No pro football club in history ever advanced more quickly from the first-year dregs every expansion team faces to the ultimate achievement in its sport than the Miami Dolphins did in the six-year period between 1967 and 1972. In 1967, they began their pro football life as the ninth member of the American Football League. Six years later, Miami became the only National Football League team ever to record a perfect season.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins won the AFC Eastern division and AFC championships and then defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII to complete an unblemished 17-0-0 record. The Dolphins, who were founded by Joseph Robbie, also got off to a perfect start in the first game of their first AFL season when running back Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. But the Miami team returned to reality even before the end of its first game. Oakland rallied to win and the Dolphins finished their first season with a 4-10 record.

The Dolphins since 1970 have won 11 AFC Eastern division championships and five AFC titles, the last two coming in 1982 and 1984. In the 1984 season, quarterback Dan Marino threw a then-record 48 touchdown passes.

The Dolphins first playing home was the Orange Bowl in Miami. Fan support was excellent … in 1973; the Dolphins established an NFL record with 74,961 season ticket sales. But Robbie had long dreamed of his own privately-funded stadium and, on August 16, 1987, he proudly unveiled a spanking new 73,000-seat stadium. Two years later, the stadium served as the site for Super Bowl XXIII and again hosted a Super Bowl in January, 1995.

The Joe Robbie era ended with his death on January 7, 1990. Early in 1994, the NFL approved the acquisition of the Dolphins by H. Wayne Huizenga, a well-known Florida sportsman. Following the 1995 season, the legendary Shula retired as coach of the Dolphins. Since that time, the team has been led by Jimmy Johnson, Dave Wannstedt, and Jim Bates. Miami Dolphins tickets have slipped due to the teams’ lack of recent success, but the future is bright.