1993 Miami Dolphins season
28th season in franchise history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1993 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League.
| 1993 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Eddie Jones |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home stadium | Joe Robbie Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 4 FB Keith Byars WR Irving Fryar T Richmond Webb G Keith Sims |
The season was marked by Don Shula passing George Halas's record for most wins, against the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, during the Week 6 game against Cleveland, quarterback Dan Marino ruptured his Achilles' tendon and was lost for the remainder of the season. Quarterback Scott Mitchell filled in for Marino and was Player of the Month for October 1993. Mitchell, too, became injured, leaving the then 9–2 team in the hands of Doug Pederson and NFL veteran Steve DeBerg.
Rookie running back Terry Kirby led the team with 75 pass receptions, and free-agent acquisition Irving Fryar caught 64 passes for 1,010 yards.[1]
The Dolphins had a record of 9–2 on Thanksgiving Day, but lost their final five games of the season, missing the playoffs altogether. As of the 2026 NFL season, the 1993 Miami Dolphins are the only team to start 9–2 and not reach the playoffs.
Offseason
1993 NFL draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | O.J. McDuffie | WR | Penn State | |
| 3 | 78 | Terry Kirby | RB | Virginia | |
| 4 | 105 | Ronnie Bradford | DB | Colorado | |
| 5 | 132 | Chris Gray | G | Auburn | |
| 6 | 164 | Robert O'Neal | DB | Clemson | |
| 7 | 191 | David Merritt | LB | North Carolina State | |
| 8 | 218 | Dwayne Gordon | LB | New Hampshire | |
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Final roster
Regular season
On November 14, Don Shula became the winningest head coach in NFL history by winning his 325th game. The Dolphins beat the Philadelphia Eagles.[3]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 24–20 | 1–0 | Hoosier Dome | Recap |
| 2 | September 12 | New York Jets | L 14–24 | 1–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | Bye | |||||
| 4 | September 26 | at Buffalo Bills | W 22–13 | 2–1 | Rich Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 4 | Washington Redskins | W 17–10 | 3–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 10 | at Cleveland Browns | W 24–14 | 4–1 | Cleveland Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | |||||
| 8 | October 24 | Indianapolis Colts | W 41–27 | 5–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | October 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 30–10 | 6–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 7 | at New York Jets | L 10–27 | 6–2 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 14 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 19–14 | 7–2 | Veterans Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 21 | New England Patriots | W 17–13 | 8–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 25 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 16–14 | 9–2 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 5 | New York Giants | L 14–19 | 9–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–21 | 9–4 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 19 | Buffalo Bills | L 34–47 | 9–5 | Joe Robbie Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 27 | at San Diego Chargers | L 20–45 | 9–6 | Jack Murphy Stadium | Recap |
| 18 | January 2 | at New England Patriots | L 27–33 (OT) | 9–7 | Foxboro Stadium | Recap |
Game summaries
Week 13
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Dolphins | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
- Date: November 25 (Thanksgiving Day)
- Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Game start: 3:00 p.m.
- Game attendance: 60,198
- Game weather: Snow; 32 °F (0 °C); wind 15 mph (24 km/h)
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy
| Q1 | MIA | Keith Byars 77 yard run (Pete Stoyanovich kick) | MIA 7–0 | |
| Q2 | DAL | Kevin Williams 4 yard pass from Troy Aikman (Eddie Murray kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
| Q2 | DAL | Kevin Williams 64 yard punt return (Eddie Murray kick) | DAL 14–7 | |
| Q3 | MIA | Pete Stoyanovich 20 yard field goal | DAL 14–10 | |
| Q4 | MIA | Pete Stoyanovich 31 yard field goal | DAL 14–13 | |
| Q4 | MIA | Pete Stoyanovich 19 yard field goal | MIA 16–14 | |
Week 16
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bills | 9 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 47 |
| Dolphins | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
- Date: December 19
- Location: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Elapsed time: 2:59.44
- Game attendance: 71,597
- Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
- Referee: Howard Roe
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Buffalo Bills | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 329 | 242 | W4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 349 | 351 | L5 |
| New York Jets | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 270 | 247 | L3 |
| New England Patriots | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 238 | 286 | W4 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 189 | 378 | L4 |
