1975 Miami Dolphins season

1975 Miami Dolphins season
Head coach	Don Shula
Owner	Joe Robbie
Home field	Orange Bowl
Results
Record	10–4
Division place	2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1975 Miami Dolphins season was the team's tenth, and sixth in the National Football League (NFL). Although they tied for the division title at 10–4 with the Baltimore Colts, the Colts won the tiebreaker in 1975 with a sweep of both games. The sole wild card in the conference was Cincinnati at 11–3, so the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time since 1969.

The 1975 Dolphins were without running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick and wide receiver Paul Warfield. They signed three-year contracts with the Memphis Southmen in March 1974 to play in the World Football League, beginning in 1975.^[1] The second-year league folded in the season's twelfth week, and the trio returned to the NFL in 1976 with other teams.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1975 Miami Dolphins draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	23	Darryl Carlton	Offensive tackle	Tampa
2	36	Freddie Solomon	Wide receiver	Tampa
2	49	Stan Winfrey	Running back	Arkansas State
3	75	Gerald Hill	Linebacker	Houston
4	100	Bruce Elia	Linebacker	Ohio State
5	106	Morris Owens	Wide receiver	Arizona State
5	127	Barry Hill	Defensive back	Iowa State
6	143	Steve Towle	Linebacker	Kansas
Made roster

^[2]

Personnel

Staff

1975 Miami Dolphins staff
	Front office President – Joe Robbie Vice President – Don Shula Director of Player Personnel – Bobby Beathard Head coaches Head Coach – Don Shula Offensive coaches Offense/Receivers/Passing Game – Howard Schnellenberger Offense/Offensive Line/Run Offense – Monte Clark Offensive Backs – Carl Taseff			Defensive coaches Defensive Line/Run Defense – Mike Scarry Linebackers/Pass Defense – Don Doll Defensive Backs – Tom Keane Special teams coaches Kickers – Carl Taseff

Regular season

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Dolphins points	Opponents	Record	Attendance
1	Sep 22	Oakland Raiders	Loss	21	31	0–1	78,744
2	Sep 28	at New England Patriots	Win	22	14	1–1	60,602
3	Oct 5	at Green Bay Packers	Win	31	7	2–1	56,267
4	Oct 12	Philadelphia Eagles	Win	24	16	3–1	60,127
5	Oct 19	at New York Jets	Win	43	0	4–1	47,191
6	Oct 26	at Buffalo Bills	Win	35	30	5–1	79,141
7	Nov 2	at Chicago Bears	Win	46	13	6–1	57,455
8	Nov 9	New York Jets	Win	27	7	7–1	72,896
9	Nov 16	at Houston Oilers	Loss	19	20	7–2	48,892
10	Nov 23	Baltimore Colts	Loss	17	33	7–3	61,986
11	Dec 1	New England Patriots	Win	20	7	8–3	61,963
12	Dec 7	Buffalo Bills	Win	31	21	9–3	78,701
13	Dec 14	at Baltimore Colts	Loss	7	10	9–4	59,398
14	Dec 20	Denver Broncos	Win	14	13	10–4	43,064

^[3]

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Baltimore Colts^(3)	10	4	0	.714	6–2	8–3	395	269	W9
Miami Dolphins	10	4	0	.714	6–2	7–4	357	222	W1
Buffalo Bills	8	6	0	.571	5–3	7–4	420	355	L1
New York Jets	3	11	0	.214	2–6	3–8	258	433	L2
New England Patriots	3	11	0	.214	1–7	2–9	258	358	L6

References

1. Jones, Robert F. (July 28, 1975). "They're grinning and bearing". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
2. "1975 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
3. http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1975-mia

External links

• 1975 Miami Dolphins at Pro-Football-Reference.com