The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami, Florida Metropolitan Area. They play home games at Dolphin Stadium, in the suburb of Miami Gardens, about 15 miles from Downtown Miami. They are headquartered at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, Florida. The Dolphins belong to the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins were founded by Joseph Robbie, began play in the American Football League as an expansion team in 1966, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger. The Dolphins are the oldest major-league professional sports franchise in the state of Florida.
The team made its first Super Bowl appearance following the 1971 season in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. In 1972, the Dolphins completed the NFL's first perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win, winning all 14 regular season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII. To date, they are the only team to do so. The 1972 Dolphins held the fourth perfect regular season in NFL history, and still hold the last perfect regular season. The New England Patriots came very close to doing so, however, their eventual loss in the Super Bowl (giving them an 18-1 record) eroded their attempt at a perfect season. The team also won Super Bowl VIII, becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, and the second team (first AFL/AFC team) to win back-to-back championships. Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games.
For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula, the most successful head coach in professional football history. His Dolphins teams posted losing records in only two of his 26 seasons with the club. Six future Hall of Fame members played for Miami during the 1970s, including running back Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese. During the 1980s and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most prolific passer in NFL history, breaking numerous league passing records. He led the Dolphins to numerous playoff appearances and Super Bowl XIX. Some of his passing records have since been surpassed by Brett Favre (all time touchdown passes & all time yardage) & Tom Brady (most TD passes in a single season)
