Today in history...January 13, 1974 - Super Bowl VIII | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Today in history...January 13, 1974 - Super Bowl VIII

I was 11 at the time. My parents had planned a camping / snowmobiling weekend with my dads co workers.

I protested going and was able to talk my older brother into watching me for weekend so I could see the game. It was a dominant victory and i remember not being worried at all during game.

My brother had to work so I sat at home and watched the game. Cooked myself 2 chicken pot pies for halftime and enjoyed the 2nd half beat down.

Thanks to OP for reliving the moment.
 
I was 11 at the time. My parents had planned a camping / snowmobiling weekend with my dads co workers.

I protested going and was able to talk my older brother into watching me for weekend so I could see the game. It was a dominant victory and i remember not being worried at all during game.

My brother had to work so I sat at home and watched the game. Cooked myself 2 chicken pot pies for halftime and enjoyed the 2nd half beat down.

Thanks to OP for reliving the moment.
Hell of a memory you have on cooking the pot pies! My folks and their friends back in the '70s, '80s would have get togethers for SBs, WS, New Year's Day Bowl Games etc. Basically they all got lit! And It always fell to some older kid of a parent to watch the other kids and take us bowling, miniature golf, movies, etc. Well, that SB my parents let my brother and I stay home alone and watch. I remember my brother burned the Tonys frozen pizza. I told him I was going to call the folks and tell them I didn't get to eat unless he pedaled his bike down to A&W. Good memories and I miss my brother. Gone last year at 59
 
Hell of a memory you have on cooking the pot pies! My folks and their friends back in the '70s, '80s would have get togethers for SBs, WS, New Year's Day Bowl Games etc. Basically they all got lit! And It always fell to some older kid of a parent to watch the other kids and take us bowling, miniature golf, movies, etc. Well, that SB my parents let my brother and I stay home alone and watch. I remember my brother burned the Tonys frozen pizza. I told him I was going to call the folks and tell them I didn't get to eat unless he pedaled his bike down to A&W. Good memories and I miss my brother. Gone last year at 59
Sorry to hear about losing your brother. That had to be tough. My brother turns 60 in March. We live together and race go karts every chance we get. I can’t image life with out him right now. He helped me get through ugly divorce.
 
Strange game because there was almost zero tension locally during the build up, in such contrast to a year earlier. It looked like a perfect matchup for the Dolphins and played out that way.

I had predicted at least 250 yards rushing and thought that was low. The game started out that way then Miami got a bit complacent after the first drive of the second half and mostly played defense and field position for the remainder.

Shula had a really lousy history in the second halves of Super Bowls. Two touchdowns total, I believe, in 6 games. One with the Colts during the 16-7 loss to the Jets, and the third quarter touchdown in this game. Nothing against the Cowboys, Redskins, Redskins again or 49ers.

I had never heard that trend until my first year in Las Vegas, the 1984 football season. Miami was somehow put up -3.5 and even -4 at halftime against the 49ers. It looked totally ridiculous the way San Francisco had dominated the second quarter. My friend Super Dave from Toronto ran to the window to bet huge on the 49ers. He came back and said, "If you can watch that game and not bet the 49ers at that number, I don't know why you are in this town." Then he started laughing and detailed Shula's second half Super Bowl woes. That was a jarring year in many respects as I sensed I was surrounded by guys who knew lots of stuff I didn't know.
That is really interesting. Thanks for the.
 
Tough to believe that so much time has passed, but still a great memory.

My favorite part of the game highlight video below is the quote from Carl Eller of the Vikings about the Dolphins, and starts at about the 19:30 mark.

After the game Eller said, “I have never seen a more dominating team than the Miami Dolphins.
All afternoon, I had the feeling that the outcome had already been decreed on high before we even took the field. It seemed I could hear Scottish bagpipes in the distance, keeping time as they came after us, wave after wave – gaining ground so easily, they seemed to be floating in suspended animation.
It was a weird surrealistic scene, as if we were on the sidelines watching our own struggle yet being powerless to do anything about it.
After awhile it was obvious that they could not be stopped."


Super Bowl VIII | Minnesota Vikings vs Miami Dolphins | Game Highlights - YouTube

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As if from on high. Already decided.
The players don't have to know ,for a game to be predetermined.
 
That’s quite a bit of prose from Eller - man that D line was freaking great. It’s a shame those Vikes didn’t win in four tries w that team - Eller, Marshal, Page, Tinghoff, Tarkington, Foreman, Kraus, Bryant, Rahshad etc - should have beaten Pitt and the Raiders.
That quote sounds like it came from a poet, not a football player. Although, to be fair there certainly are bright football players on the planet.

Because they didn't win a super bowl, those Vikings teams never got the credit they deserved. The super bowl against Pittsburgh was interesting. The Steelers were generally considered to be the third best team in the AFC that year, behind Miami and Oakland. In fact, that Sea of Hands game was referred to as super bowl 8 1/2. The Steelers demolished the Raiders the following week to get to the super bowl and Chuck Knoll apparently used that super bowl 8 1/2 talk to motivate his team.

Minnesota's biggest advantage against the Steelers was experience and Tarkenton over Bradshaw at quarterback. Bradshaw was still developing and his game was up and down. You never quite knew what you were going to get with him at the time and he brought a 55 quarterback ranking into the game. On the other side, Tarkenton had an 82 ranking and was an experienced veteran. But, it was Bradshaw who led that last drive to win it for the Steelers. I think it was 9-6 really late.

Anyway, to Super Bowl VIII it really was one of the most dominant games during that time frame. Yes, Miami lost 24-3 to Dallas and played poorly in that game (a bigger margin of defeat). But the Dolphins were down 10-3 until late in the 3rd quarter. After three possessions in Super Bowl VIII, Miami led 17-0. It was machine like and really a game that epitomized those great Dolphins teams of the early 70's.
 
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