| 1970 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home stadium | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 2ndAFC East |
| Playoffs | LostDivisional Playoffs (atRaiders) 14–21 |
| Pro Bowlers | 3 QBBob Griese WRPaul Warfield FBLarry Csonka |
The1970 Miami Dolphins season was the team's fifth, and first in theNational Football League (NFL). It was the team's first winning season, first playoff appearance, and first of 26 seasons under head coachDon Shula. The team improved on their 3–10–1 record from1969, and finished the regular season at 10–4, second in the newly alignedAFC East to only theBaltimore Colts, the eventualSuper Bowl champion. During this season, the Dolphins defeated the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders for the first time in franchise history.[1]
The Dolphins got off to a fresh start at 4–1, lost three straight to even their record at 4–4, then won six straight to end the season to clinch their first-ever winning season and playoff berth, as thewild card team. They met theOakland Raiders in the openingdivisional round, whom they had defeated in Miami in early October,[2] but lost 21–14 on the road in the sun and mud.[3][4][5]
Shula had moved over to the Dolphins on February 18,[6][7] after seven seasons as head coach of theBaltimore Colts, now in the same division.[8][9]
| 1970 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 29 | Jim Mandich | Tight end | Michigan | |
| 3 | 55 | Tim Foley * | Defensive back | Purdue | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB) Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve lists
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | atBoston Patriots | L 14–27 | 0–1 | 32,607 |
| 2 | September 27 | atHouston Oilers | W 20–10 | 1–1 | 39,840 |
| 3 | October 3 | Oakland Raiders | W 20–13 | 2–1 | 57,140 |
| 4 | October 10 | atNew York Jets | W 20–6 | 3–1 | 62,712 |
| 5 | October 18 | atBuffalo Bills | W 33–14 | 4–1 | 41,312 |
| 6 | October 25 | Cleveland Browns | L 0–28 | 4–2 | 75,313 |
| 7 | November 1 | atBaltimore Colts | L 0–35 | 4–3 | 60,240 |
| 8 | November 8 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 17–24 | 4–4 | 58,171 |
| 9 | November 15 | New Orleans Saints | W 21–10 | 5–4 | 52,866 |
| 10 | November 22 | Baltimore Colts | W 34–17 | 6–4 | 67,699 |
| 11 | November 30 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 20–7 | 7–4 | 54,036 |
| 12 | December 6 | Boston Patriots | W 37–20 | 8–4 | 51,032 |
| 13 | December 13 | New York Jets | W 16–10 | 9–4 | 75,099 |
| 14 | December 20 | Buffalo Bills | W 45–7 | 10–4 | 70,990 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Colts | 11 | 2 | 1 | .846 | 6–1–1 | 8–2–1 | 321 | 234 | W4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 297 | 228 | W6 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 255 | 286 | L3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 3–4–1 | 3–7–1 | 204 | 337 | L5 |
| Boston Patriots | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 2–6 | 2–9 | 149 | 361 | L3 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 27 | atOakland Raiders | L 14–21 | 0–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,401 |
