1972 Miami Dolphins On NFL Network | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

1972 Miami Dolphins On NFL Network

Man that was great to see. I hope Miami can get back to that again

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Although I was too young to know football then I always love watching any clip or documentary referencing the 1972 Dolphins. I didn't get into football until the late 70's. As a birthday gift my dad got me a Nat Moore #89 helmet. I still have it to this day.

Just how amazing was the 1972 team? They lost their starting QB for most of the season, went undefeated, and had to play on the road in the AFC Championship game. Haters gonna hate but that is the best team ever.
 
I saw only the final 25 minutes. Can't comment fully but some aspects jumped out at me:

* For the good, Rick Weaver's prominent role was justified. He's easily the most significant broadcaster in Dolphins history. In those days before ESPN, or any type of cable, you tuned to Rick Weaver on WIOD for all the relevant info, particularly on game day. On Sunday mornings there was no such thing as lengthy NFL coverage on TV. Pre game shows began a half hour before kickoff. Otherwise it was an hour long Notre Dame highlight show, followed by Bill Fleming and an hour of general college highlights, of games that weren't televised a day earlier. That was an incredibly interesting and valuable show but I'm sure the younger fans would be stunned at where it slotted, leading toward the NFL games. I would watch the college highlight shows with WIOD Dolphin pregame going on simultaneously. Heck, you had no idea what the weather would be like at the opposing venue until Rick Weaver came on the air and filled you in.

* For the bad, it appears they wildly overplayed the racial aspect and the Hispanic aspect. That wasn't Miami in 1972 and I have an excellent memory. Racial tensions hadn't fully disappeared, obviously, but this was hardly the deep South and it was 1972 not 1962. I don't remember any types of tension, whether it was at the games or in school or at stores. Likewise, the Hispanic theme makes more sense 5 years later. That's when I remember the noticeable uptick, with more Spanish stores and papers and television stations, and Spanish culture in general. For verification of my memory, I just looked it up and El Nuevo Herald began in 1977. That makes perfect sense. There was no call or no need for that paper as early as 1972. I think the writers and producers of this program were determined to develop a theme toward modern and recent Miami, and they took great liberties along the way. Sure, you can find Hispanic celebrities and fans who were around at that time but overall it was a white dominated city with northern crossover. If anything, as a school age kid in 1972 I was struck by the Jewish influence in Miami. Prominent businessmen all over the place. The honors classes in my schools were dominated by smart Jewish kids. I was always jealous that they got so many days off. Our numbers in those classes would really plummet on those Jewish holidays. There was no need to spotlight that aspect on a program 40 years later, and they might have taken some heat for it, but to my memory that was South Florida in 1972. I'll have to see the first 35 minutes of the program to see how they fully handled the cultural aspects.

* The program was correct to identify the second Jets game as the point we started thinking of unbeaten. And the Giants game as the scary roadblock.

* It was disgusting to show only one play from the incredibly tense playoff game against Cleveland. The Orange Bowl crowd was silent and scared that afternoon, beyond any point during the early '70s. To leave out the long Morrall to Warfield pass in the fourth quarter was beyond belief. That play set up the winning touchdown and was more vital to saving the perfect season than the Larry Seiple play a week later, yet one is shown and mentioned a thousand times more frequently than the other. We were impotent on offense until that play, and Griese wasn't ready to come in and save us.

* I appreciated the scenes of Dolphin fans at home in Miami during the Super Bowl win over the Redskins. That's just how it looked at our house. Likewise the hankie waving and horn blaring celebrations in the streets after the game. Everybody had pennants. Many people had bedsheets, holding them curbside and encouraging everyone to honk. I've mentioned many times that my family and I attended the celebration at Miami International Airport, greeting the plane while I pulled mom's hand closer and closer to the platform. Eventually we got so close that Joe Robbie and Don Shula looked almost exactly the same in that video tonight as my mental images from 40 years ago.
 
I was 11 and remember vividly. All the dads in my neighbors living room. The entire block partying after the game. You could hear horns honking blocks away.
Good times and very fond childhood memories. I feel for you younger fans and my 18 yr old son who havent experienced that level of pride in our phins
 
Also, the day of the game, the radio stations were playing the dolphins fight song over and over. That was 1972-73.
It was never ripped off from the Houston Oilers in 1976 as some have contended.
The Oilers ripped it off and never went to a Super Bowl.
 
jlfin said:
I was 11 and remember vividly. All the dads in my neighbors living room. The entire block partying after the game. You could hear horns honking blocks away.
Good times and very fond childhood memories. I feel for you younger fans and my 18 yr old son who havent experienced that level of pride in our phins
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One thing I pray I get to do in my lifetime is attend a parade in Miami for a Super Bowl championship. I wouldn't miss it for anything. I don't care if I have to fly in and out on the same day- if we ever win a Super Bowl again, I'll be at that parade. I hope I get that chance one day. Being 33, I haven't seen anything remotely close to a Super Bowl (I was only 5 the last time we were there, so I have no memory of it).
 
Interestingly, I ran across this last night in the middle of reading the new "Undefeated" book. It was awesome to have more visuals to go with what I'm reading considering I was -2 at that moment. I recommend the book for far more detail, and explaining the cultural and racial leanings of the show more closely, especially among the league and players themselves, might help explain why the showmakers went that route. I love everything about this group. 17-0. 32-2. Amazing.
 
Ok so I just got home from Boston to find out my stupid ****ing DVR only recorded the first 40 minutes, leaving off the last 20. (I set the DVR from my phone since I wasn't home). Needless to say, I'm pissed. And OF COURSE NFL Network doesn't have any future airings scheduled, as they're too busy showing rerun after rerun of NFL AM, Fantasy Live, and NFL Total Access pretty much everyday. Does anyone know if or when this would be released on DVD? Knowing this tone deaf organization who wouldn't know a money-maker if it slapped them in the face, it'll be released just in time for the 50th anniversary of '72. But I was hoping someone could provide some info.
 
