1986 Miami Dolphins season

1986 Miami Dolphins season
1986 Miami Dolphins season
Owner	Joe Robbie
Head coach	Don Shula
Home field	Orange Bowl
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	4 QB Dan Marino; ILB John Offerdahl; WR Mark Clayton; G Roy Foster;
	← 1985; Dolphins seasons; 1987 →;

The 1986 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 21st as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games.^[1] This was the first time in six seasons the team did not qualify for the playoffs. This was also the team's final season at the Orange Bowl before moving into their new stadium Joe Robbie Stadium the following season.

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**1986 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 Assistant Head Coach – David Shula Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/Receivers – David Shula Offensive Backs – Carl Taseff Tight Ends – Mike Westhoff Offensive Line – John Sandusky			Defensive coaches Defense – Chuck Studley Defensive Line – Dan Sekanovich Linebackers – Bob Matheson Defensive Backs – Mel Phillips Special teams coaches Special Teams – Mike Westhoff Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Junior Wade

Roster[]

**1986 Miami Dolphins final roster**

	Quarterbacks 13 Dan Marino 10 Don Strock Running backs 34 Woody Bennett 30 Ron Davenport 27 Lorenzo Hampton 22 Tony Nathan 23 Joe Carter 33 Craig Ellis Wide receivers 83 Mark Clayton 85 Mark Duper 89 Nat Moore 11 Jim Jensen 82 James Pruitt Tight ends 87 Dan Johnson 84 Bruce Hardy		Offensive linemen 65 Jeff Dellenbach T 74 Cleveland Green T 79 Jon Giesler T 57 Dwight Stephenson C 61 Roy Foster G 66 Larry Lee G 72 Ronnie Lee G 68 Greg Koch T 76 Tom Toth G/T Defensive linemen 73 Bob Baumhower NT 75 Doug Betters DE 71 Mike Charles NT 78 Jerome Foster DE/DT 99 George Little DE 91 Mack Moore DE 95 T.J. Turner DE		Linebackers 51 Mark Brown OLB 59 Bob Brudzinski OLB 56 John Offerdahl ILB 50 Jackie Shipp ILB 55 Hugh Green 94 Larry Kolic 53 David Frye 90 Andy Hendel 54 Alex Moyer 91 Fred Robinson 53 Jack Squirek 54 Defensive backs 47 Glenn Blackwood SS 43 Bud Brown FS 49 William Judson CB 44 Paul Lankford CB 42 Robert Sowell 28 Don McNeal 40 Mike Kozlowski 42 Lyle Blackwood 32 Donald Brown 26 Donovan Rose 18 19 Reyna Thompson Special teams 7 Fuad Reveiz K 4 Reggie Roby P		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 7, 1986	at San Diego Chargers	L 50–28	57,726
2	September 14, 1986	Indianapolis Colts	W 30–10	51,848
3	September 21, 1986	at New York Jets	L 51–45	71,025
4	September 28, 1986	San Francisco 49ers	L 31–16	70,264
5	October 5, 1986	at New England Patriots	L 34–7	60,689
6	October 12, 1986	Buffalo Bills	W 27–14	49,467
7	October 19, 1986	Los Angeles Raiders	L 30–28	53,421
8	October 26, 1986	at Indianapolis Colts	W 17–13	58,350
9	November 2, 1986	Houston Oilers	W 28–7	43,804
10	November 10, 1986	at Cleveland Browns	L 26–16	77,949
11	November 16, 1986	at Buffalo Bills	W 34–24	76,474
12	November 24, 1986	New York Jets	W 45–3	70,206
13	November 30, 1986	Atlanta Falcons	L 20–14	53,762
14	December 7, 1986	at New Orleans Saints	W 31–27	64,761
15	December 14, 1986	at Los Angeles Rams	W 37–31	62,629
16	December 22, 1986	New England Patriots	L 34–27	74,516

Final roster[]

**1986 Miami Dolphins final roster**

	Quarterbacks 13 Dan Marino 10 Don Strock Running backs 34 Woody Bennett FB 30 Ron Davenport FB 33 Craig Ellis RB 27 Lorenzo Hampton RB 22 Tony Nathan RB Wide receivers 83 Mark Clayton 85 Mark Duper 11 Jim Jensen WR/RB/QB 89 Nat Moore 82 James Pruitt Tight ends 84 Bruce Hardy 87 Dan Johnson		Offensive linemen 65 Jeff Dellenbach C/G 61 Roy Foster G 68 Greg Koch T 63 Larry Lee G 72 Ronnie Lee G/T 57 Dwight Stephenson C 76 Tom Toth G Defensive linemen 73 Bob Baumhower NT 75 Doug Betters DE 71 Mike Charles NT 99 George Little DE 70 Brian Sochia DE 95 T.J. Turner DE		Linebackers 51 Mark Brown ILB 59 Bob Brudzinski OLB 53 David Frye OLB 90 Andy Hendel ILB 94 Larry Kolic OLB 56 John Offerdahl ILB 90 Fred Robinson OLB 50 Jackie Shipp ILB Defensive backs 47 Glenn Blackwood SS 43 Bud Brown SS 32 Donald Brown CB 49 William Judson CB 40 Mike Kozlowski FS 28 Don McNeal CB 26 Donovan Rose S 24 Reyna Thompson CB Special teams 7 Fuad Reveiz K 4 Reggie Roby P		Reserve lists 42 Lyle Blackwood FS (IR) 53 Jay Brophy MLB (IR) 78 Jerome Foster NT (IR) 79 Jon Giesler T (IR) 74 Cleveland Green T (IR) 55 Hugh Green OLB (IR) 44 Paul Lankford CB (IR) 91 Mack Moore DE (IR) 18 DB (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics 45 active, 6 inactive, 0 practice squad

