The 1983 Miami Dolphins season was the 18th season in football for the Miami Dolphins and they sought to return to the Super Bowl after losing to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII. It was also a turning point in the team's history, as in the 1983 NFL draft a young quarterback slipped to deep in the opening round, being passed over by such teams as division rivals New York who drafted Ken O'Brien and New England who drafted Tony Eason. With the 27th pick, the Dolphins decided to take a chance on Dan Marino. In the draft's eighth round the Dolphins also selected receiver Mark Clayton. Season summary David Woodley started the team's first five games but despite wins over Buffalo, New England and Kansas City the offense did not move to Don Shula's liking. So in Week Six, with the Dolphins hosting the Bills the rookie Marino started. Marino had completed two touchdown passes in relief of Woodley in a 27–14 loss to the Raiders and then replaced Woodley during a 17–7 loss to the Saints with a touchdown and an interception, so the game against Buffalo was the third game of his career but his first start. The game proved to be a wild affair as Robb Riddick of the Bills fumbled the opening kickoff at his own 17 but Marino was intercepted by Steve Freeman on the next play. The Bills clawed to a 14–7 halftime lead but the Dolphins behind Marino stayed toe to toe as Marino threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns while handing off to Mark Clayton on an option pass for a touchdown to Mark Duper. The Bills tied the game in the final seconds and two Uwe von Schamann field goal attempts missed before Joe Danelo ended the game in a 38–35 Bills win.
Despite the loss Marino's performance cemented his role as the team's starter, and the Dolphins raced to win nine of their last ten games. Marino finished with 2,210 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. With the division wrapped up following a 26–17 win over the Oilers at the Astrodome Marino sat for the final two games of the season as Don Strock quarterbacked the Dolphins to wins over the Falcons and New York Jets. Despite a very successful season, the Dolphins were eliminated in the Divisional round of the playoffs by the underdog Seattle Seahawks, 27–20.
Offseason June 25, 1983: Linebacker Larry Gordon, the Miami Dolphins first round pick in the 1976 NFL draft, died from heart failure while jogging near his home in Phoenix.100 Things Dolphins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Armando Salguero, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2020, ISBN 978-1-62937-722-3, p.185 Miami players wore a memorial helmet decal with Gordon's No. 50 throughout the season. Gordon's death occurred six days shy of the two-year anniversary of the death of fellow Dolphins linebacker Rusty Chambers, and four days before Kansas City Chiefs running back Joe Delaney drowned in Monroe, Louisiana. NFL draft
Personnel
Coaches / Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 4 at Buffalo Bills W 12–0 1–0 Rich Stadium 78,715 2 September 11 New England Patriots W 34–24 2–0 Miami Orange Bowl 59,343 3 September 19 at Los Angeles Raiders L 14–27 2–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,796 4 September 25 Kansas City Chiefs W 14–6 3-1 Miami Orange Bowl 50,785 5 October 2 at New Orleans Saints L 7–17 3-2 Louisiana Superdome 66,489 6 October 9 Buffalo Bills L 35–38 3-3 Miami Orange Bowl 59,948 7 October 16 at New York Jets W 32–14 4-3 Shea Stadium 58,615 8 October 23 at Baltimore Colts W 21–7 5-3 Memorial Stadium 32,343 9 October 30 Los Angeles Rams W 30–14 6-3 Miami Orange Bowl 72,175 10 November 6 at San Francisco 49ers W 20–17 7-3 Candlestick Park 57,832 11 November 13 at New England Patriots L 6–17 7-4 Sullivan Stadium 60,771 12 November 20 Baltimore Colts W 37–0 8-4 Miami Orange Bowl 54,482 13 November 28 Cincinnati Bengals W 38–14 9-4 Miami Orange Bowl 74,506 14 December 4 at Houston Oilers W 24–17 10-4 Houston Astrodome 39,434 15 December 10 Atlanta Falcons W 31–24 11-4 Miami Orange Bowl 56,725 16 December 16 New York Jets W 34–14 12-4 Miami Orange Bowl 59,975
Game summaries
Week 1
Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-Jan-16.
Week 6
Standings
Player stats
Passing Player Att Comp Yds TD INT Rating Dan Marino 296 173 2210 20 6 96.0
Postseason
AFC Divisional Playoff
The Seahawks converted three turnovers in the second half into 13 points, while running back Curt Warner rushed for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter: A 19-yard pass to Johnson and a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Mark Duper. Seattle's only score in the first half was quarterback Dave Krieg's 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Cullen Bryant. In the third quarter, a fumble led to Warner's 1-yard touchdown. A fourth quarter interception from Marino then led to Norm Johnson's 27-yard field goal to give Seattle a 17–13 lead. After the Dolphins regained the lead off running back Woody Bennett's 3-yard touchdown, Seattle responded with Warner's 2-yard touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami returner Fulton Walker fumbled, setting up Norm Johnson's 37-yard field goal. Barely enough time remained for the Dolphins to tie the game, but Fulton Walker fumbled the next kickoff as well, which sealed the game for the Seahawks.
References
External links 1983 Miami Dolphins at Pro-Football-Reference.com