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1982 Miami Dolphins season
1982 Miami Dolphins season
Owner	Joe Robbie
Head coach	Don Shula
Home field	Miami Orange Bowl
Results
Record	7–2
Division place	2nd AFC
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs; (vs. Patriots) 28–13; Won Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Chargers) 34–13; Won AFC Championship; (vs. Jets) 14–0; Lost Super Bowl XVII; (vs. Redskins) 17–27
Pro Bowlers	3 ; FB Andra Franklin ; G Ed Newman ; DT Bob Baumhower
	← 1981; Dolphins seasons; 1983 →;

The Dolphins playing against the Redskins in Super Bowl XVII.

The 1982 Miami Dolphins season was the team's seventeenth in the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins were coming off an unexpected 11–4–1 1981 season and a devastating loss to the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round the previous season in a game dubbed the Epic in Miami. The team had clinched the 2 seed and were picked by many to reach the Super Bowl during the 1981 season. Because of the high number of picks to reach the Super Bowl the previous season, many more fans picked them to win it during the 1982 season. The Dolphins looked to improve on their 11–4–1 record from 1981. However, a players strike cancelled 7 of the team's 16 games. Because of this, the NFL schedule was shrunk to 9 games.

Season summary

The Dolphins started out fresh, winning their first 2 games prior to the strike. When season play resumed 2 months later, the Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills 9–7 in Buffalo to clinch a 3–0 start. After a loss to Tampa Bay, they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 22–14. The next week, they lost a brisk game against the Patriots 3–0 in a game called the Snowplow Game. The Dolphins would then win 3 straight games to end the season 7–2, tied for second in the AFC with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Dolphins won 2nd place over them by virtue of a series of tiebreakers. In the playoffs, they defeated the Patriots in a rematch by the score of 28–13. They then defeated the Chargers in a rematch of the 1981 Divisional Playoffs by a score of 34–13. In the AFC Championship game, they shutout the Jets, 14–0 to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1973. In Super Bowl XVII, they lost to the Redskins 27–17 in a rematch of Super Bowl VII which concluded Miami's perfect 1972 season.

Off-season

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1982 Miami Dolphins draft
1	24	Roy Foster *	G	USC
2	52	Mark Duper *	WR	NW State
3	80	Paul Lankford	CB	Penn State
4	108	Charles Bowser	LB	Duke
5	120	Bob Nelson	NT	Miami (FL)
5	136	Rich Diana	FB	Yale
6	161	Tom Tutson	DB	South Carolina St
6	164	Ron Hester	LB	Florida St
7	170	Dan Johnson	TE	Iowa St
7	192	Larry Cowan	RB	Jackson St
8	220	Tate Randle	DB	Texas Tech	Played for Houston
9	239	Steve Clark	G	Utah
9	248	Mack Boatner	RB	SE Louisiana
10	271	Robin Fisher	LB	Florida
10	276	Wayne Jones	G	Utah
11	303	Gary Crum	OT	Wyoming
12	331	Mike Rodrigue	WR	Miami (FL)
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Coaches / Staff

**1982 Miami Dolphins staff**
	Front office Team Owner / 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 Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/receivers – Wally English Offensive backs – Carl Taseff Offensive line/running game – John Sandusky			Defensive coaches Assistant head coach/defense – Bill Arnsparger Defensive line/run defense – Mike Scarry Defensive backs – Tom Keane Special teams coaches Special teams – Steve Crosby, Carl Taseff Punting – Tom Keane

