Just two days after the New England Patriots matched the 17-0 mark, today is the 35th anniversary of the 1972 Miami Dolphins victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII to become the first NFL team to end the entire season and postseason with an unblemished record.
Mock them if you may about their pettiness in the years since this magical season and the fact that they didn't have the toughest of schedules that year (they were underdogs to the Redskins in the Super Bowl), but this wasn't a fluke team. Remember that the Dolphins went to Super Bowl VI and lost to the Dallas Cowboys ... albeit badly. They also set, at the time, the single season team rushing record and watched Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris become the first pair of teammates to top 1,000 yards together in a single season.
According to legend, as Don Shula was carried off the field after the game ... some kid ripped off his watch and Shula chased him down and retrived it. Also according to legend, after Garo Yepremian's botched field goal that ended with a Redskin TD with just over two minutes left, Phins defensive lineman told Garo "we lose this game, I'm gonna kill you!" and Nick Buoniconti said that he would "hang you up by one of your ties" if they lost.
