TheJetsBlow
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Yeah I love hearing these stories too, seeing as I wasn't around back then. It's great to hear everyone's experiences.
1972 Miami Dolphins On NFL Network
- Thread starter Geforce
- Start date
Yeah I love hearing these stories too, seeing as I wasn't around back then. It's great to hear everyone's experiences.
I finally got a chance to watch the entire program. Some observations:
* The female who is seen interviewing Don Shula several times is Jane Chastain. She was a big deal in Miami at the time. Young smart attractive spunky sportscaster for CBS Channel 4 WTVJ. Bob Holloran was the local bigshot on that station but Chastain was thought to have the national potential. Some accounts claimed she was the first woman sportscaster in the nation. Sure enough, within a year or two the network tried to use Chastain on big events but for some reason she was never as natural or effective during live telecasts as during canned pieces or while anchoring local sportscasts. Then she disappeared relatively quickly. Now she's a conservative political author and blogger.
* The show did a good job spotlighting the game at Minnesota, with Csonka describing it as the most physical game of his career. Of all games that season, that one felt like an escape, one we deserved to lose. Keuchenberg in the program said it was the one game the Dolphins were not in control. I remember it well. The Vikings were energized, upon Tarkenton's return that season, and smacked us around early. Csonka was nearly broken in half on a swing pass. All day I more or less accepted a defeat then it was shocking we still had a chance. The program showed Garo's very long 50ish yard field goal that kept us in it at 14-9. Otherwise we were gone, with no 2-point conversion in those days. Younger fans need to realize how rare it was to make a field goal of that length at Metropolitan Stadium, even though it was a calm day. Every time Garo is ripped for the Super Bowl debacle the field goal at Minnesota deserves a mention. There have been 16-1 and 18-1 teams.
* The saving pass from Morrall to Warfield in the Cleveland game was shown only at the outset, and without any context. Ridiculous. They didn't even use the entire play, merely Warfield's leaping grab. It was also lame to completely ignore the second Jets game, which was incredibly intense, fending off Namath.
* Good job of using Henry Barrow in some clips. He was the sideline color commentator for WIOD radio broadcasts. I'd never heard the story before that the Dolphin trainer looked at Barrow and motioned to his ankle, indicating the type of injury Griese suffered against the Chargers.
* I'll stand by my assertion earlier in this thread that there was entirely too much focus on racial tension and Hispanic growth. That wasn't Miami in 1972. Roy Firestone often tried too hard to force themes on ESPN and that held up here. The angle deserved a mention but they absurdly overplayed it by using virtually 100% in the sample they quoted on camera, like the Hispanic hot dog vendor. Meanwhile, if you freeze frame virtually any crowd shot from the program all you see is whites.
* Rick Shaw mentioned something that I pointed out here months ago, that Miami radio stations were doing plenty of Dolphins talk no matter the supposed format. Otherwise they were lapped. It's laughable when some of these stations indicate that local sports talk began in 1986, or whatever.
* Overall, very good. I would have appreciated more use of the local sportscasts, for a sense of what the angle was during various points of the season. Odd that Roy Firestone worked for ABC Channel 10 but I'm not sure a single clip from that station was used. Perhaps they discarded them.
* The female who is seen interviewing Don Shula several times is Jane Chastain. She was a big deal in Miami at the time. Young smart attractive spunky sportscaster for CBS Channel 4 WTVJ. Bob Holloran was the local bigshot on that station but Chastain was thought to have the national potential. Some accounts claimed she was the first woman sportscaster in the nation. Sure enough, within a year or two the network tried to use Chastain on big events but for some reason she was never as natural or effective during live telecasts as during canned pieces or while anchoring local sportscasts. Then she disappeared relatively quickly. Now she's a conservative political author and blogger.
* The show did a good job spotlighting the game at Minnesota, with Csonka describing it as the most physical game of his career. Of all games that season, that one felt like an escape, one we deserved to lose. Keuchenberg in the program said it was the one game the Dolphins were not in control. I remember it well. The Vikings were energized, upon Tarkenton's return that season, and smacked us around early. Csonka was nearly broken in half on a swing pass. All day I more or less accepted a defeat then it was shocking we still had a chance. The program showed Garo's very long 50ish yard field goal that kept us in it at 14-9. Otherwise we were gone, with no 2-point conversion in those days. Younger fans need to realize how rare it was to make a field goal of that length at Metropolitan Stadium, even though it was a calm day. Every time Garo is ripped for the Super Bowl debacle the field goal at Minnesota deserves a mention. There have been 16-1 and 18-1 teams.
* The saving pass from Morrall to Warfield in the Cleveland game was shown only at the outset, and without any context. Ridiculous. They didn't even use the entire play, merely Warfield's leaping grab. It was also lame to completely ignore the second Jets game, which was incredibly intense, fending off Namath.
