'72 Dolphins Remain the Greatest

San Diego ended the Indianapolis Colts' bid for perfection Sunday, winning 26-17. That left the Colts 13-1 with two weeks to go in the regular season.And that means the Miami Dolphins' 17-0 record in 1972 will remain unmatched for at least another year.Shula and '72 quarterback Bob Griese watched the Chargers-Colts game on TV from a suite at Dolphins Stadium, where they attended Miami's game against the New York Jets.

Griese and a couple of his '72 teammates have been known to pop champagne when the last unbeaten NFL team loses, feeding an image of an annual celebration that has become a sore point for the old Dolphins."We're depicted as being happy about somebody's misfortune," Shula said.So while Shula acknowledged cheering for the Chargers, several '72 Dolphins claimed mixed feelings about the Colts' loss.

"If they had been able to go undefeated, then we could have someone to talk to who would understand the experience," former running back Mercury Morris said. "It's like trying to describe to someone what it's like to walk on the moon. It's only a description -- they'll never know until they go."