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| 1983 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Joe Robbie |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home stadium | Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1stAFC East |
| Playoffs | LostDivisional Playoffs (vs.Seahawks) 20–27 |
| Pro Bowlers | 7 QBDan Marino WRMark Duper GBob Kuechenberg CDwight Stephenson GEd Newman DEDoug Betters DTBob Baumhower |
The1983 Miami Dolphins season was the 18th season in football for theMiami Dolphins and they sought to return to theSuper Bowl after losing to theWashington Redskins inSuper Bowl XVII. It was also a turning point in the team's history, as in the1983 NFL draft a young quarterback slipped to deep in the opening round, being passed over by such teams as division rivalsNew York who draftedKen O'Brien andNew England who draftedTony Eason. With the 27th pick, the Dolphins decided to take a chance onDan Marino. In the draft's eighth round the Dolphins also selected receiverMark Clayton.
David Woodley started the team's first five games but despite wins overBuffalo, New England andKansas City the offense did not move toDon Shula's liking. So in Week Six, with the Dolphins hosting the Bills the rookie Marino started. Marino had completed two touchdown passes in relief of Woodley in a 27–14 loss tothe Raiders and then replaced Woodley during a 17–7 loss to theSaints with a touchdown and an interception, so the game against Buffalo was the third game of his career but his first start. The game proved to be a wild affair asRobb Riddick of the Bills fumbled the opening kickoff at his own 17 but Marino was intercepted bySteve Freeman on the next play. The Bills clawed to a 14–7 halftime lead but the Dolphins behind Marino stayed toe to toe as Marino threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns while handing off toMark Clayton on an option pass for a touchdown toMark Duper. The Bills tied the game in the final seconds and twoUwe von Schamann field goal attempts missed beforeJoe Danelo ended the game in a 38–35 Bills win.
Despite the loss Marino's performance cemented his role as the team's starter, and the Dolphins raced to win nine of their last ten games. Marino finished with 2,210 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. With the division wrapped up following a 26–17 win over theOilers at theAstrodome Marino sat for the final two games of the season asDon Strock quarterbacked the Dolphins to wins over theFalcons and New York Jets. Despite a very successful season, the Dolphins were eliminated in the Divisional round of the playoffs by the underdog Seattle Seahawks, 27–20.
| 1983 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Dan Marino * † | Quarterback | Pittsburgh | |
| 2 | 55 | Mike Charles | Defensive tackle | Syracuse | |
| 3 | 76 | Charles Benson | Defensive end | Baylor | |
| 6 | 167 | Reggie Roby * | Punter | Iowa | |
| 7 | 195 | Keith Woetzel | Linebacker | Rutgers | |
| 8 | 223 | Mark Clayton * | Wide receiver | Louisville | |
| 9 | 250 | Mark Brown | Linebacker | Purdue | |
| 10 | 278 | Anthony Reed | Running back | South Carolina State | |
| 11 | 306 | Joe Lukens | Guard | Ohio State | |
| 12 | 334 | Anthony Carter * | Wide receiver | Michigan | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve lists
Rookies in italics |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | atBuffalo Bills | W 12–0 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | 78,715 |
| 2 | September 11 | New England Patriots | W 34–24 | 2–0 | Miami Orange Bowl | 59,343 |
| 3 | September 19 | atLos Angeles Raiders | L 14–27 | 2–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,796 |
| 4 | September 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 14–6 | 3-1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 50,785 |
| 5 | October 2 | atNew Orleans Saints | L 7–17 | 3-2 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,489 |
| 6 | October 9 | Buffalo Bills | L 35–38(OT) | 3-3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 59,948 |
| 7 | October 16 | atNew York Jets | W 32–14 | 4-3 | Shea Stadium | 58,615 |
| 8 | October 23 | atBaltimore Colts | W 21–7 | 5-3 | Memorial Stadium | 32,343 |
| 9 | October 30 | Los Angeles Rams | W 30–14 | 6-3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 72,175 |
| 10 | November 6 | atSan Francisco 49ers | W 20–17 | 7-3 | Candlestick Park | 57,832 |
| 11 | November 13 | atNew England Patriots | L 6–17 | 7-4 | Sullivan Stadium | 60,771 |
| 12 | November 20 | Baltimore Colts | W 37–0 | 8-4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 54,482 |
| 13 | November 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 38–14 | 9-4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 74,506 |
| 14 | December 4 | atHouston Oilers | W 24–17 | 10-4 | Houston Astrodome | 39,434 |
| 15 | December 10 | Atlanta Falcons | W 31–24 | 11-4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 56,725 |
| 16 | December 16 | New York Jets | W 34–14 | 12-4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 59,975 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Dolphins | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Q2 | MIA | von Schamann 33 yard field goal | MIA 3–0 | |
| Q2 | MIA | von Schamann 23 yard field goal | MIA 6–0 | |
| Q3 | MIA | von Schamann 36 yard field goal | MIA 9–0 | |
| Q4 | MIA | von Schamann 50 yard field goal | MIA 12–0 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Bills | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 38 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 35 |
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 389 | 250 | W5 |
| New England Patriots | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 274 | 289 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 283 | 351 | L2 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 5–9 | 264 | 354 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 313 | 331 | L2 |
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Dan Marino | 296 | 173 | 2210 | 20 | 6 | 96.0 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
atMiami Orange Bowl,Miami, Florida
The Seahawks converted three turnovers in the second half into 13 points, while running backCurt Warner rushed for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dolphins quarterbackDan Marino threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter: A 19-yard pass to Johnson and a 32-yard pass to wide receiverMark Duper. Seattle's only score in the first half was quarterback Dave Krieg's 6-yard touchdown pass to running backCullen Bryant. In the third quarter, a fumble led to Warner's 1-yard touchdown. A fourth quarter interception from Marino then led toNorm Johnson's 27-yard field goal to give Seattle a 17–13 lead. After the Dolphins regained the lead off running backWoody Bennett's 3-yard touchdown, Seattle responded with Warner's 2-yard touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami returnerFulton Walker fumbled, setting up Norm Johnson's 37-yard field goal. Barely enough time remained for the Dolphins to tie the game, but Fulton Walker fumbled the next kickoff as well, which sealed the game for the Seahawks.
