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1986 Miami Dolphins season
1986 Miami Dolphins season
Owner	Joe Robbie
Head coach	Don Shula
Home field	Miami Orange Bowl
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	4 QB Dan Marino; ILB John Offerdahl; WR Mark Clayton; G Roy Foster;
	← 1985; Dolphins seasons; 1987 →;

The 1986 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 21st as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games.^[1] This was the first time in six seasons the team did not qualify for the playoffs and would mark the start of a four-season span of barren postseason chances. This was also the team's final season at the Orange Bowl before moving into their new stadium Joe Robbie Stadium the following season.

Personnel

Staff

**1986 Miami Dolphins staff**
	Front office President – Joe Robbie Executive vice president/general manager – Mike Robbie Vice president – Don Shula Director of player personnel – Chuck Connor Director of pro scouting – Charley Winner Head coaches Head coach – Don Shula Assistant head coach – David Shula Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/receivers – David Shula Offensive backs – Carl Taseff Tight ends – Mike Westhoff Offensive line – John Sandusky			Defensive coaches Defense – Chuck Studley Defensive line – Dan Sekanovich Linebackers – Bob Matheson Defensive backs – Mel Phillips Special teams coaches Special teams – Mike Westhoff Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Junior Wade

Roster

**1986 Miami Dolphins roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 13 Dan Marino 10 Don Strock Running backs (RB) 34 Woody Bennett 30 Ron Davenport 27 Lorenzo Hampton 22 Tony Nathan 23 Joe Carter 33 Craig Ellis Wide receivers (WR) 83 Mark Clayton 85 Mark Duper 89 Nat Moore 11 Jim Jensen 82 James Pruitt Tight ends (TE) 87 Dan Johnson 84 Bruce Hardy		Offensive linemen (OL) 65 Jeff Dellenbach T 74 Cleveland Green T 79 Jon Giesler T 57 Dwight Stephenson C 61 Roy Foster G 66 Larry Lee G 72 Ronnie Lee G 68 Greg Koch T 76 Tom Toth G/T Defensive linemen (DL) 73 Bob Baumhower NT 75 Doug Betters DE 71 Mike Charles NT 78 Jerome Foster DE/DT 99 George Little DE 91 Mack Moore DE 95 T. J. Turner DE		Linebackers (LB) 51 Mark Brown OLB 59 Bob Brudzinski OLB 56 John Offerdahl ILB 50 Jackie Shipp ILB 55 Hugh Green 94 Larry Kolic 53 David Frye 90 Andy Hendel 54 Alex Moyer 91 Fred Robinson 53 Jack Squirek 54 Johnny Taylor Defensive backs (DB) 47 Glenn Blackwood SS 43 Bud Brown FS 49 William Judson CB 44 Paul Lankford CB 42 Robert Sowell 28 Don McNeal 40 Mike Kozlowski 42 Lyle Blackwood 32 Donald Brown 26 Donovan Rose 18 Mike Smith 19 Reyna Thompson Special teams 7 Fuad Reveiz K 4 Reggie Roby P		Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 7	at San Diego Chargers	L 28–50	0–1	Jack Murphy Stadium	57,726
2	September 14	Indianapolis Colts	W 30–10	1–1	Miami Orange Bowl	51,848
3	September 21	at New York Jets	L 45–51 (OT)	1–2	Giants Stadium	71,025
4	September 28	San Francisco 49ers	L 16–31	1–3	Miami Orange Bowl	70,264
5	October 5	at New England Patriots	L 7–34	1–4	Sullivan Stadium	60,689
6	October 12	Buffalo Bills	W 27–14	2–4	Miami Orange Bowl	49,467
7	October 19	Los Angeles Raiders	L 28–30	2–5	Miami Orange Bowl	53,421
8	October 26	at Indianapolis Colts	W 17–13	3–5	Hoosier Dome	58,350
9	November 2	Houston Oilers	W 28–7	4–5	Miami Orange Bowl	43,804
10	November 10	at Cleveland Browns	L 16–26	4–6	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	77,949
11	November 16	at Buffalo Bills	W 34–24	5–6	Rich Stadium	76,474
12	November 24	New York Jets	W 45–3	6–6	Miami Orange Bowl	70,206
13	November 30	Atlanta Falcons	L 14–20	6–7	Miami Orange Bowl	53,762
14	December 7	at New Orleans Saints	W 31–27	7–7	Louisiana Superdome	64,761
15	December 14	at Los Angeles Rams	W 37–31 (OT)	8–7	Anaheim Stadium	62,629
16	December 22	New England Patriots	L 27–34	8–8	Miami Orange Bowl	74,516

