Injury kept former Sooner from playing for unbeaten 1972 Dolphins

It is with tempered enthusiasm that Jim Riley discusses the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

Although he didn't play a single down that regular season, Riley still clings to fond memories of those unbeaten Miami players, four of whom have since passed away.

Riley is happy to share stories of talented and dedicated teammates with whom he shared gallons of blood, sweat and tears — and far too many gallons of alcohol.

But that magical season was one big blur for Riley, a former All-American lineman at Oklahoma (1964-66), who was the Dolphins' second-round draft choice in 1967.

A defensive end, Riley's season came to an abrupt halt after the Dolphins' fourth exhibition game.

While going through a pass-rushing drill at practice, Riley made an outside move against offensive right tackle Norm Evans, who pushed Riley into some standup dummies that were positioned too close to the action.

"I lost my balance, went over one of those practice dummies, and snapped my left knee,” Riley recalled. "After that, (Miami coach) Don Shula got rid of all the standup dummies. He said, ‘That's stupid to have those.' ”

Riley's season was over. As it turned out, so was his career.

The knee surgery was deemed a success, but Riley developed phlebitis in the leg.

"It was an accident,” Riley said of the inflammation that nearly led to having his left leg amputated. "It wasn't the doctor's fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. It just happened.”

For 28 days Riley lay flat on his back inside Miami's Mercy Hospital.

Every four hours, he took another dose of morphine to combat the pain.

"At that time, I was absolutely nuts,” Riley said. "Morphine does weird things to your mind, and that's what was going on with me. I was just crazy for a while. I was a zombie. I was a weirdo. I was just nuts. I was truly nuts, is what I was.”

As much pain as Riley endured inside that hospital, his life outside the walls was far more detrimental to his health.

Being bedridden actually sent Riley's life in a more positive direction.

"Getting away from the lifestyle I was living then wasn't all bad,” Riley said. "I wasn't doing well as far as my personal life. My wife (Robin) and I had gotten back together then and that saved me. We had been separated for a year.”

Although he did accompany his team to Super Bowl VII, a 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Riley watched the '72 Dolphins from afar.

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