1983 Miami Dolphins season
OwnerJoe Robbie
Head coachDon Shula
Home fieldOrange Bowl
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st AFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Seahawks) 20–27
Pro Bowlers7
QB Dan Marino
WR Mark Duper
G Bob Kuechenberg
C Dwight Stephenson
G Ed Newman
DE Doug Betters
DT Bob Baumhower

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.

David Woodley started the team's first five games but despite wins over Buffalo, New England and Kansas City the offense didn't 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.

Offseason

  • 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

[2]

Personnel

Staff

1983 Miami Dolphins staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches
  • Defense – Bill Arnsparger
  • Defensive line/run defense – Mike Scarry
  • Defensive backs – Tom Keane

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and flexibility – Junior Wade

Roster

1983 Miami Dolphins final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Rookies in italics

[3]

Regular season

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

1 234Total
• Dolphins 0 633 12
Bills 0 000 0
Scoring summary
Q2MIAvon Schamann 33 yard field goalMIA 3–0
Q2MIAvon Schamann 23 yard field goalMIA 6–0
Q3MIAvon Schamann 36 yard field goalMIA 9–0
Q4MIAvon Schamann 50 yard field goalMIA 12–0

[4]

Week 6

Dan Marino first start in NFL
1 234OTTotal
• Bills 7 77143 38
Dolphins 0 714140 35

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

Player stats

Passing

PlayerAttCompYdsTDINTRating
Dan Marino296173221020696.0

Postseason

AFC Divisional Playoff

Seattle Seahawks 27, Miami Dolphins 20
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 7 71327
Dolphins 0 13 0720

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

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.

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. ↑ "1983 Miami Dolphins draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ "1983 Miami Dolphins starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-16.
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