List of Miami Dolphins head coaches

Don Shula on USO tour. He holds NFL record for wins. Tony Sparano set NFL record for best 1 season turnaround.

The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football franchise based in Miami Gardens, Florida. They are members of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins began play in 1966 as an expansion team in the American Football League (AFL), and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger. The team has played their home games at Hard Rock Stadium, originally known as Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Landshark Stadium, and Sun Life Stadium, since 1987.[1] The Dolphins are currently owned by Stephen M. Ross.[2]

There have been thirteen head coaches for the Dolphins franchise. The team's first head coach was George Wilson, who coached for four complete seasons.[3] Don Shula, who coached the Dolphins for 26 consecutive seasons, is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (392), the most regular-season game wins (257), the most playoff games coached (31), and the most playoff-game wins (17). Shula is also the only Dolphins head coach to win a Super Bowl with the team, winning two. He was named the United Press International (UPI) NFL Coach of the Year twice during his tenure with the Dolphins.[4] Mike McDaniel is the current head coach of the Dolphins since his hiring on February 6, 2022.[5]

## Key[edit]

# | Number of coaches[N 1]

|

Yrs | Years coached
First | First season coached
Last | Last season coached
GC | Games Coached
W | Wins
L | Loses
T | Ties
Win% | Win – Loss percentage
00†  | Elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach
00*  | Spent entire NFL head coaching career with the Dolphins

## Coaches[edit]

Note: Statistics are accurate through the end of the 2022 NFL season.
#  | Image  | Name  | Term[N 2] | Regular season  | Playoffs  | Accomplishments  | Ref.

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Yrs  | First  | Last  | GC  | W  | L  | T  | Win%  | GC  | W  | L
1  |  | George Wilson | 4  | 1966 | 1969 | 56  | 15  | 39  | 2  | .286  | —  |  | [3]
2  |  | Don Shula † | 26  | 1970 | 1995 | 392  | 257  | 133  | 2  | .658  | 31  | 17  | 14  | Inducted Pro Football Hall of Fame (1997)
2 Super Bowl championships (VII, VIII)
5 AFC championships (1971, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1984)
11 AFC East Division Champion (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1994)
19 Playoff Berths
2 UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1970, 1972) | [4][6]
3  |  | Jimmy Johnson † | 4  | 1996 | 1999 | 64  | 36  | 28  | 0  | .563  | 5  | 2  | 3  | Inducted Pro Football Hall of Fame (2020)
3 Playoff Berths | [7]
4  |  | Dave Wannstedt | 5  | 2000 | 2004[N 3] | 73  | 42  | 31  | 0  | .575  | 3  | 1  | 2  | 1 AFC East Division Champion (2000)
2 Playoff Berths | [8]
5  |  | Jim Bates*  | 1  | 2004[N 3] | 7  | 3  | 4  | 0  | .429  | —  |  | [9]
6  |  | Nick Saban*  | 2  | 2005 | 2006 | 32  | 15  | 17  | 0  | .469  | —  |  | [10]
7  |  | Cam Cameron*  | 1  | 2007 | 16  | 1  | 15  | 0  | .063  | —  |  | [11]
8  |  | Tony Sparano | 4  | 2008 | 2011[N 4] | 61  | 29  | 32  | 0  | .475  | 1  | 0  | 1  | 1 AFC East Division Champion (2008)
1 Playoff Berth | [12]
9  |  | Todd Bowles | 1  | 2011[N 4] | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | .667  | —  |  | [13]
10  |  | Joe Philbin | 4  | 2012 | 2015[N 5] | 52  | 24  | 28  | 0  | .462  | —  |  | [14]
11  |  | Dan Campbell | 1  | 2015[N 5] | 12  | 5  | 7  | 0  | .417  | —  |  | [15]
12  |  | Adam Gase | 3  | 2016 | 2018 | 48  | 23  | 25  | 0  | .479  | 1  | 0  | 1  | 1 Playoff Berth | [16]
13  |  | Brian Flores*  | 3  | 2019 | 2021 | 49  | 24  | 25  | 0  | .490  | —  |  | [17]
14  |  | Mike McDaniel*  | 1  | 2022–present  | 17  | 9  | 8  | 0  | .529  | 1  | 0  | 1  | 1 Playoff Berth | [18]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ A running total of the number of coaches of the Dolphins. Thus, any coach who has two or more terms as head coach is only counted once.
2. ^ Each year is linked to an article about that particular NFL season.
3. ^ a b Dave Wannstedt resigned during bye week with a 1–8 record. Defensive coorditor, Jim Bates, served as interim head coach for the remaining 7 games.
4. ^ a b In Week 14, Dolphins dropped to 4–9, head coach Tony Sparano was fired and replaced by assistant coach Todd Bowles on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
5. ^ a b After the team started 1−3, Philbin was fired by the Dolphins. Dan Campbell, the team's tight ends coach, served as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season and recorded a 5−7 record.