* Good job of using Henry Barrow in some clips. He was the sideline color commentator for WIOD radio broadcasts. I'd never heard the story before that the Dolphin trainer looked at Barrow and motioned to his ankle, indicating the type of injury Griese suffered against the Chargers.
* I'll stand by my assertion earlier in this thread that there was entirely too much focus on racial tension and Hispanic growth. That wasn't Miami in 1972. Roy Firestone often tried too hard to force themes on ESPN and that held up here. The angle deserved a mention but they absurdly overplayed it by using virtually 100% in the sample they quoted on camera, like the Hispanic hot dog vendor. Meanwhile, if you freeze frame virtually any crowd shot from the program all you see is whites.
* Rick Shaw mentioned something that I pointed out here months ago, that Miami radio stations were doing plenty of Dolphins talk no matter the supposed format. Otherwise they were lapped. It's laughable when some of these stations indicate that local sports talk began in 1986, or whatever.
* Overall, very good. I would have appreciated more use of the local sportscasts, for a sense of what the angle was during various points of the season. Odd that Roy Firestone worked for ABC Channel 10 but I'm not sure a single clip from that station was used. Perhaps they discarded them.
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iwastherein72
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People don't remember either that none other than Larry King got his big break in '72 by anchoring the Dolphins postgame show on WIOD on Sunday nights.
I have often wondered if there is enough audio from Rick Weaver over the years to be able to do computer-generated simulations of his voice calling plays for modern games ("Tannehill... drops straight back to throw... he fires..." or "Holy Toledo, was he rappycacked by Cameron Wake!"). I know that technology does exist and I have wondered if it would be worthwhile for us Dolphin fans to have something like that.
A LOT of Dolphin history was destroyed by a fire that gutted NBC's facilities which wiped out the '71 Longest Game video, and also as I understand it, the '71 and '72 AFC Championships as well. I have NEVER viewed the '71 game against the Colts. Never. That is a video i would love to get ahold of.
I also would love to see more old game photos from those days. Maybe someone could get a thread together in here for posting of any materials we have... just a suggestion.
I have often wondered if there is enough audio from Rick Weaver over the years to be able to do computer-generated simulations of his voice calling plays for modern games ("Tannehill... drops straight back to throw... he fires..." or "Holy Toledo, was he rappycacked by Cameron Wake!"). I know that technology does exist and I have wondered if it would be worthwhile for us Dolphin fans to have something like that.
A LOT of Dolphin history was destroyed by a fire that gutted NBC's facilities which wiped out the '71 Longest Game video, and also as I understand it, the '71 and '72 AFC Championships as well. I have NEVER viewed the '71 game against the Colts. Never. That is a video i would love to get ahold of.
I also would love to see more old game photos from those days. Maybe someone could get a thread together in here for posting of any materials we have... just a suggestion.
Czonka39
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Here's a 1973 vs Colts. Colts Bert Jones, QB Rookie Campaign. Colts only had 3 first downs the whole game. Dolphins won 44-0. Mercury Morris had 12 carries for over 140 yds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7CwCTSef3c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7CwCTSef3c
TheJetsBlow
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Anyone hear anything about this coming out on DVD?
Thanks. I hadn't heard that story about a fire at NBC.
I saved tons of newspapers from that season, the Miami Herald and Miami News. They included game photos and everything else. I also had the Miami Herald from the day after the Jets upset the Colts in Super Bowl III. And copies of Sports Illustrated after all the huge games and other landmark sporting events. Even as a kid I sensed how important those events were. But when I went away to college at USC my dear mom apparently got bored and cleaned out my closet. She threw away almost everything in my closet the first semester I was gone. I was numbed when I opened that closet, with my stack of memorabilia long gone. I could envision where everything had been, issue by issue. Mom claimed it was a fire hazard. I could never hold a grudge against mom but it never made sense to me. And it still hurts. I think I have some old game stubs from 1972 but not much else.
iwastherein72
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WOW, there's a lot of stuff on YouTube!
Game of the Week highlights from 1970-75 with the Dolphins very well represented... I had no idea people were uploading these clips!!!
Thanks Awsi
Game of the Week highlights from 1970-75 with the Dolphins very well represented... I had no idea people were uploading these clips!!!
Thanks Awsi
Yeah, the NFL doesn't seem to mind that old Game of the Week stuff on YouTube. That was an excellent program. They'd generally pick a good game that wasn't featured nationally.
I wish I could upload more vintage stuff but my YouTube account is not in good standing anymore. The NFL has filed complaints along with the International Olympic Committee. Seemingly no rhyme or reason. Videos I've had up there for years now either have warnings attached to them, or I was forced to pull them. My upload limit was reduced to 15 minutes so I can't post full games anymore. I might have to start a backup channel just in case.