Dolphins-Redskins Superbowl XVII - 30 years ago today.

[royalshank]

The incomplete pass? Theisman made a great play on the ball to break up the INT. It would have required a lot of luck to make that INT. It wasn't a typical Sean Smith dropped INT.I was 8 when it happened and all I remember is going from concerned into full tantrum mode after the last Skins TD! At some point in my teens I was watching it on a VCR tape collection of Super Bowl Memories (or something like that, the half hour highlights of each game) one day and was like hey he's out of bounds, replaying the catch again and again like SOB that focker was out of bounds.

LOL - love the Sean Smith reference - nearly fell out of my chair!

[jlfin]

It is hard to believe how time flies....30 years ago today, the Washington Redskins defeated the Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl.

I was a junior in high school. Everyone has probably seen the video of John Riggins breaking the tackle of Don McNeal along the sidelines and running for a TD. We had so many chances to win this game. Fulton Walker returned the opening kickoff for a Touchdown to give us a quick 7-0 lead. Bokamper had a sure INT and TD slapped out of his hands by Joe Theisman. This game hurt me as much as any game I have ever watched.

Anyone else remember this game or how you were feeling?

I was in college and remember wishing we had an NFL caliber QB. Woodley was 0-8 in the 2nd half. The football gods answered my prayers when the Fins drafted Marino 3 months later.

[jlfin]

Agree. Shula is the best coach of all time. He got the most out of his talent. No coach in NFL history could have taken a team QB'd by Woodley to a SB. He was a poor man's Tim Tebow.
Its tragic that the defense was decimated by the untimely deaths of Larry Gordon (1983) and Rusty Chambers (1981). Had they not died, the Phins may have been able to beat the 49'ers 2 yrs later. I recall an interview about 15 yrs ago with Bill Walsh and he said that their offensive game plan was to attack Miami's young LB's (Jackie Shipp, Jay Brophy). Shula reached and drafted those 2 guys 2 replace Gordon and Chambers. Gordon was one of the fastest and best pass rushing OLB's in the league. Chambers was a tough, above average MLB.

[Bagga-Viagra]

Agree. Shula is the best coach of all time. He got the most out of his talent. No coach in NFL history could have taken a team QB'd by Woodley to a SB. He was a poor man's Tim Tebow.
Its tragic that the defense was decimated by the untimely deaths of Larry Gordon (1983) and Rusty Chambers (1981). Had they not died, the Phins may have been able to beat the 49'ers 2 yrs later. I recall an interview about 15 yrs ago with Bill Walsh and he said that their offensive game plan was to attack Miami's young LB's (Jackie Shipp, Jay Brophy). Shula reached and drafted those 2 guys 2 replace Gordon and Chambers. Gordon was one of the fastest and best pass rushing OLB's in the league. Chambers was a tough, above average MLB.

Damn, I did not know that.

[jlfin]

Damn, I did not know that.

Rusty Chambers died in a car accident. Gordon died while jogging back home in Arizona (he was diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy). It really affected the quality of the defense for most of the 80's. Maybe Marino could have won a SB in that time frame.

[royalshank]

Rusty Chambers died in a car accident. Gordon died while jogging back home in Arizona (he was diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy). It really affected the quality of the defense for most of the 80's. Maybe Marino could have won a SB in that time frame.

Gordon was a tremendous athlete and Chambers was hard-nosed. I never knew they identified the cause of death other than to say he died of a heart attack while jogging in the desert. Tragic and a shame that most people forget about these guys as time goes by.

[royalshank]

Agree. Shula is the best coach of all time. He got the most out of his talent. No coach in NFL history could have taken a team QB'd by Woodley to a SB. He was a poor man's Tim Tebow.
Its tragic that the defense was decimated by the untimely deaths of Larry Gordon (1983) and Rusty Chambers (1981). Had they not died, the Phins may have been able to beat the 49'ers 2 yrs later. I recall an interview about 15 yrs ago with Bill Walsh and he said that their offensive game plan was to attack Miami's young LB's (Jackie Shipp, Jay Brophy). Shula reached and drafted those 2 guys 2 replace Gordon and Chambers. Gordon was one of the fastest and best pass rushing OLB's in the league. Chambers was a tough, above average MLB.

Speaking of the niner's game plan, have you ever seen that documentary of the game that shows just how easy it was for SF to accomplish this? Their backs were quicker than our LBs (Craig, Tyler) and they would run little flare passes to them which we couldn't stop. So the LBs adjusted by running to the flat areas at the snap of the ball in anticipation that the pass was coming that way - and when Montana saw the middle of the field vacated he'd just pull the ball down and run 8-9 yds. I believe - and I'm too lazy to go check the stats - but in that game SF only completed 1 pass to a WR. They dinked and dunked us with backs and TEs all game - we couldn't get off the field.

[Roman529]

roman529 you remember a play with like under 2 mins left where washington was inside our 20, riggins DEFINITELY fumbled the ball and i think larry gordon recovered. they were up 3 at that point. we wouldve gotten the ball back and still had a chance. refs sucked back then too.

Yeah we definitely had our chances. That is what made the game so frustrating. Also, I somehow thought Walker's kickoff TD return was at the start of the game....maybe I had this confused with Ted Ginn running back an opening kick in some game.
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Your mind plays tricks on you over the years, but I will never forget how Bokamper got the sure pick and TD slapped out of his hands by Theismann. Thanks to the poster for posting the Theismann-Bokamper play. Then a few years later Dan Marino and the Phins played San Fran in the Superbowl and we got beat again
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...and we haven't been back to the SB since. I just hope we can get back soon and win it. The Dolphins have had 5 trips to the SB....2 wins back to back, and three losses....to the Cowboys, Redskins and Niners. Some teams have NEVER played in a SB so you have to take the good with the bad.

[Roman529]

FW ko return ..............link below

Thanks for posting the Kickoff return for a TD.....I miss those aqua uniforms. The Rose Bowl is also probably the nicest stadium around. Don Shula still looked pretty young. It just seems like yesterday.

[nyjunc]

actually, you lost that game because Mark Gastineau was so busy dancing after sacking Woodley - on our 2 yard line - that he didn't realize he had forced Woodley to fumble. As Gasti-douche was doing his stupid dance, an alert Miami lineman fell on the ball - which was lying between Gasti-douche's feet. Had he not been so preoccupied with himself, he recovers that ball on our 2 yd line at a minimum - heck he probably picks it up and scores and you guys win. Blame him not the refs.

---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 PM ----------

agreed - but that's how they called those back then. If you shoved the guy while in the air it was usually ruled a force-out.

That wasn't the play, it was earlier where he did recover a clear fumble but they gave it back to you.

Agree. Shula is the best coach of all time. He got the most out of his talent. No coach in NFL history could have taken a team QB'd by Woodley to a SB. He was a poor man's Tim Tebow.
Its tragic that the defense was decimated by the untimely deaths of Larry Gordon (1983) and Rusty Chambers (1981). Had they not died, the Phins may have been able to beat the 49'ers 2 yrs later. I recall an interview about 15 yrs ago with Bill Walsh and he said that their offensive game plan was to attack Miami's young LB's (Jackie Shipp, Jay Brophy). Shula reached and drafted those 2 guys 2 replace Gordon and Chambers. Gordon was one of the fastest and best pass rushing OLB's in the league. Chambers was a tough, above average MLB.

To be fair Rex grossman made a SB and as great as Don was he never won a SB w/ a guy who is arguably the best QB of all time who he had for 12-13 years.