Editing Super Bowl VII (section)

==Background==
===Host selection process===
The NFL awarded Super Bowl VII to Los Angeles on March 21, 1972, at the owners' meetings held in [[Honolulu]]. For the first time, multiple Super Bowl sites were selected at a single meeting, as hosts for both VII and [[Super Bowl VIII|VIII]] were named. Five cities, [[Los Angeles]], [[Houston]], [[Miami]], [[Dallas]], and [[New Orleans]], prepared serious bids, while [[San Francisco]] ([[Stanford Stadium]]) withdrew from the running a week prior to the vote. After nine deadlocked votes, [[Bud Adams]] recommended awarding two consecutive sites. This compromise mirrored an idea brought up in 1971 by representatives from Miami.<ref name="MN03-24-71pg33a">{{cite news|title=Miami wants change in Super selection (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116308122/|first1=Al|last1=Levine|newspaper=The Miami News|page=33|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 24, 1971|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="MN03-24-71pg37a">{{cite news|title=Miami wants change in Super selection (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116308189/|first1=Al|last1=Levine|newspaper=The Miami News|page=37|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 24, 1971|accessdate=January 12, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref> Los Angeles won on the ninth ballot, while second place Houston was named the host for [[Super Bowl VIII|VIII]]. In order to accommodate the game, the [[Pro Bowl]] was shifted from [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] to [[Texas Stadium]] for 1973.<ref name="MH03-22-1972pg77">{{cite news|title='73 Super Bowl Goes to L.A., '74 to Houston|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117087930/|first1=Bill|last1=Braucher|newspaper=The Miami Herald|page=77|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 22, 1972|accessdate=January 23, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="OES03-22-1972pg73">{{cite news|title=NFL Owners Pick Pair of Super Bowl Sites|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117087808/|newspaper=The Orlando Evening Star|page=73|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 22, 1972|accessdate=January 23, 2023}}{{Open access}}</ref>

===Miami Dolphins===
{{main article|1972 Miami Dolphins season}}
The Dolphins went undefeated during the season, despite losing their starting quarterback. In the fifth game of the regular season, starter [[Bob Griese]] suffered a fractured right leg and dislocated ankle. In his place, 38-year-old [[Earl Morrall]], a 17-year veteran, led Miami to victory in their nine remaining regular season games, and was the 1972 [[NFL Comeback Player of the Year]]. Morrall had previously played for Dolphins head coach [[Don Shula]] when they were both with the [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]], where Morrall backed up quarterback [[Johnny Unitas]] and started in [[Super Bowl III]].

But Miami also had the same core group of young players who had helped the team advance to the previous year's [[Super Bowl VI]]. (The only Dolphins starter in Super Bowl VII over the age of 30 was 32-year-old [[Nick Buoniconti]].) The Dolphins still had a powerful running attack, spearheaded by running backs [[Larry Csonka]], [[Jim Kiick]] and [[Mercury Morris|Eugene "Mercury" Morris]]. (Morris, who in previous seasons had been used primarily as a kick returner, took over the starting halfback position from Kiick, who had been the starter the previous four years. However, the more-experienced Kiick would start in Super Bowl VII.) Csonka, who had the best season of his career, led the team with 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. Kiick contributed 521 yards and five touchdowns, and also caught 21 passes for 147 yards and another touchdown. Morris, a breakaway runner, rushed for exactly 1,000 yards, caught 15 passes for 168 yards, added another 334 yards returning kickoffs, and scored a league-leading 12 rushing touchdowns. Overall, Miami set a record with 2,960 total rushing yards during the regular season, and became the first team ever to have two players rush for 1,000 yards in one season. Miami led the NFL in points scored (385). Since 1972, only six other teams have had two 1,000 yard rushers in the same backfield, but the Dolphins are the only one of those seven to make it to and win the Super Bowl.