Roster

**1982 Miami Dolphins roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 10 Don Strock 16 David Woodley Running backs (RB) 34 Woody Bennett FB 33 Rich Diana FB 37 Andra Franklin FB 31 Eddie Hill 22 Tony Nathan 32 Tommy Vigorito Wide receivers (WR) 81 Jimmy Cefalo 85 Mark Duper 82 Duriel Harris 88 Vince Heflin 11 Jim Jensen 89 Nat Moore Tight ends (TE) 84 Bruce Hardy 86 Ronnie Lee 80 Joe Rose		Offensive linemen (OL) 76 Steve Clark G 63 Mark Dennard T 61 Roy Foster G 79 Jon Giesler T 74 Cleveland Green T 67 Bob Kuechenberg G 68 Eric Laakso T 57 Dwight Stephenson C 60 Jeff Toews G Defensive linemen (DL) 73 Bob Baumhower NT 75 Doug Betters DE 72 Richard Bishop NT 58 Kim Bokamper DE 83 Vern Den Herder DE		Linebackers (LB) 56 Charles Bowser 59 Bob Brudzinski 77 A.J. Duhe 50 Larry Gordon 53 Ron Hester 54 Steve Potter 55 Earnest Rhone 52 Steve Shull Defensive backs (DB) 47 Glenn Blackwood 42 Lyle Blackwood 49 William Judson 40 Mike Kozlowski 44 Paul Lankford 28 Don McNeal 48 Gerald Small 41 Fulton Walker Special teams 5 Uwe von Schamann K 3 Tom Orosz P		Reserve 64 Ed Newman G (IR) 70 Bill Barnett DE (IR) 87 Dan Johnson TE (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

The Dolphins' main strength was their defense, nicknamed the "Killer Bees" because 6 of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B". The "Killer Bees", anchored by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bob Baumhower, led the league in fewest total yards allowed (2,312) and fewest passing yards allowed (1,027). Linebacker A. J. Duhe was extremely effective at blitzing and in pass coverage. And the Dolphins secondary, consisting of defensive backs Don McNeal, Gerald Small and brothers Lyle and Glenn Blackwood, combined for 11 interceptions.

However, the Dolphins' passing attack, led by quarterback David Woodley, ranked last in the league with 1,401 total yards, 8 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. One of the few bright spots in the Dolphins passing attack was wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo, who gained 356 yards off just 17 receptions, an average of 20.9 yards per catch. Wide receiver Duriel Harris also provided a deep threat with 22 receptions for 331 yards.

But Miami's strength on offense was their running game, ranking 3rd in the league with 1,344 yards. Pro Bowl running back Andra Franklin was the team's top rusher with 701 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running back Tony Nathan rushed for 233 yards, and caught 16 passes for another 114 yards. Woodley himself also recorded 207 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. One reason for the Dolphins' rushing success was the blocking of their offensive line, led by future hall of fame center Dwight Stephenson, along with Pro Bowlers Bob Kuechenberg and Ed Newman.^[1]

Snowplow Game

In National Football League lore, the Snowplow Game refers to a regular-season game played between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots on December 12, 1982.

Playing in a heavy snowstorm at New England's Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the two teams remained scoreless late into the fourth quarter. With 4:45 left to go in the game and on-field conditions worsening, Patriots coach Ron Meyer summoned Mark Henderson, who was a convict on a work release program, and was the stadium's snowplow operator that afternoon – and in the face of furious protests from Miami coach Don Shula – was directed to veer off course and clear a spot on the field for placekicker John Smith, with Matt Cavanaugh putting down the hold. The kick was good and the Patriots took a 3–0 lead into the final minutes of the game.

What is often left untold is what happened after John Smith kicked the go-ahead field goal. Despite the snowy conditions, the Dolphins methodically marched down the field on the strength of their running backs Andra Franklin and Tony Nathan and quarterback David Woodley. The Dolphins advanced the ball to just inside the Patriots' 20-yard line, but on a third-down-and-nine play, a pass from Woodley was intercepted by linebacker Don Blackmon.^[2]^[3] With less than a minute left to play, Miami used their timeouts to stop the clock and forced New England to punt after three rushing attempts, but a Dolphins Hail Mary pass on the game's final play was intercepted by the Patriots' Roland James.^[2]

Henderson was released from prison a few years after the game, and later worked in the construction business.^{[citation needed]} Henderson's plow was actually a John Deere Model 314 tractor with a snow sweeper attached. When he was being interviewed by a TV reporter about the controversy, Henderson jokingly replied, "What are they gonna do, throw me in jail?" Weeks after the game, the NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field during a game.^[4] The moment became a feature of The Hall at Patriot Place when it opened in 2008 next to Gillette Stadium, with the actual tractor on display there.^[5]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 12	at New York Jets	W 45–28	1–0	Shea Stadium	53,360
2	September 19	Baltimore Colts	W 24–20	2–0	Orange Bowl	51,999
Players' strike
3	November 21	at Buffalo Bills	W 9–7	3–0	Rich Stadium	52,945
4	November 29	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 17–23	3–1	Tampa Stadium	65,854
5	December 5	Minnesota Vikings	W 22–14	4–1	Orange Bowl	45,721
6	December 12	at New England Patriots	L 0–3	4–2	Schaefer Stadium	25,716
7	December 18	New York Jets	W 20–19	5–2	Orange Bowl	67,702
8	December 27	Buffalo Bills	W 27–10	6–2	Orange Bowl	73,924
9	January 2, 1983	at Baltimore Colts	W 34–7	7–2	Memorial Stadium	19,073

