Dolphins History Lesson: Head-Coaching Debuts
When the Miami Dolphins take the field against the New England Patriots on Sept. 11, Mike McDaniel will be looking to accomplish something that hasn't been done since 2005: Win his Dolphins debut.
Dolphins head coaches are on a five-game losing streak in their Miami debut since Nick Saban won in 2005.
Overall, Dolphins head coach have a 3-7 record in their debut, 5-8 if we include interim head coaches Jim Bates, Todd Bowles and Dan Campbell.
Here's the complete rundown of Dolphins head-coaching debuts:
GEORGE WILSON, 1966
Raiders 23, Dolphins 14 — The first game of the franchise wasn't so much about winning or losing for the Dolphins, but it provided an ever-lasting highlight to kick things off with Joe Auer returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
DON SHULA, 1970
Patriots, 27, Dolphins 14 — Don Shula's arrival changed the fortunes of the Dolphins franchise in a way few could have imagined, to the point where it's easy to forget that things started off on a sour note. The opener at Harvard Stadium wasn't the toughest assignment given the Patriots were 4-10 the previous season and the Dolphins jumped out to a 14-3 lead on a Jim Kiick touchdown in the second quarter. But it was all New England after that.
JIMMY JOHNSON, 1996
Dolphins 24, Patriots 10 — Like McDaniel this year, Johnson's first game as Dolphins head coach was at home against the Patriots, and it was the defense that led the way. Sean Hill scored on a fumble return at the end of Louis Oliver's 60-yard interception return, one of four takeaways by the defense that day. The Dolphins got another touchdown after a teammate recovered a Dolphins fumble, this one by wide receiver Scott Miller after Stanley Pritchett lost a fumble.
DAVE WANNSTEDT, 2000
Dolphins 23, Seahawks 0 — This one will bring back fond memories for current assistant coaches Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain as they combined for three of the four interceptions by Miami on this day. Seattle's six first-half drive featured four interceptions and a fumble. On offense, Lamar Smith began his 1,000-yard season by rushing for 145 yards and a score.
JIM BATES (interim), 2004
Seahawks 24, Dolphins 17 — After taking over for Wannstedt following a 1-8 start, Bates appeared on the verge of a win in his interim debut with the Dolphins having a first down at the Seattle 41 with the score 17-17 and a minute left. But the next two Dolphins offensive plays resulted in A.J. Feeley throwing a pick-six and then losing a fumble, and that was that.
NICK SABAN, 2005
Dolphins 34, Broncos 10 — Big plays marked Saban's debut, with the Dolphins getting a 61-yard run by Chris Chambers on a double reverse, a 60-yard touchdown pass from Gus Frerotte to Marty Booker and an 85-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jason Taylor on the last play of the game.
CAM CAMERON, 2007
Washington 16, Dolphins 13 (OT) — Cameron's one season as Dolphins head coach was utterly forgettable (putting it mildly), but his team nearly pulled out a win in the opener at RFK Stadium. The Dolphins lost the overtime toss and never got the ball, allowing Washington to get four first downs to set up Shaun Suisham's game-winning field goal.
TONY SPARANO, 2008
Jets 20, Dolphins 14 — The Dolphins' last AFC East title came in that 2008 after Sparano took over following the 1-15 disaster of 2007, but the opener was a frustrating home loss against the Jets. The Dolphins put themselves in position to win after falling behind 20-7 in the fourth quarter by scoring a touchdown and then driving to the Jets 18-yard line in the final seconds. But Chad Pennington was picked off in the end zone when Darrelle Revis outfought Ted Ginn Jr. for the ball and the comeback attempt was foiled.
TODD BOWLES (interim), 2011
Dolphins 30, Bills 23 — Six days after he replaced Sparano, Bowles got some massive help from Reggie Bush to win at Buffalo. Bush rushed for 203 yards, including a 76-yard score that gave Miami a 30-13 lead with 5:41 left. The defense, meanwhile, came up with three interceptions (two by Vontae Davis) against future Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
JOE PHILBIN, 2012
Texans 30, Dolphins 10 — This was a massive assignment for the Dolphins with rookie Ryan Tannehill making his first NFL start against a Houston team coming off an AFC South title. This game was decided during a disastrous second quarter when the Dolphins were outscored 24-0 while turning the ball over four times (three interceptions, one fumble).
DAN CAMPBELL (interim), 2015
Dolphins 38, Titans 10 — After taking over for Philbin after four games of the 2015 season, Campbell re-energized the Dolphins, who dominated from start to finish. Among the many highlights on this way were Reshad Jones' pick-six and Jarvis Landry's 22-yard touchdown run.
ADAM GASE, 2016
Seahawks 12, Dolphins 10 — This was as tough as an opening assignment for any Dolphins head coach, having to travel to Seattle to face Russell Wilson and company. The Dolphins actually had a great chance to win after taking a 10-6 lead in the fourth quarter, but then watched Wilson convert two fourth-down situations on his way to a game-winning touchdown drive.
BRIAN FLORES, 2019
Ravens 59, Dolphins 10 — There are few words to describe just how bad this way. We'll just point out that Baltimore finished with 643 total yards and scored touchdowns on six of its first seven possessions in the first half.
