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1984 Miami Dolphins season

19th season in franchise history; third Super Bowl loss

1984 Miami Dolphins season

19th season in franchise history; third Super Bowl loss

FieldValue
teamMiami Dolphins
year1984
record14–2
division_place1st AFC East
ownerJoe Robbie
presidentJoe Robbie
coachDon Shula
stadiumMiami Orange Bowl
playoffs**Won [Divisional Playoffs](1984-85-nfl-playoffs)**
(vs. [Seahawks](1984-seattle-seahawks-season)) 31–10
**Won [AFC Championship](1984-85-nfl-playoffs)**
(vs. [Steelers](1984-pittsburgh-steelers-season)) 45–28
Lost Super Bowl XIX
(vs. [49ers](1984-san-francisco-49ers-season)) 16–38
pro bowlers8
QB Dan Marino
WR Mark Duper
WR Mark Clayton
G Ed Newman
C Dwight Stephenson
DT Bob Baumhower
ILB A.J. Duhe
P Reggie Roby
shortnavlinkDolphins seasons

(vs. Seahawks) 31–10 Won AFC Championship (vs. Steelers) 45–28 Lost Super Bowl XIX (vs. 49ers) 16–38 QB Dan Marino WR Mark Duper WR Mark Clayton G Ed Newman C Dwight Stephenson DT Bob Baumhower ILB A.J. Duhe P Reggie Roby

The Dolphins playing against the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX.

The 1984 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 19th season, and 15th in the National Football League (NFL). It was also the 15th season with the team for head coach Don Shula. The Dolphins sought to build on a spectacular 1983 season where they went 12–4 with rookie quarterback Dan Marino.

The Dolphins won the 1984 AFC Championship, and appeared in Super Bowl XIX, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 38–16. To date this is the last season the Dolphins appeared in the Super Bowl.

Second year quarterback Dan Marino's passing ability became the focal point of Miami's offense and in 1984 he exploded to set league records with 5,084 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. Marino's touchdown record was broken by Peyton Manning twenty years later and the yardage record was broken by Drew Brees twenty-seven years later. The Dolphins attempted early on to make a run at a perfect season twelve years after pulling off the feat, as they won their first eleven games but were upended in overtime by the San Diego Chargers. The Dolphins scored more than 500 points for the first and to date only time in their history, as they scored 513 points and finished 14–2, their best record since the undefeated season.

The year began on a somber note, as running back David Overstreet was killed in a traffic collision in June. The Dolphins wore helmet decals with the number 20 (his jersey number) in his memory during this season. Overstreet was the third Dolphin in four seasons to die just before the start of training camp, following Rusty Chambers in July 1981 and Larry Gordon in June 1983.

NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Movers, Shakers and Record Breakers; it was narrated by Brad Crandall, the first time since 1969 the Dolphins' season highlights were not narrated by John Facenda, who died in September 1984 at age 72.

After the season, the last remaining Dolphin from their Super Bowl VIII team, longtime offensive lineman Ed Newman, retired, ending a 12-year era for the team. He holds the unique distinction as being the only man to make it to Super Bowl VIII and Super Bowl XIX as a member of the Dolphins, as well as Super Bowl XVII in between.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1984 NFL draft

