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The 1972 Dolphins’ perfect season
Miami went 17-0 — the only perfect season in NFL history. Here’s how it happened, who played, and why nobody has done it since. Then build your own undefeated team.
17-0: the only perfect season
The 1972 Miami Dolphins won all fourteen regular-season games, both playoff rounds, and Super Bowl VII 14-7 over Washington — a flawless 17-0. More than fifty years later it is still the only perfect season in NFL history, the standard every unbeaten start gets measured against.
How they did it
Don Shula’s team barely blinked when quarterback Bob Griese went down midseason — veteran Earl Morrall stepped in and kept the run alive. The offense leaned on Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, the first backfield with two 1,000-yard rushers in a season, and Paul Warfield stretched the field. The “No-Name Defense,” led by Nick Buoniconti, quietly led the league. Balance, not a single superstar, is what carried them the distance.
Why it has never happened again
The 2007 Patriots reached 16-0 and lost the Super Bowl; a handful of others ran the regular-season table and fell in January. One loss ends it, and the schedule only gets harder. That rarity is exactly what makes a perfect season the goal here.
Build your own undefeated team
Draft an all-time roster and try to run the table yourself — see the undefeated NFL team challenge, the greatest NFL teams of all time, or the cross-sport perfect season game. New here? Read how to play.
Questions people actually ask
What was the 1972 Dolphins’ record?
A perfect 17-0: fourteen regular-season wins, two playoff wins, and Super Bowl VII (14-7 over Washington). It remains the only perfect season in NFL history — no other team has finished a full season, playoffs included, without a loss.
Who was on the 1972 Dolphins?
Head coach Don Shula, quarterbacks Bob Griese and Earl Morrall (who started nine games after Griese was hurt), running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris (both over 1,000 yards), receiver Paul Warfield, and the “No-Name Defense” anchored by Nick Buoniconti.
Has any NFL team gone undefeated since 1972?
No. The 2007 Patriots came closest at 16-0 in the regular season before losing the Super Bowl to finish 18-1. Surviving both a full season and the playoffs unbeaten is the rarest feat in the sport.
Why is it so hard to go undefeated?
One loss ends it, and every game is a coin-flip against a professional opponent. In this game the math is the same — the weakest seat on your roster drags hardest, so a single soft pick can end a perfect run. About 1 in 20 finished boards actually clears it.