Pyle of List

Legends are those that do what has never been done before.  But even then, after the barrier is broken, others often come along and replicate it.  Not so with the 1972 Miami Dolphins.  Anyone familiar with Professional Football can tell you the 1972 Dolphins are the only team to go undefeated.  The 1985 Bears got very close, losing a Monday Night game late in the season to the 1985 version of the Dolphins.  The 2007 Patriots got even closer, ripping off 18 wins before losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.  And each year as the last undefeated team loses rumors fly that former Dolphins Head Coach Don Shula and players from the ‘72 squad get together and toast the only perfect season.  14-0 in the regular season was obviously good enough to grab the top seed in the AFC.  A Christmas Eve Divisional game brought the Cleveland Browns in to Miami for a 20-14 Dolphin win.  The AFC Championship saw the Dolphins fall behind the Steelers only to come back in the second half and win 21-17 securing the trip to the final game of the season and a chance to achieve perfection.

The Washington Redskins had hired George Allen in 1971 and he quickly made the Skins the league’s oldest team. Preferring older proven veteran players, Allen’s ’72 squad averaged 31 years old.  Despite their age the “Over the Hill Gang” posted an 11-3 record behind League MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Running Back Larry Brown.  Defensively stout as well, the Skins didn’t allow a touchdown in either the 16-3 Divisional round win against the Packers or the 26-3 Conference Championship game against the Cowboys.

The perfect Dolphins “No-Name Defense” dominated the Washington offense holding the Skins scoreless into the fourth quarter.  But on the other side of the ball, the Redskins Defense held the Dolphins to 14 points as the game headed into the final quarter.  Both teams continued to stymie each other and with just over 2 minutes left in the game Shula sent in place kicker Garo Yepremian in to attempt a field goal.  Yepremian’s kick was low and Washington’s Bill Brundige was able to block it.  The ball trickled over to Yepremian’s right and he was able to reach it before Washington.  In a moment of panic Yepremian  picked  up the ball and attempted to throw it to Larry Csoka who was in to block for the kick.  The ball slipped through Garo’s hand and into the air.  To make matters worse the kicker then attempted to bat the ball out of bounds which only kept the ball in the air and in play.  Redskins Defensive Back Mike Bass reeled in the ball, avoided Yepremian’s “tackle” and returned the ball 49 yards for the Redskin touchdown allowing the Skins to pull within one possession of the Dolphins with 2:07 seconds left on the clock.  That would be the last score of the game as the Dolphins would hold on to stay perfect but the kicker from Cyprus would always be remembered for his miss placed effort that could have ruined it all.