Receiver [[Paul Warfield]] once again provided the run-based Dolphins with an effective deep-threat option, catching 29 passes for 606 yards, an average of 20.9 yards per catch. Miami's offensive line, led by undrafted future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Famers]] [[Jim Langer]] and [[Larry Little]], was also a key factor in the Dolphins' offensive production. Miami's "No-Name Defense" (a nickname inspired by [[Dallas Cowboys]] head coach [[Tom Landry]] when he could not recall the names of any Dolphins defenders just before Super Bowl VI), led by future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] linebacker [[Nick Buoniconti]], allowed the fewest points in the league during the regular season (171), and ranked second in the NFL with 26 interceptions. Safety [[Jake Scott]] recorded five interceptions, while [[Lloyd Mumphord]] had four picks and safety [[Dick Anderson]] had three interceptions and led the NFL with five fumble recoveries. Because of injuries to defensive linemen (at the beginning of the season the Dolphins were down to four healthy players at the position), defensive coordinator [[Bill Arnsparger]] created what he called the "53" defense, in which the versatile [[Bob Matheson]] (number 53) would be used as either a defensive end in the standard [[American football strategy|4–3 defense]] or as a fourth linebacker in a [[American football strategy|3–4 defense]], with [[Manny Fernandez (American football)|Manny Fernandez]] at [[nose tackle]]. As a linebacker, Matheson would either rush or drop back into coverage. Said Nick Buoniconti, "Teams would be totally confused."<ref name=Buoniconti>Nick Buoniconti, "Super Bowl VII", ''Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives'', Danny Peary, editor. Macmillan, 1997. {{ISBN|0-02-860841-0}}</ref> Linebacker [[Doug Swift]] was also a playmaker with three interceptions and a fumble recovery.

The Dolphins' undefeated, untied regular season was the third in NFL history, and the first of the post-[[AFL–NFL merger|merger]] era. The previous two teams to do so, the 1934 and 1942 [[Chicago Bears]], both lost the NFL Championship game. The [[Cleveland Browns]] also completed a perfect season in 1948, including a league championship, while part of the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC), but this feat is recognized only by the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]], since the NFL does not officially recognize any AAFC records.

===Washington Redskins===
{{Main article|1972 Washington Redskins season}}

Following the death of Redskins head coach [[Vince Lombardi]] 17 days prior to the start of the 1970 season, Washington finished 6–8 under interim coach [[Bill Austin (American football, born 1928)|Bill Austin]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1972 Washington Redskins Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/was/1972.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> Shortly after the conclusion of the 1970 season, the Redskins hired [[George Allen (American football coach)|George Allen]] as their head coach, hoping he could turn the team's fortunes around. Allen's philosophy was that veteran players win games, so immediately after taking over the team, he traded away most of the younger team members and draft choices for older, more established players. His motto was "The future is now." Washington quickly became the oldest team in the NFL and earned the nickname "The Over-the-Hill Gang." The average age of starters was 31 years old.<ref>Dave Hyde, ''Still Perfect! The Untold Story of the 1972 Miami Dolphins'', p. 239. Dolphins/Curtis Publishing, 2002 {{ISBN|0-9702677-1-1}}</ref> However, Allen's strategy turned the Redskins around, as the team improved to a 9–4–1 record in 1971, and finished the 1972 season with an NFC-best 11–3 record.

Washington was led by 33-year-old quarterback [[Billy Kilmer]], who completed 120 out of 225 passes for 1,648 yards and a league-leading 19 touchdowns during the regular season, with only 11 interceptions, giving him an NFL-best 84.8 [[passer rating]]. Kilmer had started the first three games of the season, was replaced in Game 4 by 38-year-old [[Sonny Jurgensen]], then replaced Jurgensen when he was lost for the season with an [[Achilles tendon]] injury. The Redskins' powerful rushing attack featured two backs. [[Larry Brown (running back)|Larry Brown]] gained 1,216 yards (first in the NFC and second in the NFL, behind only [[O. J. Simpson]]'s 1,251 rushing yards) on 285 carries during the regular season, caught 32 passes for 473 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, earning him both the [[NFL Most Valuable Player Award]] and the [[NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award]]. [[Charley Harraway]] ran for 567 yards on 148 carries. Future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] wide receiver [[Charley Taylor]] and wide receiver [[Roy Jefferson]] provided the team with a solid deep threat, combining for 84 receptions, 1,223 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Veteran tight end [[Jerry Smith (tight end)|Jerry Smith]] added 21 receptions for 353 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Washington also had a solid defense led by linebacker [[Chris Hanburger]] (four interceptions, 98 return yards, one touchdown) and cornerbacks [[Pat Fischer]] (four interceptions, 61 return yards) and [[Mike Bass]] (three interceptions, 53 return yards)

===Playoffs===
{{Further|1972–73 NFL playoffs}}
Morrall led the Dolphins to a 20–14 playoff win over the [[Cleveland Browns]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins - December 24th, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212240mia.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> However, Griese started the second half of the AFC Championship Game to help rally the Dolphins to a 21–17 victory over the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 31st, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212310pit.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> A fake punt by Miami's [[Larry Seiple]] made the difference.

