1995 Miami Dolphins season

1995 Miami Dolphins season
1995 Miami Dolphins season
Head coach	Don Shula
Home field	Joe Robbie Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	3rd AFC East
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs; (at Bills) 22–37
Pro Bowlers	4 QB Dan Marino; LT Richmond Webb; G Keith Sims; LB Bryan Cox;
	← 1994; Dolphins seasons; 1996 →;

The 1995 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 30th season, 26th in the National Football League, and 26th and final under head coach Don Shula. The Dolphins finished 9–7 before losing to the Bills in the playoffs.^[1]

Until the 2022 NFL season, this marked the last time the Dolphins finished with a top 10 Offense.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1995 Miami Dolphins draft
1	25	Billy Milner	Tackle	Houston
2	53	Andrew Greene	Guard	Indiana
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

1995 Expansion Draft

Miami Dolphins selected during the Expansion Draft
Round	Overall	Name	Position	Expansion Team
3	5	Jeff Novak	OG	Jacksonville Jaguars
22	43	Brant Boyer	LB	Jacksonville Jaguars
22	44	Doug Pederson	QB	Carolina Panthers

Transactions

July 27: The Miami Dolphins signed Defensive End Steve Emtman^[2]

Roster

**1995 Miami Dolphins final roster**

	Quarterbacks 19 Bernie Kosar 13 Dan Marino 11 Dan McGwire Running backs 41 Keith Byars FB 42 Terry Kirby 30 Bernie Parmalee 40 Irving Spikes KR 49 Robert Wilson Wide receivers 84 Gary Clark 15 Kirby Dar Dar 80 Irving Fryar 89 Randal Hill KR 81 O. J. McDuffie KR/PR 87 Mike Williams Tight ends 86 Eric Green 82 Frank Wainright LS 85 Ronnie Williams		Offensive linemen 68 Andrew Greene G 67 Gene McGuire C 72 Tom McHale G 79 Billy Milner T 70 Eric Moore T 61 Tim Ruddy C 69 Keith Sims G 78 Richmond Webb T 60 Bert Weidner G Defensive linemen 93 Trace Armstrong DE 95 Tim Bowens DT 90 Marco Coleman DE 91 Jeff Cross DE 94 Steve Emtman DT 98 Norman Hand DT 74 Ed Hawthorne DT 99 Chuck Klingbeil DT		Linebackers 58 Antonio Armstrong OLB 53 Aubrey Beavers OLB 51 Bryan Cox OLB 59 DeWayne Dotson MLB 50 Dwight Hollier OLB 52 Jeff Kopp OLB 55 Chris Singleton OLB Defensive backs 28 Gene Atkins FS 37 J. B. Brown CB 27 Terrell Buckley CB 31 Sean Hill CB/S 38 Calvin Jackson CB 24 Pat Johnson SS 25 Louis Oliver FS 29 Frankie Smith CB 35 Michael Stewart SS 23 Troy Vincent CB Special teams 17 John Kidd P 10 Pete Stoyanovich K		Reserve lists 71 Ethan Albright LS (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 77 Kevin Brothen G (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 62 Chris Gray G (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 73 Ron Heller T (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 83 Scott Miller WR (PUPTooltip Physically unable to perform) 14 Shannon Myers WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad 48 Lee McClinton FB 45 Kenny McEntyre CB 26 Chico Nelson S 88 Joe Planansky TE Rookies in italics 53 active, 6 inactive, 4 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 3	New York Jets	W 52–14	1–0	Pro Player Park	71,317
2	September 10	at New England Patriots	W 20–3	2–0	Foxboro Stadium	60,239
3	September 18	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 23–10	3–0	Pro Player Stadium	72,874
4	Bye
5	October 1	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 26–23	4–0	Riverfront Stadium	52,671
6	October 8	Indianapolis Colts	L 24–27 (OT)	4–1	Pro Player Stadium	68,471
7	October 15	at New Orleans Saints	L 30–33	4–2	Louisiana Superdome	55,628
8	October 22	at New York Jets	L 16–17	4–3	Giants Stadium	67,228
9	October 29	Buffalo Bills	W 23–6	5–3	Pro Player Stadium	71,060
10	November 6	at San Diego Chargers	W 24–14	6–3	Jack Murphy Stadium	61,966
11	November 12	New England Patriots	L 17–34	6–4	Pro Player Stadium	70,399
12	November 20	San Francisco 49ers	L 20–44	6–5	Pro Player Stadium	73,080
13	November 26	at Indianapolis Colts	L 28–36	6–6	RCA Dome	60,414
14	December 3	Atlanta Falcons	W 21–20	7–6	Pro Player Stadium	63,395
15	December 11	Kansas City Chiefs	W 13–6	8–6	Pro Player Stadium	70,321
16	December 17	at Buffalo Bills	L 20–23	8–7	Rich Stadium	79,531
17	December 24	at St. Louis Rams	W 41–22	9–7	Trans World Dome	63,876

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽³⁾ Buffalo Bills	10	6	0	.625	350	335	L1
⁽⁵⁾ Indianapolis Colts	9	7	0	.563	331	316	W1
⁽⁶⁾ Miami Dolphins	9	7	0	.563	398	332	W1
New England Patriots	6	10	0	.375	294	377	L2
New York Jets	3	13	0	.188	233	384	L4

Playoffs

AFC Wild Card Game

Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	0	0	22	22
Bills	10	14	3	10	37

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C), cloudy
Game attendance: 73,103
Referee: Red Cashion
TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger and Dick Vermeil

Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 of 64 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions. The Bills used an NFL-playoff record 341 rushing yards to gain a 27–0 lead by the start of the fourth quarter.

Don Shula's retirement

The week after Miami's playoff loss to Buffalo, Shula announced his retirement. His 347 wins as a head coach, including 257 with the Dolphins, are an NFL record. Shula coached in six Super Bowls, winning two, and in 1972 he led the only unbeaten and untied season in NFL history. Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997 and is considered one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.