I'll also ask if anyone knows if I can find this online anywhere?
 
I don't post much but read all the time. I wanted to chime in on this thread. I was 10 and growing up in Miami during the perfect season. I started watching the Dolphins as a boy the year before when they lost to Dallas in the Superbowl. My Dad was a big fan (still is at 88 yrs old) and we started watching the Dolphins together during this time. These memories are so much with me to this day. I remember wearing Csonka, Kiick, Warfield, Griese, and Mercury Morris jerseys most days. I remember my Dad putting up a 100 foot antenna in our yard so we could get the broadcasts from Fort Myers when they were blacked out in Miami (certainly no cable or satellite at that time). I remember being so nervous during games that I had to leave the house. We literally lived and died with the Dolphins during this time. The Superbowl wins were such an unbelievable experience for a kid living in Miami it is really hard to describe. Since that time, I have probably watched most every game possible, subscribe to Direct TV just for Sunday Ticket as I no longer live in Florida, read the Finheaven message boards, read the Herald and SunSentinel just for Dolphin news, and at 50 yrs old still jump up and down when the Dolphins score. And the funny thing is, I am a physician that deals with life and death everyday, but I still get fired up about anything that has to do with the Dolphins. Those players from the perfect season time have had a major impact in my life. It is the link to my childhood, my family and growing up in South Florida. I will certainly die a Dolfan, all because of a miraculous season or two in the early 70s.
 
loed said:
I don't post much but read all the time. I wanted to chime in on this thread. I was 10 and growing up in Miami during the perfect season. I started watching the Dolphins as a boy the year before when they lost to Dallas in the Superbowl. My Dad was a big fan (still is at 88 yrs old) and we started watching the Dolphins together during this time. These memories are so much with me to this day. I remember wearing Csonka, Kiick, Warfield, Griese, and Mercury Morris jerseys most days. I remember my Dad putting up a 100 foot antenna in our yard so we could get the broadcasts from Fort Myers when they were blacked out in Miami (certainly no cable or satellite at that time). I remember being so nervous during games that I had to leave the house. We literally lived and died with the Dolphins during this time. The Superbowl wins were such an unbelievable experience for a kid living in Miami it is really hard to describe. Since that time, I have probably watched most every game possible, subscribe to Direct TV just for Sunday Ticket as I no longer live in Florida, read the Finheaven message boards, read the Herald and SunSentinel just for Dolphin news, and at 50 yrs old still jump up and down when the Dolphins score. And the funny thing is, I am a physician that deals with life and death everyday, but I still get fired up about anything that has to do with the Dolphins. Those players from the perfect season time have had a major impact in my life. It is the link to my childhood, my family and growing up in South Florida. I will certainly die a Dolfan, all because of a miraculous season or two in the early 70s.
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Fantastic post mate
 
it was heroic! a cloud 9 event. 2 separate hours of "perfect season" love from NFLN! heaven… just heaven!

by the way, how the hell Manny Fernandez isn't in HOF boggles my egg…??!
 
loed said:
I don't post much but read all the time. I wanted to chime in on this thread. I was 10 and growing up in Miami during the perfect season. I started watching the Dolphins as a boy the year before when they lost to Dallas in the Superbowl. My Dad was a big fan (still is at 88 yrs old) and we started watching the Dolphins together during this time. These memories are so much with me to this day. I remember wearing Csonka, Kiick, Warfield, Griese, and Mercury Morris jerseys most days. I remember my Dad putting up a 100 foot antenna in our yard so we could get the broadcasts from Fort Myers when they were blacked out in Miami (certainly no cable or satellite at that time). I remember being so nervous during games that I had to leave the house. We literally lived and died with the Dolphins during this time. The Superbowl wins were such an unbelievable experience for a kid living in Miami it is really hard to describe. Since that time, I have probably watched most every game possible, subscribe to Direct TV just for Sunday Ticket as I no longer live in Florida, read the Finheaven message boards, read the Herald and SunSentinel just for Dolphin news, and at 50 yrs old still jump up and down when the Dolphins score. And the funny thing is, I am a physician that deals with life and death everyday, but I still get fired up about anything that has to do with the Dolphins. Those players from the perfect season time have had a major impact in my life. It is the link to my childhood, my family and growing up in South Florida. I will certainly die a Dolfan, all because of a miraculous season or two in the early 70s.
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That was a great post. I recognize plenty of it within my family. My dad didn't buy a 100 foot antenna but he tried a 40 foot one that could be electronically rotated from inside the house. That was my job because I'm patient. We could pick up Ft. Meyers only vaguely in perfect weather, but it came in great when it rained. Before we got season tickets beginning in 1972 we literally rooted for rain during blacked out home games we weren't going to attend. In 1970 we attended roughly half the home games then most of them in 1971.

But he couldn't get tickets for the AFC Championship Game in 1971. Instead, we drove to Naples and got a hotel room for the day. We watched 49ers/Cowboys in the NFC Title game first, then we went nuts as the Dolphins shut out the Colts, 21-0.

That drive back on Alligator Alley was jubilant but scary. You had nuts on the road and it was hardly the double lane separation of today. My dad was extremely careful. Then once we got back to Miami the streets were still jammed and rowdy, with horns and hankies and pennants and bedsheets everywhere. It was a preview of a year later after the Redskins game.
 
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Great to hear these stories from folks who were from the area during the time. Not sure how I became a Fins fan growing up in the middle of Maine. I do recall having a Miami Dolphins, winter jacket, hat and mittens in 3rd grade (roughly 73)!
 
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