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The 1983 Miami Dolphins season was the 18th season in football for the Miami Dolphins and they sought to return to the Super Bowl after losing to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII. It was also a turning point in the team's history, as in the 1983 NFL draft a young quarterback slipped to deep in the opening round, being passed over by such teams as division rivals New York who drafted Ken O'Brien and New England who drafted Tony Eason. With the 27th pick, the Dolphins decided to take a chance on Dan Marino. In the draft's eighth round the Dolphins also selected receiver Mark Clayton.
| 1983 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Joe Robbie |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Seahawks) 20–27 |
| Pro Bowlers | 7 QB Dan Marino WR Mark Duper G Bob Kuechenberg C Dwight Stephenson G Ed Newman DE Doug Betters DT Bob Baumhower |
David Woodley started the team's first five games but despite wins over Buffalo, New England and Kansas City the offense did not move to Don 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 to the Raiders and then replaced Woodley during a 17–7 loss to the Saints 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 as Robb Riddick of the Bills fumbled the opening kickoff at his own 17 but Marino was intercepted by Steve 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 to Mark Clayton on an option pass for a touchdown to Mark Duper. The Bills tied the game in the final seconds and two Uwe von Schamann field goal attempts missed before Joe 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 the Oilers at the Astrodome Marino sat for the final two games of the season as Don Strock quarterbacked the Dolphins to wins over the Falcons 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.
- June 25, 1983: Larry Gordon, the Miami Dolphins first round pick in the 1976 NFL draft, died from heart failure[1]
NFL draft
| 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 one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Coaches / Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
|
Reserve
Rookies in italics |
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | at Buffalo 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 | at Los 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 | at New 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 | at New York Jets | W 32–14 | 4-3 | Shea Stadium | 58,615 |
| 8 | October 23 | at Baltimore 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 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 20–17 | 7-3 | Candlestick Park | 57,832 |
| 11 | November 13 | at New 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 | at Houston 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 |
Game summaries
Week 1
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Week 6
|
Standings
| 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 |
Passing
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Dan Marino | 296 | 173 | 2210 | 20 | 6 | 96.0 |
AFC Divisional Playoff
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
Seattle Seahawks 27, Miami Dolphins 20
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), light rain
- Game attendance: 71,032
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Trumpy
The Seahawks converted three turnovers in the second half into 13 points, while running back Curt Warner rushed for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter: A 19-yard pass to Johnson and a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Mark Duper. Seattle's only score in the first half was quarterback Dave Krieg's 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Cullen Bryant. In the third quarter, a fumble led to Warner's 1-yard touchdown. A fourth quarter interception from Marino then led to Norm Johnson's 27-yard field goal to give Seattle a 17–13 lead. After the Dolphins regained the lead off running back Woody Bennett's 3-yard touchdown, Seattle responded with Warner's 2-yard touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami returner Fulton 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.
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