1981 Miami Dolphins season

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1981 Miami Dolphins season
Head coachDon Shula
Home fieldOrange Bowl
Results
Record11–4–1
Division place1st AFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Chargers) 38–41 (OT)
The Dolphins facing the Chargers in the AFC Divisional Playoff known as the "Epic in Miami".

The 1981 Miami Dolphins season was the 16th year of existence for the Miami Dolphins franchise. With the retirement of Bob Griese, not much was expected out of the Dolphins. The Dolphins Defense became known as the Killer Bees because of the number of players whose last name began with the letter B; Bill Barnett, Bob Baumhauer, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper, and Bob Brudzinski anchored a strong team. They finished 11-4-1, as Don Shula reached a milestone by winning his 200th game of his coaching career. In the Divisional Playoffs against the San Diego Chargers the Dolphins fell behind 24-0 early in front of a sold out crowd at the Orange Bowl. With time running out in the first half, the Dolphins desperately needed a score to get back in the game. Out of nowhere the Dolphins ran the old schoolyard hook and lateral play to success. On the play, Quarterback Don Strock threw a pass over the middle to WR Duriel Harris, who lateraled to HB Tony Nathan, who ran the ball in for a touchdown. The play sparked the Dolphins, who came back and took a lead in the 4th Quarter. However, the Killer Bees could not contain Chargers QB Dan Fouts, who tied the game and forced overtime, where the Chargers won the game on a Rolf Benirschke field goal in the 14th minute of overtime.

Offseason[]

  • July 1, 1981: Linebacker Rusty Chambers, the Miami Dolphins leading tackler in 1978 and 1979, died in an automobile accident. [1]

NFL draft[]

Main article: 1981 NFL draft
1981 Miami Dolphins draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 13 David Overstreet  Running back Oklahoma
2 56 Andra Franklin *  Running back Nebraska
4 84 Sam Greene  Wide receiver UNLV
4 96 Brad Wright  Quarterback New Mexico
5 126 Ken Poole  Defensive end Louisiana–Monroe
5 138 Tommy Vigorito  Running back Virginia
6 152 Mack Moore  Defensive end Texas A&M
6 154 Fulton Walker  Defensive back West Virginia
7 179 Mike Daum  Offensive tackle Cal Poly
8 208 William Judson  Defensive back South Carolina State
9 235 John Noonan  Wide receiver Nebraska
10 261 Steve Folsom  Tight end Utah
11 291 Jim Jensen  Wide receiver Boston University
12 318 John Alford  Defensive tackle South Carolina State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[2]

Personnel[]

Staff[]

1981 Miami Dolphins staff
Front office
  • 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 coaches

  • Head Coach – Don Shula

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Assistant Head Coach/Defense – Bill Arnsparger
  • Defensive Line/Run Defense – Mike Scarry
  • Defensive Backs – Tom Keane

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – Steve Crosby, Carl Taseff
  • Punting – Tom Keane


Roster[]

1981 Miami Dolphins final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics
 45 active

Regular season[]

The Dolphins won the AFC East title behind second-year quarterback David Woodley and a running attack that managed 2,173 yards and 18 touchdowns. In their eight divisional games they swept the Colts and Patriots but split with Buffalo and went winless against a resurgent Jets squad; they tied the Jets 28–28 at Miami then lost at Shea Stadium 16–15. They won their last four games of the season to finish 11–4–1.

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 6 at St. Louis Cardinals W 20–7 50,351
2 September 10 Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–10 75,059
3 September 20 at Houston Oilers W 16–10 47,379
4 September 27 at Baltimore Colts W 31–28 41,630
5 October 4 New York Jets T 28–28 68,723
6 October 12 at Buffalo Bills L 21–31 78,576
7 October 18 Washington Redskins W 13–10 47,367
8 October 25 at Dallas Cowboys L 27–28 64,221
9 November 1 Baltimore Colts W 27–10 46,061
10 November 8 at New England Patriots W 30–27 60,436
11 November 15 Oakland Raiders L 17–33 61,777
12 November 22 at New York Jets L 15–16 59,962
13 November 30 Philadelphia Eagles W 13–10 67,797
14 December 6 New England Patriots W 24–14 50,421
15 December 13 at Kansas City Chiefs W 17–7 57,407
16 December 19 Buffalo Bills W 16–6 72,956

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings[]

AFC East
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 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins(2) 11 4 1 .719 5–2–1 8–3–1 345 275 W4
New York Jets(4) 10 5 1 .656 6–1–1 8–5–1 355 287 W2
Buffalo Bills(5) 10 6 0 .625 6–2 9–3 311 276 L1
Baltimore Colts 2 14 0 .125 2–6 2–10 259 533 W1
New England Patriots 2 14 0 .125 0–8 2–10 322 370 L9

Playoffs[]

The Dolphins returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence, hosting the "Air Coryell" Chargers in one of the greatest playoff games in NFL history.

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Divisional January 2, 1982 San Diego Chargers L 41–38
73,735

References[]

  1. ^ 100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.185
  2. ^ "1981 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.

External links[]

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