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Final roster

**1986 Miami Dolphins roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 13 Dan Marino 10 Don Strock Running backs (RB) 34 Woody Bennett FB 30 Ron Davenport FB 33 Craig Ellis RB 27 Lorenzo Hampton RB 22 Tony Nathan RB Wide receivers (WR) 83 Mark Clayton 85 Mark Duper 11 Jim Jensen 89 Nat Moore 82 James Pruitt Tight ends (TE) 84 Bruce Hardy 87 Dan Johnson		Offensive linemen (OL) 65 Jeff Dellenbach C/G 61 Roy Foster G 68 Greg Koch T 63 Larry Lee G 72 Ronnie Lee G/T 57 Dwight Stephenson C 76 Tom Toth G Defensive linemen (DL) 73 Bob Baumhower NT 75 Doug Betters DE 71 Mike Charles NT 99 George Little DE 70 Brian Sochia DE 95 T. J. Turner DE		Linebackers (LB) 51 Mark Brown ILB 59 Bob Brudzinski OLB 53 David Frye OLB 90 Andy Hendel ILB 94 Larry Kolic OLB 56 John Offerdahl ILB 90 Fred Robinson OLB 50 Jackie Shipp ILB Defensive backs (DB) 47 Glenn Blackwood SS 43 Bud Brown SS 32 Donald Brown CB 49 William Judson CB 40 Mike Kozlowski FS 28 Don McNeal CB 26 Donovan Rose S 24 Reyna Thompson CB Special teams 7 Fuad Reveiz K 4 Reggie Roby P		Reserve 42 Lyle Blackwood FS (IR) 53 Jay Brophy MLB (IR) 78 Jerome Foster NT (IR) 79 Jon Giesler T (IR) 74 Cleveland Green T (IR) 55 Hugh Green OLB (IR) 44 Paul Lankford CB (IR) 91 Mack Moore DE (IR) 18 Mike Smith DB (IR) Rookies in italics 45 active, 6 reserve, 0 practice squad

Season summary

Week 1 at Chargers

Miami Dolphins (0–0) at San Diego Chargers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	14	7	7	28
Chargers	17	9	14	10	50

at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California

Date: September 7
Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 57,726
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Jimmy Cefalo
Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database

Game information

Dolphins

Dan Marino
23/36, 290 Yds, 3 TD
Lorenzo Hampton
6 Rush, 26 Yds
Mark Clayton
5 Rec, 143 Yds, 2 TD

Chargers

Dan Fouts
23/35, 293 Yds, 3 TD
Lionel James
10 Rush, 61 Yds
Wes Chandler
6 Rec, 78 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MIA	SD
1	10:52				Chargers	Gary Anderson 18-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	0	7
1	2:17				Chargers	26-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	0	10
1	0:24				Chargers	Tim Spencer 17-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good	0	17
2	12:00				Dolphins	Mark Clayton 22-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	7	17
2	4:02				Chargers	Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick no good	7	23
2	2:19				Dolphins	Mark Clayton 49-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	14	23
2	0:28				Chargers	36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	14	26
3	9:22				Chargers	Wes Chandler 7-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	14	33
3	6:47				Dolphins	Nat Moore 6-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	21	33
3	0:21				Chargers	Pete Holohan 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good	21	40
4	14:15				Chargers	Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good	21	47
4	5:48				Chargers	36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke	21	50
4	0:58				Dolphins	Nat Moore 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good	28	50
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							28	50