Meanwhile, the Redskins advanced to the Super Bowl without having allowed a touchdown in either their 16–3 playoff win over the [[Green Bay Packers]] or their crushing 26–3 NFC Championship Game victory over the Cowboys, the defending Super Bowl champions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins - December 24th, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212240was.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - December 31st, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197212310was.htm |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Super Bowl pregame news and notes===
Much of the pregame hype surrounded the chances of the Dolphins completing a perfect, undefeated season, as well as their quarterback controversy between Griese and Morrall. Griese was eventually picked to start the Super Bowl because Shula felt more comfortable with Morrall as the backup just in case Griese was ineffective following his recent inactivity. Miami was also strongly motivated to win the Super Bowl after having been humiliated by the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in [[Super Bowl VI]]. Wrote Nick Buoniconti, "There was no way we were going to lose the Super Bowl; there was no way."<ref name=Buoniconti/> Head coach Don Shula, loser of Super Bowls [[Super Bowl III|III]] and [[Super Bowl VI|VI]], was also determined to win. Although Shula was relaxed and charming when dealing with the press, it was all an act; Dolphins players described him as "neurotic" and "absolutely crazy." He was also sick during Super Bowl week with the flu, which he kept secret.<ref>Dave Hyde, ''Still Perfect!'', p. 248.</ref>

Still, many favored the Redskins to win the game because of their group of "Over the Hill Gang" veterans, and because Miami had what some considered an easy schedule (only two opponents, [[Kansas City Chiefs|Kansas City]] and the [[New York Giants]], posted winning records, and both of those teams were 8–6) and had struggled in the playoffs. While Washington had easily crushed both playoff opponents, Miami had narrowly defeated theirs. Most surprisingly, the Dolphins needed to mount a fourth-quarter comeback against the Browns, whom they were heavily favored to defeat.

Allen had a reputation for spying on opponents. A school overlooked the Rams facility that the NFL designated as the Dolphins practice field, so the Dolphins found a more secure field at a local community college. Dolphins employees inspected the trees every day for spies.<ref>Dave Hyde, ''Still Perfect!'', p. 239.</ref>

Miami cornerback [[Tim Foley (defensive back)|Tim Foley]], a future broadcaster who was injured and would not play in Super Bowl VII, was writing daily stories for a Miami newspaper and interviewed George Allen and his players, provoking charges from Allen that Foley was actually spying for Shula.<ref name=Strother>Shelby Strother, "The Perfect Season", ''NFL Top 40''. Viking, 1988. {{ISBN|0-670-82490-9}}</ref>

Allen was extremely uptight and prickly dealing with the press Super Bowl week, and accused the press of ruining his team's preparation. Allen pushed the team so hard in practices that the players joked among themselves that they should have left Allen in Washington.<ref>Dave Hyde, ''Still Perfect!'', p. 247.</ref>

During practice the day before Super Bowl VII, the Dolphins' 5'7" 150-pound kicker, [[Garo Yepremian]], relaxed by throwing 30-yard passes to [[Dave Shula]], Don Shula's son. During the pregame warmups, he consistently kicked low line drives and couldn't figure out why.<ref name="Dave Hyde p264">Dave Hyde, ''Still Perfect!'', p. 264.</ref>

This was the first Super Bowl in which neither coach wore a tie. Shula wore a coat and tie for Super Bowl VI, but wore a white short-sleeved polo shirt for this game, as did Allen. For [[Super Bowl VIII]], Shula would wear a sport coat, but with a shirt underneath that was similar to the one he wore in Super Bowl VII. This was the warmest Super Bowl on record with a kickoff temperature of {{convert|84|F|C}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Michael |date=2024-01-29 |title=Super Bowl Weather Forecast and Super Bowl Weather Records  |url=https://www.almanac.com/super-bowl-weather-history-records |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Almanac.com |language=en}}</ref>

The American flag in the east end of the Coliseum flew at half-mast in memory of former [[President of the United States|President]] [[Harry S. Truman]], who died December 26, 1972. [[Richard Nixon]] declared the traditional 30-day mourning period following the death of a president later that day.