The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami, Florida Metropolitan Area.

The Dolphins belong to the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL).

The Dolphins were founded by Joseph Robbie, began play in the American Football League as an expansion team in 1966, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.

The team made its first Super Bowl appearance following the 1971 season in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys.

In 1972, the Dolphins completed the NFL's first perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win, winning all 14 regular season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII.

The team also won Super Bowl VIII, becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, and the second team (first AFL/AFC team) to win back-to-back championships.

Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games.

For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula, the most successful head coach in professional football history.

His Dolphins teams posted losing records in only two of his 26 seasons with the club.

During the 1980s and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most prolific passer in NFL history, breaking numerous league passing records.

In an effort to find a new mascot, 19,843 entries were submitted with over a thousand different possible names.

A dozen finalists were screened through by a seven-member committee made up of the local media, names considered (for the eventual Miami Dolphins) included the Mariners, Marauders, Mustangs, Missiles, Moons, Sharks, and Suns.

Dan Marino - Miami Dolphins