1980 Miami Dolphins Season
The 1980 Miami Dolphins season was the 15th year of existence for the Miami Dolphins franchise.
Quarterback Bob Griese retired after the season, following a 14-year career with the Dolphins. However, in Griese's final season the Dolphins would only play mediocre football finishing in third place with an 8-8 record. This was also the first season since 1969 that the Dolphins lost to the Buffalo Bills. For the season, the Dolphins switched the color of the facemasks on their helmets from gray to teal.
| 1980 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
No Dolphins made it to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season. Griese was the highest-paid quarterback in the league at just over $400,000.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1980 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Don McNeal | Cornerback | Alabama | |
| 2 | 48 | Dwight Stephenson * † | Center | Alabama | |
| 3 | 75 | Bill Barnett | Defensive end | Nebraska | |
| 4 | 100 | Elmer Bailey | Wide receiver | Minnesota | |
| 6 | 158 | Eugene Byrd | Wide receiver | Michigan State | |
| 7 | 185 | Joe Rose | Tight end | California | |
| 8 | 212 | Jeff Allen | Defensive back | UC Davis | |
| 8 | 214 | David Woodley | Quarterback | LSU | |
| 9 | 239 | Mark Goodspeed | Offensive tackle | Nebraska | |
| 10 | 271 | Doug Lantz | Center | Miami (OH) | |
| 10 | 272 | Ben Long | Linebacker | South Dakota | |
| 11 | 279 | Phil Driscoll | Defensive end | Mankato State | |
| 12 | 325 | Chuck Stone | Guard | North Carolina State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
- Source:
Personnel
Staff
| Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Roster
Regular season
The 1980 NFL season would see the Dolphins drop to an 8–8 record, from their AFC East division winning 10–6 showing the previous year.
Quarterback Bob Griese, who struggled with leg problems during 1979, lost the starting job to longtime backup Don Strock, but he did poorly in two games, leading the Dolphins to return to Griese for week 3. In week 5, however, Griese suffered a career-ending shoulder injury against the Baltimore Colts and was succeeded by David Woodley, a rookie fresh from LSU.
Their week-1 loss to the Buffalo Bills was the Dolphins' first loss to that team since 1969, snapping a 20 game winning streak for Miami in the Bills-Dolphins rivalry. After the win, Bills fans rushed the field and tore down the goalposts. This was also Don Shula's first loss to Buffalo in 21 career games against them.
The final game of the season was played against the New York Jets on December 20. NBC tried a novel experiment by broadcasting the game with no commentators, and with none of the players or staff wearing microphones. The effect was to give television viewers the feel of actually being in the stadium. To date, this was the only NFL game ever aired on TV without commentaries. The Jets won by a score of 24–17, though both teams had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
It was during the ABC broadcast of the Monday Night Football game on December 8, 1980, against the Patriots that Howard Cosell announced that John Lennon had been shot and killed.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Buffalo Bills | L 7–17 | 0–1 | Rich Stadium | 79,598 |
| 2 | September 14 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 17–16 | 1–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 38,322 |
| 3 | September 21 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 20–17 | 2–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 55,470 |
| 4 | September 28 | New Orleans Saints | W 21–16 | 3–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 40,946 |
| 5 | October 5 | Baltimore Colts | L 17–30 | 3–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 50,631 |
| 6 | October 12 | at New England Patriots | L 0–34 | 3–3 | Schaefer Stadium | 60,377 |
| 7 | October 19 | Buffalo Bills | W 17–14 | 4–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 41,636 |
| 8 | October 27 | at New York Jets | L 14–17 | 4–4 | Shea Stadium | 53,046 |
| 9 | November 2 | at Oakland Raiders | L 10–16 | 4–5 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 46,378 |
| 10 | November 9 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 35–14 | 5–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 62,198 |
| 11 | November 16 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–13 | 6–5 | Miami Orange Bowl | 45,135 |
| 12 | November 20 | San Diego Chargers | L 24–27 (OT) | 6–6 | Miami Orange Bowl | 63,013 |
| 13 | November 30 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–23 | 6–7 | Three Rivers Stadium | 51,384 |
| 14 | December 8 | New England Patriots | W 16–13 (OT) | 7–7 | Miami Orange Bowl | 63,292 |
| 15 | December 14 | at Baltimore Colts | W 24–14 | 8–7 | Memorial Stadium | 30,564 |
| 16 | December 20 | New York Jets | L 17–24 | 8–8 | Miami Orange Bowl | 41,854 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1 at Bills
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Bills | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: September 7
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 79,598
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas and Mike Haffner
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7 vs Bills
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Date: October 19
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 41,636
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: vs. New England Patriots
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The Dolphins got revenge from their 34-0 shellacking in Foxborough back in October. The Patriots clawed to a 13–6 lead in the fourth quarter, then the Dolphins forced overtime with a David Woodley throw to Nat Moore in the fourth. John Smith attempted to kick the game-winning field goal, but had the kick blocked, then Uwe von Schamann of the Dolphins won it with a 23-yard field goal in the extra quarter. The game, though, became overshadowed by Howard Cosell's announcement that John Lennon had been shot and killed.
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Buffalo Bills(3) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 320 | 260 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 441 | 325 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 266 | 305 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5–3 | 6–8 | 355 | 387 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 302 | 395 | W1 |
References
External links
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