1975 Miami Dolphins season

1975 Miami Dolphins season
1975 Miami Dolphins season
Owner	Joe Robbie
Head coach	Don Shula
Home field	Orange Bowl
Results
Record	10–4
Division place	2nd AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	3 ; C Jim Langer ; FS Jake Scott; G Bob Kuechenberg
	← 1974; Dolphins seasons; 1976 →;

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

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1975 Miami Dolphins draft
1	23	Darryl Carlton	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
7	179	Phillip Kent	Running back	Baylor
8	205	Barney Crawford	Defensive tackle	Harding
9	231	James Wilson	Guard	Clark Atlanta
10	239	Clyde Russell	Running back	Oklahoma
10	256	Joe Jackson	Tight end	Penn State
10	257	Joe Danelo	Kicker	Washington State
11	283	John Dilworth	Defensive back	Northwestern State
12	309	Joe Yancey	Tackle	Henderson State
13	334	Leonard Isabell	Wide receiver	Tulsa
14	338	James Lewis	Defensive back	Tennessee State
14	361	John Graham	Quarterback	Colorado State
15	387	Skip Johns	Running back	Carson–Newman
16	413	Vernon Smith	Center	Georgia
17	439	Dwaine Copeland	Running back	Middle Tennessee State
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

Roster

**1975 Miami Dolphins roster**

	Quarterbacks 12 Bob Griese 11 Jim Del Gaizo 15 Earl Morrall 10 Don Strock Running backs 22 Mercury Morris 36 Don Nottingham FB 31 Norm Bulaich FB 28 Hubert Ginn 32 Benny Malone 33 Stan Winfrey FB Wide receivers 89 Nat Moore 81 Howard Twilley 82 Morris Owens 86 Freddie Solomon 82 Cotton Speyrer Tight ends 87 Andre Tillman 88 Jim Mandich 80 Jim McFarland		Offensive linemen 79 Wayne Moore T 67 Bob Kuechenberg G 62 Jim Langer C 66 Larry Little G 73 Norm Evans T 71 Darryl Carlton T 78 Tom Drougas T 64 Ed Newman G Defensive linemen 83 Vern Den Herder DE 74 Randy Crowder DT 76 Don Reese DT 84 Bill Stanfill DE 70 John "Tiny" Andrews DE 75 Manny Fernandez DT		Linebackers 59 Doug Swift 57 Mike Kolen 53 Bob Matheson 51 Rodrigo Barnes 50 Bruce Elia 55 Earnest Rhone 56 Steve Towle Defensive backs 25 Tim Foley CB 45 Curtis Johnson CB 49 Charlie Babb SS 13 Jake Scott FS 44 Barry Hill S 41 Jeris White CB Special teams 1 Garo Yepremian K 20 Larry Seiple P		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 22	Oakland Raiders	L 21–31	0–1	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
2	September 28	at New England Patriots	W 22–14	1–1	Schaefer Stadium	Recap
3	October 5	at Green Bay Packers	W 31–7	2–1	Lambeau Field	Recap
4	October 12	Philadelphia Eagles	W 24–16	3–1	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
5	October 19	at New York Jets	W 43–0	4–1	Shea Stadium	Recap
6	October 26	at Buffalo Bills	W 35–30	5–1	Rich Stadium	Recap
7	November 2	at Chicago Bears	W 46–13	6–1	Soldier Field	Recap
8	November 9	New York Jets	W 27–7	7–1	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
9	November 16	at Houston Oilers	L 19–20	7–2	Astrodome	Recap
10	November 23	Baltimore Colts	L 17–33	7–3	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
11	December 1	New England Patriots	W 20–7	8–3	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
12	December 7	Buffalo Bills	W 31–21	9–3	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
13	December 14	at Baltimore Colts	L 7–10 (OT)	9–4	Memorial Stadium	Recap
14	December 20	Denver Broncos	W 14–13	10–4	Miami Orange Bowl	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	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

^ Jones, Robert F. (July 28, 1975). "They're grinning and bearing". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
^ "1975 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.

External links

1975 Miami Dolphins at Pro-Football-Reference.com

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[memsth-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 February 19, 2022.

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