Memory Lane

40 years. 40 seasons of hopes, of surprises, of disappointments. 40 times we fired up the championship bus only to see the wheels fall off at some point in the season. Sometimes in a playoff loss, others much earlier in the season. But in each season there were memorable moments; some good, some otherwise. The following is a description of one game from each decade that is etched in this fan’s heart and mind as a core memory. Yours are different, no doubt; there is no right or wrong with this. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

1983-1992: 1984 Conference Championship vs Pittsburgh Steelers 45-28 (W)

This was very hard to choose, because there were so many obvious great choices. Ultimately I had to go with the 1984 conference championship win against the Pittsburgh Steelers that earned the Dolphins the right to represent the AFC in the Superbowl, where they ultimately lost to the buzz saw that was Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers.

1993-2002: 1999 Divisional Playoff vs Jacksonville Jaguars 62-7 (L)

On the opposite end of the spectrum from why the previous game was memorable. The 62-7 shellacking at the hands of the Jags ushered Jimmy Johnson into retirement and placed the very talented roster in the hands of Dave Wannstedt, who actually led the team to a better record in his rookie season as the Dolphins head coach (11-5) than Jimmy had managed. In any case, this game was a pivot point in the Dolphins history and still one that I cringe when I think of.

2003-2012: 2008 Week 3 against the New England Patriots: the “Wildcat” Game 38-13 (W)

I went with this over the Cam Cameron “led” week 15 win over the Ravens in 2007 which prevented a “perfect” losing season. In the Patriot game, Bill Belichick had no answer for Ronnie Brown as he executed the “Wildcat” offense to perfection. The Dolphins rolled up over 200 yards on the ground, with Brown running for 4 touchdowns and throwing another to TE Anthony Fasano.

2013-2022: 2019 Week 17 against the New England Patriots: the “Miracle in Miami” 27-24 (W)

Short of a playoff win, no game could possibly beat out this one for being the most memorable in this decade. The drama, the unlikelihood of it all and the iconic “Gronkowski doesn’t have the angle!” (he still doesn’t!) makes this hands down the most memorable game in recent history for me. Have there been more important games? Perhaps… but memorable? This one takes the prize in a landslide for me.

Obviously there are other strong contenders from each decade listed, but these are the highlights (or lowlights, in some cases) for me.