A national champion at the University of Miami and a 2-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, Jimmy Johnson led NFL fans in South Florida to believe big things were on the horizon for the Miami Dolphins when he took over in 1996.
Johnson spent four seasons at the helm and led Miami to playoff wins in each of his final three seasons. Although Johnson never got the Dolphins to the championship-caliber level that his teams in Dallas achieved, there were some good moments. His tenure began on this day 30 years ago with a dominant defensive effort in a 24-10 win over the New England Patriots.
Against a talented New England offense that featured Drew Bledsoe, Curtis Martin and Ben Coates, the Dolphins held the Patriots to 229 yards and forced four turnovers at Pro Player Stadium on Sept. 1, 1996. In fact, the first Miami touchdown of Johnson’s tenure was a defensive score less than four minutes into the contest.
The Patriots worked their way inside the Miami 35-yard-line on the opening drive before Dolphins safety Louis Oliver picked off Bledsoe and took off the other way. Oliver made it 60 yards before being stripped by New England’s Dave Meggett. Sean Hill was there to scoop up the fumble and go the final 10 yards for the score.
Terrell Buckley would also record an interception for the Dolphins while rookies Zach Thomas and Daryl Gardener each recorded sacks. Robert Bailey and Danny Stubbs also registered sacks. Defensive lineman Steve Emtman and cornerback J.B. Brown each forced fumbles that ended in New England turnovers.
Thomas and Gardener, however, weren’t the only rookies to shine for Miami. In the backfield, Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushed for 115 yards and found the end zone late in the second quarter for the Dolphins’ first offensive touchdown of Johnson’s tenure.
Up 17-3 at halftime, Miami marched 96 yards for a touchdown to open the second half. Dan Marino found fullback Stanley Pritchett, another rookie, for 15 yards to the goal line. Pritchett, however, fumbled before he could score but wide receiver Scott Miller was there to pounce on the ball for the touchdown.
New England would answer for its lone touchdown of the day following a big kickoff return by Meggett. Bledsoe found Coates for a 29-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1, but New England never got closer than the Miami 32-yard-line for the remainder of the contest.
The Dolphins held the ball for nearly 36 minutes. Marino was intercepted once, but was otherwise efficient, finishing 16-for-22 passing for 176 yards. Pritchett led Miami with six catches for 77 yards. Bledsoe passed for 221 yards in the loss.
Miami would begin Johnson’s tenure with three straight wins but dropped eight of its next 11 games before finishing 8-8 in 1996. Over four years, Johnson compiled a 36-28 record. His first victory came in his debut and on this day three decades ago.
