Giants Top Patriots In Super Bowl XLII; 1972 Dolphins Remain NFL’s Only Perfect Team

February 3, 2008

Associated Press-New York Giants guard Chris Snee had a message for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who remain the NFL's only undefeated team after the Giants shocked New England 17-14 in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

"Thanks for supporting us," Snee said. "Your record stands for another year, I guess."

"Obviously, we're proud to still be the only undefeated team in the history of the National Football League," former Dolphins running back Jim Kiick said in a statement. "We're proud of it. Why shouldn't we be?"

The '72 Dolphins cast a long shadow over this Super Bowl. Kiick, Garo Yepremian, Larry Little and Mercury Morris gathered Friday for a media briefing. And in many local bars it was easy to find an argument over who would go down as the greater team - the Dolphins or this year's Patriots.

That debate is moot now. The Patriots' inexorable march on the Dolphins died in the desert.

"We never were against the New England Patriots," Kiick said. "We have our accomplishments.

"We're not comparing ourselves to anyone else from other generations. We're happy with our own accomplishments. The Patriots are a great football team. Unfortunately, they didn't win this Super Bowl."

The Dolphins remained in the spotlight after the game, sharing the attention with the victorious Giants, their new favorite team.

"They played a fabulous game and I really thought they deserved to win," former Miami tight end Jim Mandich said. "I really feel the better team won.

"As for the 1972 Miami Dolphins, I don't take joy in the fact the Patriots lost - period. But I do relish and savor the fact that there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Of that, I am extremely proud."

Former Dolphins coach Don Shula watched from a suite, an unfamiliar vantage point for the Hall of Famer.

"What I learned today is how tough it is to go undefeated," Shula said. "That's why I'm even more proud of our '72 team than I've ever been. It shows it's a tremendous accomplishment. It hadn't been done before we went undefeated and it hasn't been done since.

"I'm sure they are going to use it as motivation because that's a proud group," Shula said. "Their football team is a team that really knows how to win. So I'm sure they are going to realize what they accomplished this year, and then what they failed to accomplish at the end of the year."

The Giants weren't thinking about the Dolphins as they mobbed each other after the game. But several players chuckled at the thought that their improbable victory had started a champagne celebration among the Dolphins.

"We're about to start popping our own bottles and join them," linebacker Kawika Mitchell said.

1972 DOLPHINS QUOTES FOLLOWING SUPER BOWL XLII

* Head coach Don Shula: "There was a tremendous amount of excitement. You know, I haven't had the opportunity to do this a lot, to sit up here and watch a football game. I've been down on the sideline trying to figure out what to do next. But here you're powerless. You're just up here watching the swing of the game, hoping to make plays happen to help your football team."

"I'm sure they are going to use it as motivation because that's a proud group. Tom Brady -- what more can you say? What a great year he's had. He broke all the passing records. Bill Belichick is a proud guy. Their football team is a team that really knows how to win. So I'm sure they are going to realize what they accomplished this year, and then what they failed to accomplish at the end of the year."

* Running back Mercury Morris: "I'm happy for the New York Giants. They were the ones who did it, and they deserve to win because they did what it took to win; which is exactly what we did 17 times in 1972. I guess for the people who weren't around then and don't understand that we are so proud of the fact, not that the Giants knocked off the Patriots, but that people now will get an idea that the only way you can go undefeated is to win every game. You can talk about it all you want, but you still have to win every single game."

* Offensive lineman Larry Little: "Over the years, people have been putting us down, calling us grumpy old men. We never wanted to see the Patriots or any other team lose. We are just happy about our accomplishments. We're a very proud football franchise and a very proud football team. Going an entire season without losing a game is a very proud accomplishment for the football team and the franchise. It goes to show you how tough it is to go undefeated through an entire season. We accomplished something no one else has done in 36 years, and we are very proud of that."

* Tight end Jim Mandich: "First of all, congratulations to the New York Giants. They played a fabulous football game and I really thought they deserved to win. I really feel the better team won. Congratulations to Tom Coughlin and congratulations to Eli Manning. The drive Eli put together at the end of the game will go down in Super Bowl history as one of the great drives ever. As for the 1972 Dolphins, I don't take joy in the fact that the Patriots lost -- period. But I do relish and savor the fact there has only been one unbeaten team in the history of the NFL, and it is the 1972 Dolphins."

* Running back Jim Kiick: "Obviously, we're proud to still be the only undefeated team in the history of the National Football League. We're proud of it. Why shouldn't we be? We never were against the New England Patriots. We have our accomplishments. We're not comparing ourselves to anyone else from other generations. We're happy with our own accomplishments. The Patriots are a great football team. Unfortunately, they didn't win this Super Bowl."