NFL Draft

Pick #	|Player	|College
24	Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	Roy Foster Roy Foster (football player) Roy Allen Foster is a former professional American football offensive lineman.-High school career:...	Guard	University of Southern California

Regular season

The Dolphins finished the strike-shortened regular season with a 7–2 record, ranking them second in the AFC.

The Dolphins' main strength was their defense, nicknamed the "Killer Bees" because 6 of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter "B". The "Killer Bees", anchored by Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

 defensive tackle Bob Baumhower

Bob Baumhower

Robert Glenn Baumhower is a former American football player who played college football for the University of Alabama and professional football for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL.-Collegiate and NFL awards:...

, led the league in fewest total yards allowed (2,312) and fewest passing yards allowed (1,027). Linebacker A.J. Duhe was extremely effective at blitzing and in pass coverage. And the Dolphins secondary, consisting of defensive backs Don McNeal

Don McNeal

Don McNeal is a former American professional football player who played defensive back for the Miami Dolphins in the 1980s....

, Gerald Small

Gerald Small

Gerald Small is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for seven seasons for the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons....

 and brothers Lyle

Lyle Blackwood

Lyle Vernon Blackwood played safety position in the National Football League and is best known for teaming alongside his brother, Glenn Blackwood with the Miami Dolphins as part of the notorious "Killer B's" defense...

 and Glenn Blackwood

Glenn Blackwood

Glenn Allen Blackwood was a safety who played nine seasons in the National Football League. Blackwood attended the University of Texas. His brother Lyle Blackwood also played in the NFL, and they were teammates from 1981 through 1986 with the Miami Dolphins...

, combined for 11 interceptions.

However, the Dolphins' passing attack, led by quarterback David Woodley

David Woodley

David Eugene Woodley was an American football player and quarterback for Louisiana State University , the National Football League's Miami Dolphins , and the Pittsburgh Steelers...

, ranked last in the league with 1,401 total yards, 8 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. One of the few bright spots in the Dolphins passing attack was wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo

Jimmy Cefalo

James Carmen Cefalo, , is an American sportscaster, game show host and former professional American football wide receiver.-High school:Cefalo attended Pittston Area High School in Pittston, Pennsylvania...

, who gained 356 yards off just 17 receptions, an average of 20.9 yards per catch. Wide receiver Duriel Harris

Duriel Harris

Duriel LaDon Harris, Jr. is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and the Dallas Cowboys...

 also provided a deep threat with 22 receptions for 331 yards.

But Miami's strength on offense was their running game, ranking 3rd in the league with 1,344 yards. Pro Bowl running back Andra Franklin

Andra Franklin

Andra Bernard Franklin was an American running back in the National Football League from 1981 to 1984 for the Miami Dolphins. Franklin played collegiately at the University of Nebraska...

 was the team's top rusher with 701 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running back Tony Nathan

Tony Nathan

Tony Curtis Nathan is an American football coach and former running back.Nathan was a running back from Alabama who was selected in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, with whom he played from 1979-1987...

 rushed for 233 yards, and caught 16 passes for another 114 yards. Woodley himself also recorded 207 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. One reason for the Dolphins' rushing success was the blocking of their offensive line, led by future hall of fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

 center Dwight Stephenson

Dwight Stephenson

Dwight Eugene Stephenson is a former American football offensive lineman and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 1998...

, along with Pro Bowlers Bob Kuechenberg

Bob Kuechenberg

Robert John Kuechenberg is a former National Football League offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins for fourteen seasons between 1970 and 1983, spending the 1984 season on injured reserve...

 and Ed Newman

Ed Newman

Ed Newman is a former Offensive Guard who, from 1973 to 1984, played 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.-Early life:...

.

Snowplow Game

In National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 lore, the Snowplow Game refers to a regular-season game played between the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 on December 12, 1982

1982 NFL season

The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...

.

Playing in a heavy snowstorm at New England's Schaefer Stadium

Foxboro Stadium

Foxboro Stadium was an outdoor stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts...

 in Foxborough, Massachusetts

Foxborough, Massachusetts

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...

, the two teams remained scoreless late into the fourth quarter. With 4:45 left to go in the game and on-field conditions worsening, Patriots coach Ron Meyer

Ron Meyer

-References:...

 summoned Mark Henderson, who was a convict on a work release program, and was the stadium's snowplow

Snowplow

A snowplow is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes...

 operator that afternoon – and in the face of furious protests from Miami coach Don Shula

Don Shula

Donald Francis "Don" Shula is a former American football cornerback and coach.He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the National Football League's only perfect season. Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated....

 – was directed to veer off course and clear a spot on the field for placekicker

Placekicker

Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...

 John Smith

John Smith (American football)

John Michael Smith is an English-born retired American football placekicker. He made his professional debut with the New England Patriots in 1974, remaining with the team until 1983...

, with Matt Cavanaugh

Matt Cavanaugh

Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh is a former American football quarterback in the NFL who played from 1978 to 1991. In the course of his career as a professional football player, he earned two Super Bowl rings...

 putting down the hold. The kick was good and the Patriots took a 3–0 lead into the final minutes of the game.

The Rest of the Story What is often left untold is what happened after John Smith kicked the go-ahead field goal. Despite the snowy conditions, the Dolphins methodically marched down the field on the strength of their running backs Andra Franklin and Tony Nathan and Quarterback David Woodley. With about a minute left in the game, and well within field goal range, the Dolphins faced a 4th down. Mark Henderson had driven his John Deere tractor down to that side of the field and was ready at motion from the referee, to go out on the field and clear a path for Dolphins Kicker Uwe von Schamann. Shula decided to go for the first down instead of a tying field goal. The Patriots stopped the Dolphins, took over on downs and the rest is history.

