The 2002 season was the Miami Dolphins' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 37th overall and their third under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 11–5, winning only nine games.[1] The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
2002 Miami Dolphins season | |
---|---|
Owner | Wayne Huizenga |
Head coach | Dave Wannstedt |
Home field | Pro Player Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | 3rd AFC East |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | DT Tim Bowens CB Sam Madison FS Brock Marion CB Patrick Surtain DE Jason Taylor LB Zach Thomas RB Ricky Williams |
AP All-Pros | CB Patrick Surtain (1st team) DE Jason Taylor (1st team) LB Zach Thomas (1st team) RB Ricky Williams (1st team) |
In the off-season, the Dolphins acquired running back Ricky Williams from the New Orleans Saints. Despite the team not making the playoffs, he led the league with a career-high 16 rushing touchdowns. Williams made the Pro Bowl following the season, taking home the game's MVP honors. It was Williams' only Pro Bowl appearance of his career.
Offseason
editNFL draft
edit2002 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | 90 | Seth McKinney | Center | Texas A&M | |
4 | 114 | Randy McMichael | Tight end | Georgia | |
5 | 161 | Omare Lowe | Cornerback | Washington | |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Undrafted free agents
editPlayer | Position | College |
---|---|---|
Zak Kustok | Quarterback | Northwestern |
Staff
edit
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
editRegular season
editSchedule
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 8 | Detroit Lions | W 49–21 | 1–0 | Pro Player Stadium | 72,216 |
2 | September 15 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 21–13 | 2–0 | RCA Dome | 56,650 |
3 | September 22 | New York Jets | W 30–3 | 3–0 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,426 |
4 | September 29 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 30–48 | 3–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 78,178 |
5 | October 6 | New England Patriots | W 26–13 | 4–1 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,369 |
6 | October 13 | at Denver Broncos | W 24–22 | 5–1 | Invesco Field at Mile High | 75,941 |
7 | October 20 | Buffalo Bills | L 10–23 | 5–2 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,180 |
8 | Bye | |||||
9 | November 4 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–24 | 5–3 | Lambeau Field | 63,284 |
10 | November 10 | at New York Jets | L 10–13 | 5–4 | Giants Stadium | 78,920 |
11 | November 17 | Baltimore Ravens | W 26–7 | 6–4 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,013 |
12 | November 24 | San Diego Chargers | W 30–3 | 7–4 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,138 |
13 | December 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 21–38 | 7–5 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 73,287 |
14 | December 9 | Chicago Bears | W 27–9 | 8–5 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,609 |
15 | December 15 | Oakland Raiders | W 23–17 | 9–5 | Pro Player Stadium | 73,572 |
16 | December 21 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 17–20 | 9–6 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 64,285 |
17 | December 29 | at New England Patriots | L 24–27 (OT) | 9–7 | Gillette Stadium | 68,436 |
Game summaries
editWeek 1: vs. Detroit Lions
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Dolphins | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: September 8, 2002
- Game time: 1:04 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
- Game attendance: 72,216
- Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
- TV announcers (FOX): Dan Miller, Mark Carrier, Mike Di Pasquale
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: September 15, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: none (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 56,650
- Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle & Solomon Wilcots
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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|
Week 3: vs. New York Jets
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: September 22, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,426
- Referee: Gerald Austin (34)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at Kansas City Chiefs
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 30 |
Chiefs | 10 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 48 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 29, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 76 °F (24 °C)
- Game attendance: 78,178
- Referee: Ed Hochuli (85)
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Beasley Reece
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. New England Patriots
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
Dolphins | 6 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: October 6, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,369
- Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at Denver Broncos
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
Broncos | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 22 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
- Date: October 13, 2002
- Game time: 8:35 p.m.
- Game weather: Clear, 58 °F (14 °C)
- Game attendance: 75,941
- Referee: Tony Corrente (99)
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann and Suzy Kolber
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. Buffalo Bills
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
Dolphins | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: October 20, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,180
- Referee: Johnny Grier (23)
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 9: at Green Bay Packers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
Packers | 0 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: November 4, 2002
- Game time: 9:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Clear, 30 °F (−1 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,284
- Referee: Tom White (123)
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Melissa Stark
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 10: at New York Jets
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Jets | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: November 10, 2002
- Game time: 8:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Cloudy, 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 78,920
- Referee: Larry Nemmers (20)
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire, Joe Theismann, and Suzy Kolber
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Dolphins | 7 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 26 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: November 17, 2002
- Game time: 4:15 p.m.
- Game weather: Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,013
- Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Beasley Reece
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 12: vs. San Diego Chargers
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Dolphins | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 13: at Buffalo Bills
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Bills | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: December 1, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Snow, 25 °F (−4 °C)
- Game attendance: 73,287
- Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Week 14: vs. Chicago Bears
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Week 15: vs. Oakland Raiders
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
Dolphins | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
at Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 16: at Minnesota Vikings
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 17: at New England Patriots
editQuarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
Patriots | 0 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 27 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: December 29, 2002
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,436
- Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
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Standings
editAFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) New York Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 359 | 336 | W2 |
New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 381 | 346 | W1 |
Miami Dolphins | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 7–5 | 378 | 301 | L2 |
Buffalo Bills | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 379 | 397 | W1 |