Season summary[]

Week 1 at Chargers[]

Miami Dolphins (0–0) at San Diego Chargers (0–0)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	14	7	7	28
Chargers	17	9	14	10	50

at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California

Date: September 7
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 57,726
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Jimmy Cefalo
Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information

Dolphins

Dan Marino
23/36, 290 Yds, 3 TD
Lorenzo Hampton
6 Rush, 26 Yds
Mark Clayton
5 Rec, 143 Yds, 2 TD

Chargers

Dan Fouts
23/35, 293 Yds, 3 TD
Lionel James
10 Rush, 61 Yds
Wes Chandler
6 Rec, 78 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MIA	SD
1	10:52				Chargers	Gary Anderson 18-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	0	7
1	2:17				Chargers	26-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	0	10
1	0:24				Chargers	Tim Spencer 17-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good	0	17
2	12:00				Dolphins	Mark Clayton 22-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	7	17
2	4:02				Chargers	Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick no good	7	23
2	2:19				Dolphins	Mark Clayton 49-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	14	23
2	0:28				Chargers	36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	14	26
3	9:22				Chargers	Wes Chandler 7-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	14	33
3	6:47				Dolphins	Nat Moore 6-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	21	33
3	0:21				Chargers	Pete Holohan 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	21	40
4	14:15				Chargers	Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good	21	47
4	5:48				Chargers	36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	21	50
4	0:58				Dolphins	Nat Moore 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	28	50
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							28	50

Week 2[]

^[2]

Week 6[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	0	0	7	14
• Dolphins	3	7	10	7	27

Date: October 12
Location: Miami Orange Bowl - Miami, Florida
Game start: 1:00 PM EST
Game attendance: 49,467
Game weather: 83 °F (28.3 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
Referee: Fred Wyant
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

^[3]

Week 11[]

Miami Dolphins (4-6) at Buffalo Bills (3-7)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Dolphins	0	10	10	14	34
Bills	7	14	3	0	24

Date: November 16
Location: Rich Stadium Orchard Park, NY
Game start: 1:00 PM EST
Game attendance: 76,474
Game weather: 36 °F (2.2 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn) cloudy & light rain
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and John Hannah

^[4]

Standings[]

AFC East
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
New England Patriots⁽³⁾	11	5	0	.688	7–1	8–4	412	307	W1
New York Jets⁽⁴⁾	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	364	386	L5
Miami Dolphins	8	8	0	.500	5–3	6–6	430	405	L1
Buffalo Bills	4	12	0	.250	1–7	3–11	287	348	L3
Indianapolis Colts	3	13	0	.188	1–7	2–10	229	400	W3

References[]

^ 1986 Miami Dolphins
^ The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-14.
^ The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-07.
^ The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-07.

External links[]

1986 Miami Dolphins at Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1] 1986 Miami Dolphins

[2] The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-14.

[3] The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-07.

[4] The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-07.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

v t Miami Dolphins
Founded in 1966 Based in Miami Gardens, Florida Headquartered in Davie, Florida
Franchise	Franchise History Seasons Coaches Players First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Records Awards Honor roll Training facility Broadcasters
Stadiums	Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium
Culture	"Fins" (Jimmy Buffett song) Wayne Huizenga Stephen M. Ross Joe Robbie T. D. Cheerleaders Ace Ventura: Pet Detective "Only Wanna Be with You" (Hootie & the Blowfish song) Ballers
Lore	Perfect season The Sea of Hands Announcerless game Epic in Miami Snowplow Game Clock Play Monday Night Miracle Miracle in Miami
Rivalries	Buffalo Bills Las Vegas Raiders New England Patriots New York Jets Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Division championships (13)	1971 1972 1973 1974 1979 1981 1983 1984 1985 1992 1994 2000 2008
Conference championships (5)	1971 1972 1973 1982 1984
League championships (2)	1972 (VII) 1973 (VIII)
Retired numbers	12 13 39
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: East Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1966–1969)

v t Miami Dolphins seasons
1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance