1997
January 14
Miami Dolphins unveil a modified team logo and new uniforms for the 1997 season. The basic logo and team colors remain the same. The sunburst on the logo is more prominently displayed with the elimination of the hashmarks around the sun's perimeters, while the dolphin's features are accentuated by navy highlights. The home and road jerseys added a script "Dolphins" below the collar, and several subtle accents were added to the uniform to highlight and strengthen the team's traditional colors.
January 25
Former head coach Don Shula (1970-95), the NFL's all-time winningest coach with 347 victories, is selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
March 11
At the NFL spring meetings in Palm Desert, Calif., the NFL Owners approve limited cross ownership, finalizing H. Wayne Huizenga's ownership of the Dolphins.
March 21
Eddie Jones signs a two-year contract extension, which runs through 1998, to remain as the team's president and chief operating officer.
April 17
Les Koenning, wide receivers coach at Texas A&M, the previous three seasons, is named as an offensive assistant.
April 18
The Dolphins unveil the first "official" mascot in team historyduring a press conference at the team's training facility. He makes his public debut on April 19 at the team's Draft Day party at Pro Player Stadium.
June 3
Doug Blevins is named as the team's kicking coach.
June 4
"T.D." is picked as the name of the Dolphins official team mascot, it is announced at the team's annual Awards Banquet. Sarah Fernandez and her two sons, Nelson and Vincent, win the "Name the Mascot" contest, and receive two tickets to Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego.
June 13
Dan Marino signs a one-year contract extension through the 1999 season.
July 26
Don Shula becomes the sixth former Dolphin to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He is inducted along with Mike Haynes, Wellington Mara and Mike Webster.
August 4
The Dolphins travel to Mexico City and earn a 38-19 preseason win over the Denver Broncos before a crowd of 104,629 fans at Estadio Guillermo Canedo. The attendance is the most to ever witness a Dolphins game, surpassing the previous high of 103,667 that saw Miami's 27-17 loss to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII on January 30, 1983, in the Rose Bowl. The game marks the fourth time overall that the Dolphins have travelled abroad to play a preseason contest and the win improves Miami's record to 4-0 in games played on foreign soil. Miami's previous American Bowl games had been in London (1988), Tokyo (1991) and Berlin (1992). The Dolphins became the first NFL team to win four American Bowl contests, and they also became the first team to win an American Bowl matchup in each of the three continents in which the games have been played.
August 31
The Dolphins defeat the Indianapolis Colts, 16-10, at Pro Player Stadium in
their 1997 season-opener. It's the Dolphins' first-ever regular season game
in the month of August. It also marks their sixth consecutive opening-day victory.
October 5
The Dolphins defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-14, at Pro Player Stadium, marking the 300th victory in franchise history, including playoffs. The Dolphins become the second team from the old AFL to reach the 300-win plateau. The Oakland Raiders were the first.
October 27
After the Dolphins built a 33-18 fourth-quarter lead, the Chicago Bears storm
back for 18 unanswered points, including a Jeff Jaeger 35-yard field goal with
5:35 remaining in overtime, to come away with a 36-33 victory on a Monday night
at Pro Player Stadium. It equaled the fourth-largest comeback win ever against
Miami. The game originally was scheduled to be played on Sunday, October 26,
but was pushed back due to Game 7 of the Marlins-Indians World Series.
November 17
At halftime of a 30-13 win over the the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football at Pro Player Stadium, the Dolphins honor the 25th anniversary of the 1972 Dolphins team, holders of the only perfect season in NFL history and winners of Super Bowl VII.
November 23
RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar scores three rushing touchdowns in a 27-24 loss to the
Patriots in Foxboro. His third touchdown of the game comes on a one-yard run
in the fourth quarter. It is his 13th rushing TD of the year, a new Dolphins
record. His 12 rushing scores had been tied with Mercury Morris, Don Nottingham
and Larry Csonka.
November 30
The Dolphins record a 33-15 victory over the Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It's the first-ever win by Miami against the Raiders in Oakland after Miami had dropped each of their previous eight meetings there.
December 14
The Dolphins are shut out, 41-0, by the Indianapolis Colts in the RCA Dome. The shutout snaps a streak of 162 consecutive games -- the second longest active streak in the NFL at the time -- in which the Dolphins had scored. The last time Miami had been held scoreless was on November 29, 1987, in a 27-0 loss at the Buffalo Bills.
December 22
In the season finale against New England at Pro Player Stadium, left tackle
Richmond Webb starts his 110th consecutive regular season game, a new Dolphins
record. His 109 straight starts were tied with Jim Langer. The Patriots win
the game, 14-12, giving New England the AFC East title. A win by Miami would
have made them AFC East champions, but instead they enter the AFC East playoffs
as a Wild Card team where they must go on the road to face the Patriots the
following week.
December 28
The Dolphins drop a 17-3 decision to the New England Patriots in Foxboro in an AFC First-Round Playoff game, Miami's first postseason appearance under Head Coach Jimmy Johnson.