Undrafted free agents

PlayerPositionCollege
Al Del GrecoKickerAuburn

Week 1 roster

Regular season

Schedule

Miami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"WeekMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"DateMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"OpponentMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"ResultMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"RecordMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"VenueMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"Attendance12345678910111213141516
September 2at [Washington Redskins](1984-washington-redskins-season)**W** 35–171–0RFK Stadium52,683
September 9**[New England Patriots](1984-new-england-patriots-season)****W** 28–72–0Miami Orange Bowl66,083
at **[Buffalo Bills](1984-buffalo-bills-season)****W** 21–173–0Rich Stadium65,455
September 23**[Indianapolis Colts](1984-indianapolis-colts-season)****W** 44–74–0Miami Orange Bowl55,415
September 30at [St. Louis Cardinals](1984-st-louis-cardinals-nfl-season)**W** 36–285–0Busch Memorial Stadium46,991
October 7at [Pittsburgh Steelers](1984-pittsburgh-steelers-season)**W** 31–76–0Three Rivers Stadium59,103
October 14[Houston Oilers](1984-houston-oilers-season)**W** 28–107–0Miami Orange Bowl54,080
October 21at **[New England Patriots](1984-new-england-patriots-season)****W** 44–248–0Sullivan Stadium60,711
October 28**[Buffalo Bills](1984-buffalo-bills-season)****W** 38–79–0Miami Orange Bowl58,824
November 4at **[New York Jets](1984-new-york-jets-season)****W** 31–1710–0Giants Stadium72,655
November 11[Philadelphia Eagles](1984-philadelphia-eagles-season)**W** 24–2311–0Miami Orange Bowl70,227
November 18at [San Diego Chargers](1984-san-diego-chargers-season)**L** 28–34 (OT)11–1Jack Murphy Stadium53,041
**[New York Jets](1984-new-york-jets-season)****W** 28–1712–1Miami Orange Bowl74,884
December 2[Los Angeles Raiders](1984-los-angeles-raiders-season)**L** 34–4512–2Miami Orange Bowl71,222
December 9at **[Indianapolis Colts](1984-indianapolis-colts-season)****W** 35–1713–2Hoosier Dome60,411
[Dallas Cowboys](1984-dallas-cowboys-season)**W** 28–2114–2Miami Orange Bowl74,139

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1 (Sunday, September 2, 1984): at [[1984 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]]

  • Point spread: Redskins by 4½
  • Over/under: 46.0 (over)
  • Time of game: 2 hours, 45 minutes
DolphinsGame statisticsRedskinsFirst downsRushes–yardsPassing yardsPassesSacked–yardsNet passing yardsTotal yardsReturn yardsPuntsFumbles–lostPenalties–yardsTime of Possession
1823
30–8629–156
311204
21–28–021–36–2
0–02–11
311193
397349
152148
5–45.84–43.8
0–01–1
4–453–20
28:4831:12

Dan Marino had one of the best passing days of his career, completing 21 of 28 passes for 311 yards with 5 TDs and no interceptions for a Passer Rating of 150.4. This game also marked the emergence of Jim "Crash" Jensen, who lined up as a receiver for the first time and caught 2 of Marino's TD passes. Until 2015, this was the Dolphins' last road win over the Redskins.

Week 2 (Sunday, September 9, 1984): vs. [[1984 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]]

  • Point spread: Dolphins by 6
  • Over/under: 43.0 (under)
  • Time of game: 3 hours, 3 minutes
PatriotsGame statisticsDolphinsFirst downsRushes–yardsPassing yardsPassesSacked–yardsNet passing yardsTotal yardsReturn yardsPuntsFumbles–lostPenalties–yardsTime of Possession
1817
28–12730–74
217269
20–42–417–28–2
2–120–0
205269
332343
74183
8–39.65–41.6
2–10–0
6–536–46
30:4629:14

Dan Marino increased his two-game total of seven touchdown passes as he tossed a pair of scoring strikes to Mark Clayton within a 1:36 span in the third quarter to lead Miami to its 17th straight victory against the Patriots at The Orange Bowl. Miami intercepted four Steve Grogan passes. Mike Kozlowski returned one 26 yards, then laterred to William Judson who rambled the remaining 60 yards for a touchdown.

Week 3 (Monday, September 17, 1984): at [[1984 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]]

  • Point spread:
  • Over/under:
  • Time of game: 3 hours, 15 minutes
DolphinsGame statisticsBillsFirst downsRushes–yardsPassing yardsPassesSacked–yardsNet passing yardsTotal yardsReturn yardsPuntsFumbles–lostPenalties–yardsTime of Possession

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8 (Sunday, October 21, 1984): at [[1984 New England Patriots season|New England Patriots]]

  • Point spread: Dolphins by 4
  • Over/under: 42.0 (over)
  • Time of game: 3 hours, 13 minutes
DolphinsGame statisticsPatriotsFirst downsRushes–yardsPassing yardsPassesSacked–yardsNet passing yardsTotal yardsReturn yardsPuntsFumbles–lostPenalties–yardsTime of Possession
3318
37–23627–102
316313
24–39–119–29–0
0–01–7
316306
552408
75113
1–38.03–57.0
0–01–1
6–366–36
31:5928:01

Week 9 (Sunday, October 28, 1984): vs. [[1984 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]]

  • Point spread:
  • Over/under:
  • Time of game: 2 hours, 54 minutes
BillsGame statisticsDolphinsFirst downsRushes–yardsPassing yardsPassesSacked–yardsNet passing yardsTotal yardsReturn yardsPuntsFumbles–lostPenalties–yardsTime of Possession