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 1 at Jets

Week One: Miami Dolphins (0–0) at New York Jets (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	14	10	21	0	45
Jets	7	7	0	14	28

at Shea Stadium • Flushing, New York

Date: September 12
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 53,360
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Len Dawson
Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information

Dolphins

David Woodley
14/22, 98 Yds, INT
Andra Franklin
29 Rush, 103 Yds, 2 TD
Jimmy Cefalo
2 Rec, 25 Yds

Jets

Richard Todd
18/30, 233 Yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Freeman McNeil
13 Rush, 116 Yds
Jerome Barkum
4 Rec, 71 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MIA	NYJ
1					Dolphins	Andra Franklin 1-yard touchdown run, Uwe von Schamann kick good	7	0
1					Jets	Wesley Walker 29-yard touchdown reception from Richard Todd, Pat Leahy kick good	7	7
1					Dolphins	Punt returned 59 yards for touchdown by Tommy Vigorito, Uwe von Schamann kick good	14	7
2					Dolphins	Andra Franklin 1-yard touchdown run, Uwe von Schamann kick good	21	7
2					Dolphins	25-yard field goal by Uwe von Schamann	24	7
2					Jets	Mike Augustyniak 2-yard touchdown run, Pat Leahy kick good	24	14
3					Dolphins	David Woodley 15-yard touchdown reception from Tony Nathan, Uwe von Schamann kick good	31	14
3					Dolphins	Interception returned 35 yards for touchdown by Glenn Blackwood, Uwe von Schamann kick good	38	14
3					Dolphins	Interception returned 19 yards for touchdown by Don McNeal, Uwe von Schamann kick good	45	14
4					Jets	Jerome Barkum 7-yard touchdown reception from Richard Todd, Pat Leahy kick good	45	21
4					Jets	Wesley Walker 5-yard touchdown reception from Richard Todd, Pat Leahy kick good	45	28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							45	28

Week 2

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	17	0	3	20
• Dolphins	14	0	10	0	24

Date: September 19
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould, Jim Turner

^[6]

Week 15 vs Jets

Week Fifteen: New York Jets (5–1) at Miami Dolphins (4–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	6	10	0	3	19
Dolphins	10	7	0	3	20

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Date: December 18, 1982
Game time: 12:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
Game attendance: 67,702
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui, John Brodie, and Bob Griese
Box Score

The 1972 Miami Dolphins team was honored during the game.

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jets	Passing	Richard Todd	16/29, 174 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Freeman McNeil	21 Rush, 89 Yds
	Receiving	Wesley Walker	7 Rec, 96 Yds, TD
Dolphins	Passing	David Woodley	12/25, 148 Yds, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Andra Franklin	17 Rush, 75 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Duriel Harris	4 Rec, 74 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	NYJ	MIA
1					Jets	Wesley Walker 22-yard touchdown reception from Richard Todd, Pat Leahy kick no good (wide left)	6	0
1					Dolphins	47-yard field goal by Uwe von Schamann	6	3
1					Dolphins	Andra Franklin 25-yard touchdown run, Uwe von Schamann kick good	6	10
2					Jets	Derrick Gaffney 45-yard touchdown reception from Richard Todd, Pat Leahy kick good	13	10
2					Dolphins	Duriel Harris 36-yard touchdown reception from David Woodley, Uwe von Schamann kick good	13	17
2					Jets	40-yard field goal by Pat Leahy	16	17
4					Jets	49-yard field goal by Pat Leahy	19	17
4	0:03				Dolphins	47-yard field goal by Uwe von Schamann	19	20
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							19	20

Playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
First round	January 8, 1983	New England Patriots (7)	W 28–13	1–0	Orange Bowl	68,842
Divisional	January 16, 1983	San Diego Chargers (5)	W 34–13	2–0	Orange Bowl	71,383
AFC Championship	January 23, 1983	New York Jets (6)	W 14–0	3–0	Orange Bowl	67,396
Super Bowl XVII	January 30, 1983	Washington Redskins (N1)	L 17–27	3–1	Rose Bowl	103,667

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins⁽²⁾	7	2	0	.778	6–1	6–1	198	131	W3
New York Jets⁽⁶⁾	6	3	0	.667	2–2	2–3	245	166	L1
New England Patriots⁽⁷⁾	5	4	0	.556	3–1	5–3	143	157	W1
Buffalo Bills	4	5	0	.444	1–3	3–3	150	154	L3
Baltimore Colts	0	8	1	.056	0–5–0	0–7–0	113	236	L2

AFC v t e
#	Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Seeded postseason qualifiers
1	Los Angeles Raiders	8	1	0	.889	260	200	W5
2^[a]	Miami Dolphins	7	2	0	.778	198	131	W3
3^[a]	Cincinnati Bengals	7	2	0	.778	232	177	W2
4^[b]^[c]	Pittsburgh Steelers	6	3	0	.667	204	146	W2
5^[b]^[c]	San Diego Chargers	6	3	0	.667	288	221	L1
6^[c]	New York Jets	6	3	0	.667	245	166	L1
7	New England Patriots	5	4	0	.556	143	157	W1
8^[d]	Cleveland Browns	4	5	0	.444	140	182	L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
9^[d]	Buffalo Bills	4	5	0	.444	150	154	L3
10^[d]	Seattle Seahawks	4	5	0	.444	127	147	W1
11	Kansas City Chiefs	3	6	0	.333	176	184	W1
12	Denver Broncos	2	7	0	.222	148	226	L3
13	Houston Oilers	1	8	0	.111	136	245	L7
14	Baltimore Colts	0	8	1	.056	113	236	L2
Tiebreakers
^ ^a ^b Miami finished ahead of Cincinnati based on better conference record (6–1 to Cincinnati’s 6–2). ^ ^a ^b Pittsburgh finished ahead of San Diego based on better record against common opponents (3–1 to Chargers' 2–1). Conference tiebreak was initially used to eliminate New York Jets. ^ ^a ^b ^c Pittsburgh and San Diego finished ahead of New York Jets based on conference record (Pittsburgh and San Diego 5–3 against Jets’ 2–3) ^ ^a ^b ^c Cleveland finished ahead of Buffalo and Buffalo ahead of Seattle based on conference record (4–3 to Buffalo’s 3–3 to Seattle’s 3–5).

Postseason

AFC first round

Miami Dolphins 28, New England Patriots 13

AFC Divisional Playoff

Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	13	0	0	13
Dolphins	7	20	0	7	34

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), mostly cloudy
Referee: Jerry Markbreit
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui, John Brodie, and Bob Griese

AFC Championship Game

Miami Dolphins 14, New York Jets 0. The Jets were angered by the condition of the Orange Bowl's grass field, which had not been covered and was inundated with a huge amount of rainfall from a series of storms that swept through South Florida the week before the game (it was still overcast on the Sunday of the game but only had a minor drizzle). Don Shula responded by stating that he hadn't checked the weather reports because he was focused on getting the Dolphins ready for the game, and that both teams would face the same conditions in any case. AJ Duhe intercepted Richard Todd 3 times, returning the last pick for a game-clinching touchdown.

Super Bowl XVII

Miami Dolphins 17, Washington Redskins 27

at Rose Bowl (stadium), Pasadena, California

Scoring summary

MIA – TD: Jimmy Cefalo 76-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick) 7–0 MIA
WAS – FG: Mark Moseley 31 yards 7–3 MIA
MIA – FG: Uwe von Schamann 20 yards 10–3 MIA
WAS – TD: Alvin Garrett 4-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) 10–10 tie
MIA – TD: Fulton Walker 98-yard kickoff return (Uwe von Schamann kick) 17–10 MIA
WAS – FG: Mark Moseley 20 yards 17–13 MIA
WAS – TD: John Riggins 43-yard run (Mark Moseley kick) 20–17 WAS
WAS – TD: Charlie Brown 6-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) 27–17 WAS