Joe Robbie please come down from football heaven and help this team .... we need your guidance more than ever ! This team is lost !

Robbie was the guy who brought pro football to Miami, but he wasn't the greatest owner. He was notoriously cheap. He let Csonka, Kiick, and Warfield walk away because of $$. I don't know the particulars, but I'd bet he could have ponied up a little less than what the WFL was offering, and they would have stayed (maybe not Kiick-he wanted to start). He pissed off most every player for low-balling salary, and always made Shula twist in the wind for contract extensions. True, he did basically trade a #1 pick to get Shula, and bankrolled JRS to keep the Dolphins in a modern stadium, but he wasn't perfect by any means. Robbie's style of ownership would not work in today's NFL.

BobT Wrote:
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> Robbie was the guy who brought pro football to
> Miami, but he wasn't the greatest owner. He was
> notoriously cheap. He let Csonka, Kiick, and
> Warfield walk away because of $$. I don't know the
> particulars, but I'd bet he could have ponied up a
> little less than what the WFL was offering, and
> they would have stayed (maybe not Kiick-he wanted
> to start). He pissed off most every player for
> low-balling salary, and always made Shula twist in
> the wind for contract extensions. True, he did
> basically trade a #1 pick to get Shula, and
> bankrolled JRS to keep the Dolphins in a modern
> stadium, but he wasn't perfect by any means.
> Robbie's style of ownership would not work in
> today's NFL

I'm glad you brought this up Bob, this is also how I remember Robbie as an owner, but some people seem to use revisionist history when it comes to him. I would of taken Wayne H over Robbie any day of the week

Yes, I remember numerous holdouts by players when Robbie was the owner. That seemed to stop with Huizenga.

Yeah, lets take a good look at all the AFC championships and super-bowls under Wayne Huizenga.......

Shula was successful despite Joe Robbie.

Robbie did what the rest of the owners were doing just more of it.
Total different time. No cap, restricted FA, players had an option year they had to play out and then were restricted. Can't compair much.

As far as the three jumping ship. They were offered something like 1 million each by the WFL. Unheard of pay for that time. Robbie gave them an offer but was not going to go that high and he was right in doing so.
High pay was one reason the WFL folded.

Zonk signed his final year with the Phins for 100K. Huge difference.

Gotta agree with the prev posts by Leon and Ghoti.

Leon you brought back memories of my hearing about guys "playing out their option", you NEVER hear about that these days. And yes, free agency in its current form did not exist in Robbie's time, nor did salary caps. completely different game.

Robbie was a pioneer, he brought the first professional team *of any sport* to the state of Florida. Before the Phins came to town, the closest football team to Miami was basically the Washington Redskins. This is why when I lived in Miami some people in town still rooted for the skins even through the 80s and 90s.

Yes, he was unpopular with many, and a cheapskate, but he came here from Minnesota and basically started the team by himself. His biggest co-investor was Danny Thomas, who bailed out after a couple years.

He built the current stadium with his own money, away from the city limits (and tentacles) of Miami after getting fed up with their incompetence running the Orange Bowl (venerable as it is, the building was a toilet as far back in the 1970s).

I'd say he was our best owner. Without Robbie we wouldn't even have team to whine about today, let alone SB championships and an undefeated
season.

I think the difference is that he was hands off and let the gm and coach run the team. He basically just signed the checks. He was very lucky tho that he was able to have a coach that could be trusted and was successful.

not bashing Joe Robbie at all- just trying to show both sides of the equation...
I didn't follow football at the time of the WFL, so I really don't know. Did every player offered a big bucks contract take it? If not, why didn't they?

Csonka, Kiick and Warfield were the biggest names in football at that time. Bigger that any QB even Namath. They were the guys on the undefeated team and won back to back SBs. The WFL figured they would be a huge draw.
I don't remember who else was recruited but none were offered the type of guarantee money those three got.
No, not Robbie's fault, and not the fault of the three. Money talks and made them walk.

Yea, those f**kers cost us 2 or 3 more SB wins - maybe more.

That team was still ramping UP UP UP!

WFL = breakup the Dolphins!

It was a sham. Absolutely. Shut

UP!

I always figured they would win three in a row. They were so freaking good they were boring.
Warfield was the best receiver in the game bar none. He was at least one of the best ever. Talk about deep threat, WoW!
Yes, when the three left at once it really hurt the Phins. Even at that, they lost to Oakland in the last seconds and then the Steelers just squeaked by the Raiders with the immaculate reception. Difference was the fact that they could no longer eat up the clock with that great running game.
Oh Well, History.