Many have come close to the hallowed perfect season in the NFL, but only one team has ever succeeded to accomplish the near impossible: the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The tradition has been that the champions in each of the major sports are honored at the White House individually, but the team with the single most dominant march to a Super Bowl championship in NFL history has never had their day in the sun at the White House for what they achieved in that historic season.
Now, 41 years after they accomplished perfection, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are getting their day at the White House. Though the country is experiencing one of its worst periods of economic struggle in history, President Barack Obama felt it was time to host the team.
Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross is footing the bill to send any of the players or coaches, many of whom are now in the Hall of Fame, to the ceremony. Don Shula, the team’s Hall of Fame head coach, plans to attend along with a number of other players and members of the team
In 2007 the New England Patriots came close to possibly topping the record, taking an 18-0 record (counting playoff wins) into Super Bowl XLII, but New York Giants’ WR David Tyree and QB Eli Manning delivered the Patriots their first loss in a stunning comeback effort. The 17-0 mark accomplished by the 1972 Miami Dolphins remained a one-of-a-kind feat.