The Miami Dolphins have fired head coach Tony Sparano after the team dropped to 4-9 on the 2011 season. Sparano won a division title in 2008 but has regressed since then. The head coaching job in Miami has not been that strong since Don Shula left in 1995. Since that time, Miami has been to the playoffs just six times and won just three playoff games. They have also gone through five head coaches since Shula left. That number does not count interim coaches. Here is a look at how the head coaches at Miami have fared since Shula retired.
Tony Sparano
Sparano took the Miami job in 2008 and led them to an AFC East title. The Dolphins improved by 10 wins in his first season. Miami lost in its first playoff game and hasn’t been back since. He went 7-9 the following two seasons and was fired with a 4-9 record in 2011. Overall, he went 29-32 as the head coach with the Dolphins.
Cam Cameron
Cameron was the head coach at Miami for just one season in 2007. Unfortunately, it was the worst one in franchise history. The Dolphins started the season 0-13 before they finally picked up a win in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens. They lost their final two games to finish 1-15. With a new front office taking over after that, Cameron was promptly fired as the head coach. He has not gotten a head coaching job since.
Nick Saban
Saban famously coached Miami for two seasons. After signing a big contract to leave LSU, Saban ultimately left Miami for a big contract at Alabama. His two seasons with the Dolphins were mixed. In 2005, he led the Dolphins to a winning season but missed the playoffs. The team regressed in 2006. Miami finished a disappointing 6-10 and that was it for Saban.
Dave Wannstedt
Wannstedt took over the head coaching job in the 2000 season. He led Miami to an 11-5 record in each of his first two seasons. Miami won a playoff game in 2000 before losing. They lost their only playoff game in 2001. After that, Wannstedt put up two winning seasons but missed the playoffs. After starting out 1-8 in 2004, he was fired. Overall, he went 42-31 with Miami.
Jimmy Johnson
Johnson had college glory in Miami and NFL glory with the Dallas Cowboys. But he wasn’t able to recapture any glory when he took the Miami job in 1996. Johnson coached the Dolphins for four seasons and reached the playoffs three times. He went 36-28 in his four seasons and had between eight and 10 wins in each of them. His final game was a 62-7 loss in the divisional playoffs to the Jacksonville Jaguars.e HH