Running back | Holy Cross | |
| 12 | 320 | Brian Kinchen | Tight end | LSU | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–34 | 0–1 | Soldier Field | 63,330 |
| 2 | September 11 | at Buffalo Bills | L 6–9 | 0–2 | Rich Stadium | 79,520 |
| 3 | September 18 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–17 | 1–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 54,409 |
| 4 | September 25 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 13–15 | 1–3 | Hoosier Dome | 59,638 |
| 5 | October 2 | Minnesota Vikings | W 24–7 | 2–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 59,867 |
| 6 | October 9 | at Los Angeles Raiders | W 24–14 | 3–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 50,751 |
| 7 | October 16 | San Diego Chargers | W 31–28 | 4–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 58,972 |
| 8 | October 23 | New York Jets | L 30–44 | 4–4 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 68,292 |
| 9 | October 30 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–14 | 5–4 | Tampa Stadium | 67,352 |
| 10 | November 6 | at New England Patriots | L 10–21 | 5–5 | Sullivan Stadium | 60,840 |
| 11 | November 14 | Buffalo Bills | L 6–31 | 5–6 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 67,091 |
| 12 | November 20 | New England Patriots | L 3–6 | 5–7 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 53,526 |
| 13 | November 27 | at New York Jets | L 34–38 | 5–8 | Giants Stadium | 52,752 |
| 14 | December 4 | Indianapolis Colts | L 28–31 | 5–9 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 45,236 |
| 15 | December 12 | Cleveland Browns | W 38–31 | 6–9 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 61,884 |
| 16 | December 18 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–40 | 6–10 | Three Rivers Stadium | 36,051 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 5
First time Dan Marino faced the Minnesota Vikings in the regular season.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Dolphins | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
- Date: Oct 2, 1988
- Location: Joe Robbie Stadium
- Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 59,867
- Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C) - Wind 8 mph (13 km/h)mph
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts
Week 6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Dolphins | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
- Date: October 9
- Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
| 2 | MIA | Lorenzo Hampton 1 yard run (Fuad Reveiz kick) | Dolphins 7–0 | |
| 2 | MIA | Liffort Hobley 19 yard fumble return (Fuad Reveiz kick) | Dolphins 14–0 | |
| 2 | MIA | Fuad Reveiz 45 yard field goal | Dolphins 17–0 | |
| 2 | MIA | Jim Jensen 17 yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick) | Dolphins 24–0 | |
| 3 | LA | Mervyn Fernandez 7 yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Chris Bahr kick) | Dolphins 24–7 | |
| 4 | LA | Steve Strachan 13 yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Chris Bahr kick) | Dolphins 24–14 | |
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Buffalo Bills(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 329 | 237 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 354 | 315 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 250 | 284 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 3–5 | 6–7–1 | 372 | 354 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 0–8 | 3–9 | 319 | 380 | L1 |
Awards and records
- October 23, 1988: Dan Marino set a franchise record for most passing yards in one game (521)[6]
- November 6, 1988: Jim Jensen set a franchise record for most receptions in one game (12) [6]
- Brian Sochia, Pro Bowl selection