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Super Bowl VII

"1973 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 1973 season, see Super Bowl VIII.

Super Bowl VII
DateJanuary 14, 1973 (1973-01-14)
StadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
MVPJake Scott, safety
FavoriteDolphins by 1[1]
RefereeTom Bell
Attendance90,182[2]
Ceremonies
National anthemLittle Angels of Holy Angels Church, Chicago
Coin tossTom Bell
Halftime showWoody Herman, Andy Williams and the Michigan Marching Band
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersCurt Gowdy, Al DeRogatis, and Bill Enis
Nielsen ratings42.7
(est. 53.32 million viewers)[3]
Market share72
Cost of 30-second commercial$88,000
Radio in the United States
NetworkNBC Radio
AnnouncersJim Simpson and Kyle Rote

Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1972 season. The Dolphins vanquished the Redskins by the score of 14–7, winning their first Super Bowl, and became the first and still the only team in modern NFL history to complete a perfect undefeated season.[4] They also remain the only Super Bowl champion to win despite having been shut out in the second half of the game. The game was played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, the second time the Super Bowl was played in that city. At kickoff, the temperature was 84 °F (29 °C), making the game the warmest Super Bowl.[5]

This was the Dolphins' second Super Bowl appearance; they had lost Super Bowl VI to Dallas the previous year. The Dolphins posted an undefeated 14–0 regular season record before defeating the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs. The Redskins were making what would be the first of five Super Bowl appearances in a 20-year period, after posting an 11–3 regular season record and playoff victories over the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.[6] Despite being undefeated, the Dolphins were actually one-point underdogs,[7] largely based on the weakness of their regular season schedule (and losing the previous Super Bowl).[8]

Super Bowl VII was largely dominated by the Dolphins, and is the second-lowest-scoring Super Bowl to date with a total of only 21 points (three touchdowns and three extra points), behind only the 13–3 score of Super Bowl LIII. The only real drama occurred during the final minutes of the game, in what was later known as "Garo's Gaffe".[9] Miami attempted to cap their 17–0 perfect season with a 17–0 shutout by means of a 42-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian,[10] but instead the game and the season was jeopardized when his kick was blocked. Instead of falling on the loose ball, the Dolphins kicker picked it up, attempted a forward pass, but batted it in the air, and Redskins cornerback Mike Bass (who was Yepremian's former teammate on the Detroit Lions years earlier) caught it and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. This remains the longest period in a Super Bowl for one team to be shut out, as Washington was held scoreless until 2:07 remained in the fourth quarter.[note 1] Because of the turnover and score, what was a Miami-dominated game became close, and the Dolphins had to stop Washington's final drive for the tying touchdown as time expired.

Dolphins safety Jake Scott was named Most Valuable Player. He recorded two interceptions for 63 return yards, including a 55-yard return from the end zone during the fourth quarter. Scott became the second defensive player in Super Bowl history (after linebacker Chuck Howley in Super Bowl V) to earn a Super Bowl MVP award.

Jim Kiick (center right) rushing the ball for Miami in Super Bowl VII.
  1. ^ Maher, Tyler; Pempus, Brian (May 16, 2024). "Super Bowl Betting: Point Spread History". Forbes Betting. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Super Bowl Winners". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  3. ^ "Historical Super Bowl Nielsen TV Ratings, 1967–2009 – Ratings". TVbytheNumbers. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  4. ^ Solomon, George (January 15, 1973). "Dolphins Finish Super Season". Washington Post. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures". Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  6. ^ Keim, John (July 12, 2020). "Source: Redskins to announce nickname will be changed". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  7. ^ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". The Sporting News. The Linemakers. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "Greatest NFL teams of all time". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2013.. "[T]he Dolphins played one of the easiest schedules in modern NFL history – the opposition had a combined winning percentage under .400"
  9. ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (January 27, 1991). "SUPER BOWL XXV; Garo's Gaffe, McGee's Hangover And More: The First 24 Years". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  10. ^ mouthpiecesports1 (July 31, 2008). "Preparation is Key with 1972 Miami Dolphins' Coach Don Shula". Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)


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