Facts and information about the Miami Dolphins

• The Dolphins are occasionally referred to as “The Fish” when Dolphins are actually mammals.

• Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino was part of the losing team in the Super Bowl XIX during his second season when the Dolphins lost to the 49ers 38-16, and he never made it back to the big game.

• Bob Griese’s son Brian also played Quarterback in the NFL.

• In 1972, the Dolphins became the only team to ever go undefeated over the course of a whole season.

• The Miami Dolphins were figured prominently in the movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

• The Dolphins concluded the 1972 season undefeated, capping it off by winning the Super Bowl. To date, they are the only team ever to accomplish this.

• The Dolphins are the oldest major-league professional sports franchise in the State of Florida.

• The Miami Dolphins won back-to-back Super Bowl Championships in Super Bowls VII & VIII.

• The Dolphins were the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls.

• Hall-of-Fame Running Back Larry Csonka played professional football from 1968 until 1979; starting and ending his career as a Miami Dolphin. In 1975, he left the Dolphins to play for the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League. The league would fold later that year and Csonka would play from 1976 to 1978 with the New York Giants.

• During Hall-of-Fame Head Coach Don Shula’s 26 year stay in Miami, the Dolphins only had two losing seasons.

• In 1965, the AFL franchise was awarded to Miami and it’s ownership group consisting of lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas.

• Dan Marino’s #13 is retired by both the Miami Dolphins and the University of Pittsburgh.

• A contest was held in 1965 to name the new Miami football team, other than Dolphins the finalist names were: Marauders, Mustangs, Mariners, Missiles, Moons, Sharks, and Suns.

• When Miami hired Don Shula away from the Baltimore Colts to be their Head Coach, they were penalized the first found pick in the 1970 NFL draft as a violation of the tampering rules.

• During the famed 1972 undefeated season, starting Quartback Bob Griese would only start six games for the team. The first five regular season games, then following an injury and a comeback midway through the AFC Championship game, he also started the Super Bowl.

• In 1965 when the franchise was awarded to Joe Robbie and the city of Miami, the Dolphins became the 9^th AFL franchise.

• Dan Marino’s first regular season action was against the Raiders in week three of the 1983 season. His first start was against the Bills in week 6 of that same year.

• In 1979, Dan Marino was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the Baseball Draft.

• In the 1983 NFL Draft, five Quarterbacks were taken ahead of future Dolphin and Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino; John Elway, Jim Kelly, Ken O’Brien, Tony Eason, and Todd Blackledge.

• During the 1985 season, the Miami Dolphins saved their distinction as the only franchise to ever go unbeaten as they were the only team to beat the 15-1 Chicago Bears.

• The first former Dolphin elected to the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame was former Wide Receiver Paul Warfield, followed four years later by former Running Back Larry Csonka.

• Dolphin Quarterback Dan Marino was the first Quarterback to start in the Pro Bowl during his rookie year.

• The first jersey number retired by the Miami Dolphins was the #12 of former Quarterback Bob Griese.

• Dan Marino’s number 13 jersey was retired in the year 2000.

• Larry Csonka’s number 39 jersey was retired during the 2002 season.

• In a 1994 game against the New York Jets, Dan Marino and the Dolphins ran the famous “Clock Play”. Lining up and motioning as if he would spike the ball to stop the clock, Marino faked the downward spike and then threw a touchdown pass to win the game.

• Dan Marino’s final win came against the Seahawks a 2000 playoff game. It was also Marino’s first playoff win on the road in his career.

• The official Miami Dolphins team colors are Aqua, Coral, White, and Navy.

• Hall-of-Fame Quarterback Dan Marino was the first overall selection in the USFL Draft in 1983, but elected to play with the Dolphins of the NFL instead. He was selected by the Los Angeles Express who later had future 49ers great Steve Young as their Quarterback.

• The last person to catch a Touchdown pass from Hall-of-Famer Dan Marino was Oronde Gadsen.

• In each of Dan Marino’s first eight seasons, the Dolphins allowed the fewest sacks in the league.

• The 116 wins with the combination of Don Shula as coach and Dan Marino as Quarterback is the highest win total by any coach-quarterback combo.

• In 1985, Dan Marino became the first NFL Quarterback to pass for over 5,000 yards.

• In 2004, Dan Marino was hired as the Miami Dolphins Senior Vice President of Football Operations, he resigned from the position three weeks later citing family issues.