Injury kept former Sooner from playing for unbeaten 1972 Dolphins

By John Rohde

Published: February 3, 2008

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.

"I didn't really feel part of the team by the end of the season,” Riley said.

Riley was not forgotten by teammates. He received a world championship ring and was awarded a full player's share of the Dolphins' playoff money, which amounted to $27,142.86 for Riley — $3,642.86 (1/14th of his $51,000 salary); $8,500 for the AFC Championship game; $15,000 for the Super Bowl.

The following March, Riley knew his fate when he hobbled into Shula's office.

"I was still limping,” Riley said. "I couldn't even walk normally. I said to coach, ‘I guess there's not much use for any one-legged defensive ends out there, right?' ”

Riley headed back to Oklahoma, but not before a sendoff orchestrated by defensive line coach Mike Scarry, defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger and defensive tackle Manny Fernandez.

The going-away party lasted three days.

"Man, that got to be real goofy,” Riley said.

Unfortunately, things stayed goofy for Riley after he returned to Oklahoma and thrived in the oil and gas business.

The morning after one particular bender, Riley awoke in a house somewhere out in the plains and had no idea where he was.

So he got in his car and drove, looking for a sign. Not necessarily a sign from God, but any kind of sign.

Eventually, he spotted one — state Route 152 — and maneuvered his way home.

"From 1973 to 1985, it just got a little worse every year,” said Riley, who overloaded on alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines. "It was just crazy crap.

"A lot of people might say, ‘Well, all that partying doesn't sound like such a bad deal.' And I say, ‘Well, you didn't live it. You didn't live with the shame and the guilt and all the crap you were doing.' ”

In 1986, an enlightened and freshly sober Riley began dedicating his life to helping others with drug and alcohol problems. Since then, the Jim Riley Outreach program has saved countless lives of everyday people, and also quite a few athletes.

Unfortunately, not every ending is a happy one.

Last Monday, one of Riley's clients hanged himself.

That same day, a reporter telephoned Riley to ask about today's Super Bowl between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

If the 18-0 Patriots win, they will join the Dolphins as the only teams to survive an NFL season unbeaten.

Riley's personal journey since 1972 has been one hellacious football game. He has stumbled, been knocked down, raised to his feet and brushed off himself.

Maybe that's why Riley gave a less-than-enthusiastic reply when asked about today's little ballgame out in the desert.

"One team's gonna win. One team's gonna lose,” Riley said.

"Don't get me wrong. It's a big-time deal and nowadays there's a lot of money involved. But it's still just a football game. When it's all said and done, next week we'll still be doing different things. There are some things that are way more important, in my life anyway.”

But Riley did admit one thing.

He's pulling like hell for the Giants.

Comments