1995 Miami Dolphins: The End Of The Don Shula Era

Don Shula had been a fixture in South Beach since 1970. Over the previous 25 seasons, he had produced 23 winning seasons, 15 trips to the playoffs, five Super Bowl appearances, two championships and his 1972 team remains the only undefeated Super Bowl winner.

But the last Super Bowl trip  was over a decade ago in 1984 and the clock was ticking on Dan Marino’s career. Rumors were abounding that Jimmy Johnson, fresh off turning the Dallas Cowboys into a dynasty and sitting in the Fox studio, had his eye on Shula’s job. There was urgency for the 1995 Miami Dolphins. And when the season ended with an early playoff exit, Shula’s legendary career came to an end.

Marino was 34-years-old, and he produced the ninth and final Pro Bowl season of his own Hall of Fame career. His 64% completion rate and 7.6 yards-per-attempt were each top-4 among starting quarterbacks. Mistakes were a problem though—the TD/INT ratio was 24-15 and Marino’s 3.1% interception rate ranked 21^st.

Even so, the Dolphin passing game was potent and it was well-balanced. Irving Fryar and O.J. McDuffie were prime targets, each catching 62 passes. Gary Clark, a veteran of Joe Gibbs’ great Washington Redskins team was a solid third receiver. Tight end Eric Green caught 43 balls. And the running backs were a big part of the passing game. Keith Byars finished with 51 catches. Bernie Parmalee added 39 more. And no one on Miami caught more passes in 1995 than Terry Kirby, who racked up 66 catches out of the backfield. Marino consistently incorporated everyone into the attack.

The offensive line had a Pro Bowl left side, with tackle Richmond Webb and guard Keith Sims. But the running game was still a little shaky. While Parmalee ran for 878 yards and Kirby added 414 more, both were sub-4.0 yards per carry. It was still enough for Miami’s offense to rank seventh in the NFL for points scored.

Middle linebacker Bryan Cox, with 7 ½ sacks, made the Pro Bowl and led the defense. Defensive ends Jeff Cross and Marco Coleman were respectable pass rushers, combining for 12 ½ sacks. Troy Vincent was solid at corner and intercepted five passes. The Dolphin defense ranked 10^th in the league for points allowed.

The season opened with a late afternoon home game against a terrible New York jets team. After a scoreless first quarter, both offenses started to open up, and Miami led 21-14 at the half. What the Dolphins were doing was collecting turnovers—six in all, including a Pick-6 by Vincent. In the second half, the rout was on, and the Fish handed the Jets a 52-14 thumping.

Miami went up to New England. Bill Parcells had guided the Patriots to the playoffs in 1994, and they were aiming to displace the Dolphins at the top of the AFC East this year. Marino hit Fryar with a 67-yard touchdown strike to key an early 10-0 lead. Miami outrushed New England 182-39 and produced an impressive 20-3 win.

A Monday Night showdown with Pittsburgh was next. A year ago, the Steelers had been the 1-seed in the AFC and they would make the Super Bowl this season. The fact the Dolphins were a (-7) favorite tells you how highly they were regarded. And, at least for tonight, they lived up to the billing. With defensive back J.B. Brown intercepting two passes, Miami won the turnover battle 5-zip and won the football game 23-10.

The Dolphins went into an early bye week riding high at 3-0. When they returned to the field, they were in Cincinnati, facing a Bengal team coached by Don’s son David. The prior year, their historic father-son coaching showdown was on Sunday Night Football. This year, with Cincinnati a mediocre team, it was in the normal early afternoon time slot. The Bengals gave the Dolphins a battle, outrushing them 144-48 in a back-and-forth game. Marino answered with a 33/48 for 450 yards performance. And his 16-yard TD pass to McDuffie in the fourth quarter was the last word in a 26-23 win.

Miami hosted Indianapolis for a late afternoon game and was rolling along with a 24-3 lead at the half. But after intermission, the whole trajectory of the season changed. The defense collapsed and the Dolphins ultimately lost a 27-24 overtime decision. Marino was injured late in the game and would miss the next two weeks. And in this make-or-break year for Shula, things were never the same.

Bernie Kosar had been one of the league’s best quarterbacks in the latter part of the 1980s in Cleveland. In the twilight of his career, Kosar took over. He played well at mediocre New Orleans, going 29/42 for 368 yards. But there was no running game, Miami lost three fumbles, they suffered another defensive collapse and lost a 33-30 heartbreaker.

A week later in the Meadowlands against the Jets. Kosar was awful—he went 27/42 for just 191 yards and threw three interceptions. While Parmalee ran for 120 yards, it wasn’t enough to avoid an embarrassing 17-16 loss. Marino was coming back, but Miami was now 4-3.

Buffalo came to South Beach. The Bills had won four consecutive AFC championships from 1990-93 before missing the playoffs the prior year. But they were back in the hunt and this late afternoon game was a marquee showdown. The Dolphins toughened up. They won the rushing battle 148-47. Marino played mistake-free football. In a 6-6 game, Kirby and Parmalee both ran for second half touchdowns. Miami got a badly needed 23-6 win.

