LOOK: Dolphins reveal jersey, patch to honor Miami’s unbeaten 1972 team in Week 7 ‘SNF’ game vs. Steelers

The Dolphins will celebrate the golden anniversary of Miami’s perfect season during Sunday night’s primetime game against the Steelers. Members of the 1972 Dolphins will be honored, while the team will wear throwback uniforms that will include a commemorative patch. 

Led by Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, the 1972 Dolphins emphatically avenged their loss to the Cowboys in the previous year’s Super Bowl. Miami went 14-0 during the regular season despite losing starting quarterback Bob Griese five games into the campaign. The Dolphins leaned on their famed “No Name” defense along with running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, who became the first pair of teammates to each run for over 1,000 yards in the same season. 

The Dolphins edged the Browns and Steelers in the AFC playoffs to earn their second consecutive Super Bowl berth. Despite their unblemished record, Miami was an underdog going into their Super Bowl matchup against three-loss Washington. 

As they did all year, the Dolphins responded to their critics by dominating the opposition. Miami’s defense, led by game MVP Jake Scott, did not allow a touchdown while putting the exclamation point on the Dolphins’ undefeated season. 

The Dolphins would repeat as Super Bowl champions in 1973, defeating the Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII. And while several teams have come close, the ’72 Dolphins continue to stand alone as the NFL‘s only perfect team. 

“I think back then, ‘So what? So you go undefeated, win the Super Bowl. Somebody is going to do it in five years,’ ” Griese recently said, via The Orange County Register. “Nobody did it. ‘In 10 years, they’ll do it soon.’ Fifteen years, nobody has done it. Twenty years? No, nobody. Thirty, then the good teams come by, the [Tom] Brady year, the New York Giants with Eli Manning beating the Patriots in that Super Bowl game. And everybody says, ‘Geez, that must be pretty hard to do, go undefeated.’

“As time has gone by, I think more people realize that that was something special. We didn’t realize it was something special.”