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Playoffs

Miami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"RoundMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"DateMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"Opponent (seed)Miami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"ResultMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"RecordMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"VenueMiami Dolphinsyear=1984border=2}}"AttendanceDivisionalAFC ChampionshipSuper Bowl XIX
December 29[Seattle Seahawks](1984-seattle-seahawks-season) (4)**W** 31–101–0Miami Orange Bowl73,469
January 6, 1985[Pittsburgh Steelers](1984-pittsburgh-steelers-season) (3)**W** 45–282–0Miami Orange Bowl76,029
January 20, 1985N [San Francisco 49ers](1984-san-francisco-49ers-season) (N1)**L** 16–382–1Stanford Stadium84,059

Standings

Player stats

Passing

Postseason

Divisional

A year after being upended in the playoffs by the Seattle Seahawks the Dolphins routed Seattle 31–10. Dan Marino threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns despite being intercepted twice by Seahawks defensive back John Harris. The Dolphins rushed for 143 yards and a Tony Nathan rushing score as well.

Conference Championship

In a shootout, quarterback Dan Marino led the Dolphins to a victory by throwing for 421 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Steelers quarterback Mark Malone recorded 312 yards and 3 touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. With their 3rd ever victory in the Conference Championship, the Dolphins were able to advance to Super Bowl XIX. As of 2025, this remains the Dolphins last win in the AFC Championship.

Super Bowl XIX (Sunday, January 20, 1985): vs. [[1984 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]]

Main article: Super Bowl XIX

  • Point spread: 49ers by 3
  • Over/under: 53.5 (over)
  • Time of game: 3 hours, 13 minutes
DolphinsGame statistics49ersFirst downsRushes–yardsPassing yardsPassesSacked–yardsNet passing yardsTotal yardsReturn yardsPuntsFumbles–lostPenalties–yardsTime of Possession
1931
9–2540–211
318331
29–50–224–35–0
4–291–5
289326
314537
15591
6–39.33–32.7
1–02–2
1–102–10
22:4937:11

Super Bowl XIX was played on January 20, 1985, and featured the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers won their second Super Bowl, defeating the Dolphins 38–16. Dan Marino, the Dolphins quarterback passed for one touchdown and two interceptions, while Joe Montana, the 49ers quarterback passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for another.

Awards and honors

  • Dan Marino, 1984 NFL MVP
  • Dan Marino, 1984 PFWA MVP
  • Dan Marino, 1984 NEA MVP
  • Dan Marino, 1984 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
  • Dan Marino, 1984 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
  • Dan Marino, Bert Bell Award

Personnel

Coaches / Staff

  • Owner / Team President – Joe Robbie

  • Executive vice president/general manager – Mike Robbie

  • Vice president – Don Shula

  • Director of player personnel – Chuck Connor

  • Director of pro scouting – Charley Winner

  • Head coach – Don Shula

  • Offensive backs – Carl Taseff

  • Receivers – David Shula

  • Offensive line – John Sandusky

  • Defense – Chuck Studley

  • Defensive line/run defense – Mike Scarry

  • Defensive backs – Tom Keane

  • Special teams – Bob Matheson

  • Punting – Tom Keane

  • Strength and flexibility – Junior Wade

Final roster

|

Notes

References

References

  1. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984090207 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  2. ''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198409020was.htm Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins – September 2, 1984]
  3. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984090910 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  4. ''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198409090mia.htm New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins – September 9, 1984]
  5. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984091701 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  6. ''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198409170buf.htm Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – September 17, 1984]
  7. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984092304 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  8. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984093010 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  9. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984100705 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  10. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984101408 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  11. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984102108 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  12. ''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198410210nwe.htm Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots – October 21, 1984]
  13. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984102804 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  14. ''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198410280mia.htm Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins – October 28, 1984]
  15. [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198411040nyj.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]
  16. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984110402 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  17. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984111111 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  18. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984111808 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  19. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984112601 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  20. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984120207 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  21. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984120907 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  22. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984121701 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  23. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1984122901 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  24. [https://www.footballdb.com/games/boxscore.html?gid=1985012001 The Football Database]. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
  25. "Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures". [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].
  26. ''[[Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference]]''; [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198501200mia.htm Super Bowl XIX – Miami Dolphins vs. San Francisco 49ers – January 20, 1985]
  27. "Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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