## References[edit]

General

* "Miami Dolphins Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-06.

Specific

1. ^ "History". Dolphin Stadium. Archived from the original on 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
2. ^ "Contacts - Administration". Miami Dolphins. NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
3. ^ a b "George Wilson Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
4. ^ a b Hickok, Ralph (2008-04-17). "NFL Coach of the Year Award". Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
5. ^ @MiamiDolphins (February 6, 2022). "We have agreed to terms with Mike McDaniel. Welcome to Miami, Coach!" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
6. ^ "Don Shula Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
7. ^ "Jimmy Johnson Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
8. ^ "Dave Wannstedt Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
9. ^ "Jim Bates Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
10. ^ "Nick Saban Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
11. ^ "Cam Cameron Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
12. ^ "Tony Sparano Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
13. ^ "Todd Bowles Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
14. ^ "Joe Philbin Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
15. ^ "Dan Campbell Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
16. ^ "Adam Gase Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
17. ^ "Brian Flores Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
18. ^ "Mike McDaniel Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Miami Dolphins

* Founded in 1966
* Based and headquarted in Miami Gardens, Florida

Franchise|

* Franchise
* History
* Seasons
* Coaches
* Players
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Records
* Awards
* Honor roll
* Training facility

Stadiums|

* Orange Bowl
* Hard Rock Stadium

Culture|

* "Fins" (Jimmy Buffett song)
* Wayne Huizenga
* Stephen M. Ross
* Joe Robbie
* T. D.
* Cheerleaders
* Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
* "Only Wanna Be with You" (Hootie & the Blowfish song)
* Ballers

Lore|

* Perfect season
* The Sea of Hands
* Announcerless game
* Epic in Miami
* Snowplow Game
* Clock Play
* Monday Night Miracle
* Miami Miracle

Rivalries|

* Buffalo Bills
* Las Vegas Raiders
* New England Patriots
* New York Jets
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Division championships (13)|

* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1979
* 1981
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1992
* 1994
* 2000
* 2008

Conference championships (5)|

* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1982
* 1984

League championships (2)|

* 1972 (VII)
* 1973 (VIII)

Retired numbers|

* 12
* 13
* 39

Media|

* Broadcasters
* WFOR-TV

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League (1970–present)
* Conference: American Football Conference
* Division: East Division

Former league affiliation|

* League: American Football League (1966–1969)

* v
* t
* e

Miami Dolphins head coaches

* George Wilson (1966–1969)
* Don Shula (1970–1995)
* Jimmy Johnson (1996–1999)
* Dave Wannstedt (2000–2004)
* Jim Bates # (2004)
* Nick Saban (2005–2006)
* Cam Cameron (2007)
* Tony Sparano (2008–2011)
* Todd Bowles # (2011)
* Joe Philbin (2012–2015)
* Dan Campbell # (2015)
* Adam Gase (2016–2018)
* Brian Flores (2019–2021)
* Mike McDaniel (2022–present)

# denotes interim head coach

* v
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Head coaches of the National Football League

American Football Conference

| AFC East| AFC North| AFC South| AFC West

|
|
|

* Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
* Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)
* Bill Belichick (New England Patriots)
* Robert Saleh (New York Jets)

* John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
* Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
* Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
* Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)

* DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
* Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)
* Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
* Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans)

* Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
* Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
* Antonio Pierce* (Las Vegas Raiders)
* Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers)

National Football Conference

| NFC East| NFC North| NFC South| NFC West

|
|
|

* Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys)
* Brian Daboll (New York Giants)
* Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
* Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders)

* Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears)
* Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
* Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
* Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings)

* Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons)
* Frank Reich (Carolina Panthers)
* Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints)
* Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

* Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals)
* Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
* Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
* Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks)

* Asterisk (*) denotes interim head coach

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