Week 2

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	7	3	0	0	10
• Dolphins	7	13	10	0	30

Date: September 14
Location: Orange Bowl
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert, Bob Griese

^[2]

Week 3 at Jets

Week Three: Miami Dolphins (1–1) at New York Jets (1–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Dolphins	7	14	17	7	0	45
Jets	3	28	0	14	6	51

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Date: September 21
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C)
Game attendance: 71,025
Referee: Pat Haggerty
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen
Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

NYJ – Pat Leahy 32-yard field goal, 4:29. Jets 3–0.
MIA – James Pruitt 6-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 2:36. Dolphins 7–3.

Second quarter

NYJ – Johnny Hector 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 12:09. Jets 10–7.
NYJ – Johnny Hector 8-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 10:00. Jets 17–7.
MIA – Dan Johnson 1-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 7:26. Jets 17–14.
MIA – Mark Duper 13-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 5:06. Dolphins 21–17.
NYJ – Wesley Walker 65-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 3:12. Jets 24–21.
NYJ – Wesley Walker 50-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 0:34. Jets 31–21.

Third quarter

MIA – Mark Duper 46-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 10:48. Jets 31–28.
MIA – Fuad Reveiz 44-yard field goal, 7:12. Tie 31–31.
MIA – Bruce Hardy 1-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 4:12. Dolphins 38–31.

Fourth quarter

NYJ – Dennis Bligen 7-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 8:42. Tie 38–38.
MIA – Mark Clayton 4-yard pass from Dan Marino (Fuad Reveiz kick), 2:56. Dolphins 45–38.
NYJ – Wesley Walker 21-yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick), 0:00. Tie 45–45.

Overtime

NYJ – Wesley Walker 43-yard pass from Ken O'Brien, 12:25. Jets 51–45.

Top passers

MIA – Dan Marino – 30/50, 448 Yds, 6 TD, 2 INT
NYJ – Ken O'Brien – 29/43, 479 Yds, 4 TD, INT

Top rushers

MIA – Tony Nathan – 4 Rush, 36 Yds
NYJ – Johnny Hector – 22 Rush, 82 Yds, 2 TD

Top receivers

MIA – Mark Clayton – 8 Rec, 174 Yds, TD
NYJ – Wesley Walker – 6 Rec, 194 Yds, 4 TD

The Jets-Dolphins rivalry reached an apex in this Week 3 matchup as Ken O'Brien and Dan Marino unleashed ten combined touchdowns, the last a 43-yard score to Wesley Walker and a 51–45 overtime win for the Jets.

Week 6 vs. Bills

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	0	0	7	14
• Dolphins	3	7	10	7	27

Date: October 12
Location: Miami Orange Bowl - Miami, Florida
Game start: 1:00 PM EST
Game attendance: 49,467
Game weather: 83 °F (28.3 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
Referee: Fred Wyant
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

^[3]

Week 11 at Bills

Miami Dolphins (4-6) at Buffalo Bills (3-7)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Dolphins	0	10	10	14	34
Bills	7	14	3	0	24

Date: November 16
Location: Rich Stadium Orchard Park, NY
Game start: 1:00 PM EST
Game attendance: 76,474
Game weather: 36 °F (2.2 °C); wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn) cloudy & light rain
Referee: Bob Frederic
TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and John Hannah

^[4]

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
New England Patriots⁽³⁾	11	5	0	.688	7–1	8–4	412	307	W1
New York Jets⁽⁴⁾	10	6	0	.625	6–2	8–4	364	386	L5
Miami Dolphins	8	8	0	.500	5–3	6–6	430	405	L1
Buffalo Bills	4	12	0	.250	1–7	3–11	287	348	L3
Indianapolis Colts	3	13	0	.188	1–7	2–10	229	400	W3