They went on to San Diego for a Sunday Night rematch in the place where the 1994 season had ended with a crushing divisional playoff loss. The Dolphins again muscled up, winning rush yardage 126-70. And they again reaped the rewards in the second half, turning a 14-14 tie after three quarters into a 24-14 win.

It seemed like Miami had recovered from their slump when New England came south for the rematch. Marino would go 27/33 for 333 yards against the Patriots. But the toughness in the running game disappeared. Marino threw two interceptions. Miami lost decisively, 34-17.

The San Francisco 49ers were the defending Super Bowl champs and getting hot when the Dolphins went west for a Monday Night battle. Even facing backup quarterback Elvis Grbac, the Miami defense was carved up. An early 7-7 tie turned into a 24-7 deficit by halftime, ballooned to 38-13 and ended at 44-20.

Indianapolis was an AFC East rival prior to the 2002 realignment that created the South divisions in both conferences. The Colts were also in the playoff race. The rematch in Indy was a big one. And the Dolphins played poorly. They committed 13 penalties and fell behind 27-0. Marino finished 23/36 for 254 yards and Parmalee ran for 120 yards, but that was not nearly enough in a 36-28 loss.

This promising season was teetering on the brink of disaster as the calendar moved to December for the home stretch. Miami was 6-6 and two games back of Buffalo in the AFC East. In the race for three wild-card spots, the Oakland Raiders were 8-4 and Indianapolis was 7-5. Miami was tied with the Denver Broncos at 6-6 for the final playoff spot, and the tiebreaker situation was too close to call. San Diego, along with the Seattle Seahawks (an AFC West team prior to 2002) were giving chase at 5-7.

A home game with Atlanta, who would eventually squeak into the playoffs themselves, was now a must-win situation and the Dolphins fell behind 20-9 in the fourth quarter. Marino took over. He finished 33/50 for 343 yards and his 21-yard touchdown pass to Fryar pulled out a 21-20 win. In the meantime, the Raiders and Colts both lost, while the Broncos kept pace, and the Chargers and Seahawks stayed in hot pursuit. Three weeks to go.

Kansas City was headed for the 1-seed in the AFC and their visit to Miami was a Monday Night date. The day prior, Indianapolis had won, but Oakland and Denver lost. There was opportunity for the Dolphins. They built a 13-0 lead behind a touchdown pass to McDuffie. The defense was outstanding. Miami won 13-6. They were tied with the Colts and Raiders at 8-6 for the three wild-card spots. The Broncos, Chargers and Seahawks were all 7-7.

What’s more, with Buffalo at 9-5, the AFC East title was back in play as the Dolphins ventured north to play the Bills. Marino would play well in the cold of Buffalo, going 17/24 for 244 yards. But the Fish were pounded in the trenches, losing rush yardage by a massive 208-42. The Bills got the last word in a crushing 23-20 loss.

Losing not only ended Miami’s divisional hopes, it cost them control of their wild-card destiny going into the final week. The following Saturday, the watched San Diego and Indianapolis each clinch spots. While Oakland was fading fast, having lost three straight, the Raiders could take the last spot if they beat the Broncos. If Oakland lost, Miami could then get in.

The key games were set in the 4 PM ET slot. The Dolphins were playing in St. Louis against the Rams, who were on the NFC playoff fringe themselves. That would take place alongside the Raiders-Broncos game from Denver on Christmas Eve.

Miami got a break when St. Louis was eliminated in the early games. The teams traded field goals and Parmalee gave the Dolphins a 10-3 lead with a short touchdown run. After a red-zone stop held the Rams to a field goal, Marino threw short TD passes to Fryar and McDuffie. It was 24-6 and Miami fans could watch the scoreboard, as Oakland and Denver were playing a close one.

St. Louis closed to within 27-22 in the fourth quarter, as the Dolphins found it difficult to run the ball. Out west, the Raiders took a 28-20 lead over the Broncos. Things were looking bleak.

But Marino, going 22/35 for 290 yards, led one more touchdown drive, capped off by a Parmalee run. Defensive back Pat Johnson scooped up a fumble and took it to the house. Miami pulled away, 41-22. And fans in South Beach had reason to celebrate John Elway—the great Denver quarterback rallied his team to a 31-28 win. Miami was going to the playoffs.

The postseason, though, was something the Dolphins had done three of the previous five years. What was expected, particularly after the promising start to this season, was advancement. And that’s something that did not happen.

Round 3 in Buffalo in the early Saturday afternoon of Wild-Card Weekend was a disaster. For the second time in three weeks, the Bills destroyed the Dolphins in the trenches, running for 341 yards. Miami was in a 24-0 hole by halftime. Marino never quit, throwing 66 times, completing 33 and producing 422 yards. But it was too much to ask. He also threw three interceptions, and the 37-22 final was never close.

A week later, Shula stepped down. How much of that was his choice is up for speculation. As rumored all year, Jimmy Johnson was tapped as the successor. It proved to be inconsequential. While Johnson had success in Miami, it was no more than what Shula was doing—usually making the playoffs and then losing in the first or second round. But in either case one of the historic eras of the NFL—Don Shula in Miami—came to an end in 1995.