On November 17, 2024, the members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins toasted their continued status as the only perfect team in NFL history after the Buffalo Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs 30 to 21. The loss ended the Chiefs’ undefeated streak at nine games and ensured that, once again, no team in the 2024-25 season would match the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season.
The only NFL team to play an entire year without a loss, the 1972 Miami Dolphins were a powerhouse on both sides of the ball, and unarguably the strongest squad in the league. Boasting eight Pro Football Hall of Famers on its roster, the team included legendary names like Bob Griese (quarterback), Paul Warfield (wide receiver), Jim Langer (guard), and Nick Buoniconti (running back). It was led by head coach Don Shula, who is still considered one of the best to ever call plays for an NFL team.
An Unmatched Record
The 1972 Dolphins have been voted the best team of the first 100 years of the NFL, a result of a precise combination of genius coaching, generational talent, and targeted recruitment. The depth of the roster didn’t hurt, either, particularly after Griese broke his ankle and tibia in week five. Veteran quarterback Earl Morrall had led a team to Super Bowl III under Coach Shula, and came off the bench to replace the team’s starting QB. Morrall went on to win nine regular-season games in a row, as well as the team’s two AFC playoff games. As Griese later stated, “There would not be an undefeated team on the books if it weren’t for Earl Morrall.”
The NFL regular season only included 14 games in 1972—a number that later increased to 16, and more recently to 17. While some have suggested that the Dolphins’ longstanding record as the only undefeated team is due in part to the fact that modern teams must win more games in order to match it, few can argue the talent and fortitude that went into that season. In addition, the Dolphins had to win an additional three games in the post-season—an even more difficult feat than in the regular season, both statistically and in terms of pressure and competition—in order to be perfect, which means that they notched 17 straight wins in one season. Perfect seasons aside, only one other team has ever gone 17-0 to start a season.
Two Minutes from Perfect: The 2007 Patriots
In 2007, the New England Patriots were well on their way to matching the Dolphins’ perfect record. Led by Tom Brady, the man most pundits consider to be the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, the Pats absolutely dominated the regular season, winning all 16 games. They were the first (and still only team) since the 1972 Dolphins to do so, and the hype machine quickly grew as they moved into the playoffs. Brady had locked down his first NFL MVP award and was well on his way to a career that would ultimately include a record seven Super Bowl wins and a record 10 appearances.
The Pats were a powerhouse team—one that many called the greatest to ever play—and steamrolled through the playoffs toward what most people considered an inevitable Super Bowl XLII victory and perfect season. But then, with two minutes left in the big game, the 18-0 team’s defense faltered against the New York Giants’ upstart QB Eli Manning. Manning threw an unbelievable “miracle” 32-yard pass off David Tyree’s helmet on the third down. Wide receiver Plaxico Burress later caught the game-winning touchdown with less than 40 seconds left on the clock to shatter New England’s hopes of matching Shula’s squad.
That afternoon, as fans along the East Coast mourned a team that had been mere minutes from all-time greatness, Buoniconti and safety Dick Anderson popped a bottle of champagne, as they’d done for the past 35 years after the last undefeated team lost each season. Meanwhile, comfortable at home, Griese was likely cracking his traditional celebratory beer.
Toasting an Unbeaten Record
There’s a long-running myth that the entire 1972 Dolphins team gathers each year to toast their continued status as the only perfect team every time the last undefeated squad loses, but in reality, it was mostly Buoniconti and Anderson enjoying their well-deserved tradition. The two teammates and friends were neighbors, and felt it was their duty to celebrate every time their record was safe for another year.
Sadly, Buoniconti passed away in 2019 and missed the opportunity to toast the Dolphins’ perfect season one more time in November 2024 after the Chiefs’ winning streak came to an end. Running back Mercury Morris also passed in September 2024, meaning that he missed the opportunity to celebrate in November as well. Fortunately, legendary fullback Larry Csonka was more than happy to lift a glass of champagne as he watched the Chiefs fall to 9-1. Nothing’s for sure, but he’ll probably never see his team’s record broken—the odds of a perfect season are just that unlikely. The 1972 Miami Dolphins truly are in a class of one.