Henderson was released from prison a few years after the game, and currently works in the construction business. Henderson's plow was actually a John Deere Model 314 tractor with a sweeper attached. When he was being interviewed by a TV reporter about the controversy, Henderson jokingly replied, "What are they gonna do, throw me in jail?" Smith's subsequent field goal gave the Patriots a 3–0 lead that held until the final gun. The game ball was awarded to all-pro linebacker Steve Nelson, who subsequently donated it to his alma mater, North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...

. Henderson also received a game ball from a gracious Meyer after the game. The following year, the NFL banned the use of snowplows on the field during a game. The moment will be an interactive feature of the new Hall at Patriot Place when it opens in 2008 next to Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...

.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 12, 1982	at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 45–28	53,360
2	September 19, 1982	Baltimore Colts	W 24–20	51,999
3	November 21, 1982	at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 9–7	52,945
4	November 29, 1982	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...	L 17–23	65,854
5	December 5, 1982	Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...	W 22–14	45,721
6	December 12, 1982	at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...	L 0–3	25,716
7	December 18, 1982	New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 20–19	67,702
8	December 27, 1982	Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 27–10	73,924
9	January 2, 1983	at Baltimore Colts	W 34–7	19,073

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	January 8, 1983	New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...	W 28–13	68,842
2	January 16, 1983	San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 34–13	71,383
3	January 23, 1983	New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 14–0	67,396
4	January 30, 1983	Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...	L 17–27	103,667

Standings

AFC American Football Conference The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Los Angeles Raiders 1982 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1982 Los Angeles Raiders season began with the team trying to improve on their 7–9 record from 1981. This is the first of thirteen seasons for the Raiders in Los Angeles.-Offseason:-Schedule:-Standings: -Post season:-See also:...	8	1	0	.889	260	200
Miami Dolphins	7	2	0	.778	198	131
Cincinnati Bengals 1982 Cincinnati Bengals season The 1982 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 15th year in professional football and its 13th with the National Football League.The Bengals posted a 7–2 record in a strike-shortened season to earn a postseason berth, but lost to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs, 44–17...	7	2	0	.778	232	177
Pittsburgh Steelers 1982 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 1982 Pittsburgh Steelers saw the team return to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. This was also the Steelers 50th Anniversary season. Although the season was shortened as a result of the 1982 strike, the Steelers finished a strong 6–3 record, good enough for fourth in the AFC as a whole...	6	3	0	.667	204	146
San Diego Chargers 1982 San Diego Chargers season The 1982 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 10–6 record in 1981. It was a strike-shorten season so the league was divided up into two conferences instead of its normal divisional alignment. It ended with a second round loss to the...	6	3	0	.667	288	221
New York Jets 1982 New York Jets season The 1982 New York Jets season was the 23rd season for the team and the 13th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 10–5–1 record from 1981 and return to the playoffs under head coach Walt Michaels...	6	3	0	.667	245	166
New England Patriots 1982 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's strike-shortened 1982 season with a record of five wins and four losses, and finished seventh in the American Football Conference....	5	4	0	.556	143	157
Cleveland Browns 1982 Cleveland Browns season The 1982 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 33rd season with the National Football League.The Browns were among 8 teams that qualified for the playoffs during this strike shorted season, and became one of only three teams to ever qualify for the playoffs despite having a losing record...	4	5	0	.444	140	182
Buffalo Bills 1982 Buffalo Bills season The 1982 Buffalo Bills season was the 23rd season for the club and its 13th in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings: -References:* * *...	4	5	0	.444	150	154
Seattle Seahawks 1982 Seattle Seahawks season The 1982 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's seventh season with the National Football League. Head coach Jack Patera was fired after the first two games of the season, which were followed by a 57-day players strike...	4	5	0	.444	127	147
Kansas City Chiefs 1982 Kansas City Chiefs season The 1982 Kansas City Chiefs season ended in a 3–6 record that resulted from the NFL Players Association strike that shortened the season.In May 1982, running back Joe Delaney underwent surgery to repair a detached retina in his eye, a radical procedure at the time...	3	6	0	.333	176	184
Denver Broncos 1982 Denver Broncos season The 1982 Denver Broncos season was the team's 23rd year in professional football and its 13th with the National Football League.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:* *...	2	7	0	.222	148	226
Houston Oilers 1982 Houston Oilers season -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings: -Roster:-References:* *...	1	8	0	.111	136	245
Baltimore Colts 1982 Baltimore Colts season The 1982 Baltimore Colts season was the 30th season for the team in the National Football League, and the Colts' penultimate season in Baltimore. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1982 season with a record of 0 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie. They finished fifth in the AFC East...	0	8	1	.056	113	236

Qualified for playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff

• Miami Dolphins 34, San Diego Chargers 13

Super Bowl XVII

• Miami Dolphins 17, Washington Redskins 27

at Rose Bowl (stadium)

Rose Bowl (stadium)

The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...

, Pasadena, California

Scoring summary

• MIA – TD: Jimmy Cefalo 76 yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick) 7–0 MIA
• WAS – FG: Mark Moseley 31 yards 7–3 MIA
• MIA – FG: Uwe von Schamann 20 yards 10–3 MIA
• WAS – TD: Alvin Garrett 4 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) 10–10 tie
• MIA – TD: Fulton Walker 98 yard kickoff return (Uwe von Schamann kick) 17–10 MIA
• WAS – FG: Mark Moseley 20 yards 17–13 MIA
• WAS – TD: John Riggins 43 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) 20–17 WAS
• WAS – TD: Charlie Brown 6 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) 27–17 WAS