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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

The Life And Career Of Bob Griese

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Bob Griese
(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis)

 

In 1967, Bob Griese joined the Miami Dolphins.

He arrived as a first-round pick who had posted impressive stats as a quarterback in college.

At the time, Miami was a second-year expansion franchise of the American Football League (AFL), and there was work to be done before becoming relevant.

Right off the bat, Griese proved he belonged in South Florida with two AFL All-Star nods in his first two seasons.

By 1971, Griese and second-year head coach Don Shula had the Dolphins in the Super Bowl.

One year later, the franchise became the only undefeated team in modern NFL history to go undefeated through the regular season, including a 14-7 victory over Washington in Super Bowl VII.

Six more seasons came and went before Griese retired following the 1980 season.

During that span, he won another world title, was voted to the Pro Bowl four times, and led the NFL in three passing categories.

After retiring, Griese was hired by NBC Sports (and eventually ABC Sports and ESPN) as an announcer and analyst.

It was his second job that allowed him to call the college games of his son, Brian, who won a national title and Rose Bowl MVP in 1997 (the same Bowl that his father quarterbacked in 1966).

Beginning in 2002, Griese did television and radio work for the Dolphins before retiring again.

This is the story of Bob Griese.

 

The Kid From Evansville

Robert (Bob) Allan Griese was born on February 3, 1945, in Evansville, Indiana.

The first decade of his life was full of youth sports and competition with his older brother, Bill.

When Griese was 10, his father, “Slick,” died suddenly.

To fill the void left by Slick’s death, Griese threw himself into Little League Baseball, where he dispensed no-hitters like clockwork.

“My mother did a great job of supporting us,” Griese told the Evansville Courier Press. “When dad was alive, my brother (Bill) and I had the latest equipment. The latest basketball or football. We had the newest bats, cleats and uniforms. Then the Little League coach took over after my dad died, my high school coaches, and really the whole city of Evansville.”

Griese also spent considerably more time with his friends, who included Jerry Mattingly.
Mattingly’s younger brother, Don, would eventually play and manage in Major League Baseball.

“He (Don Mattingly) would tag along,” Griese said. “We would use him as second base or shag balls in the outfield. He was just happy being with his brother and the older guys.”

When he got to Rex Mundi High School in Evansville, Griese joined the football, basketball and baseball teams.

The Mundi coaches didn’t realize he would become one of the greatest athletes in the region.

 

3-Sport Prep Star

Although he wasn’t a starter as a quarterback his freshman year, Griese learned valuable lessons from his coach, Ken Coudret, that would serve him well.

“We always practiced hard, and we were always prepared,” said Griese in 2016. “He was the first one who told me that preparation breeds confidence. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be. I took what Ken said from high school to college (at Purdue) to the pros (with the Miami Dolphins).”

After an All-State and All-City season as a sophomore, Griese received the awards again following a 9-1 season as a junior.

On the basketball court, Griese handled the rock as a guard and pitched well on the baseball team.

As expected, his senior year in 1962-1953 was one for the ages in Evansville.

First, the Monarchs went 6-4 while Griese was named All-State and All-City for the third year in a row, and was also heralded as the best QB in Indiana.

He was All-City and All-Sectional on the hardwood for Mudi High and led the team to a 19-3 record.

During his time on the hoops team for the Monarchs, Griese scored 900 career points.

On the diamond, he was All-City again as a pitcher (17-1 overall record) and helped his American Legion team reach its first-ever American Legion World Series, finishing fourth.

 

Learning the College Game

In today’s social media world, a high school athlete with Griese’s talent would get noticed almost immediately by colleges.

Back then, Griese barely got a whiff of interest from major college programs.

The Baltimore Orioles were interested in his pitching arm and were ready to draft him.

However, Griese wanted to attend college, and he finally got an opportunity to play in-state for Coach Jack Mollenkopf and Purdue University.

Getting such an opportunity was special, but the Boilermakers weren’t exactly known for their football at the time.

Since the program began in 1897, Purdue had never appeared in a bowl game before Griese arrived.

During his freshman year in 1963, Griese stood on the sidelines while Mollenkopf and coach Bob DeMoss altered the QB’s three-quarter sidearm delivery.

He’d used the motion effectively as a quarterback and pitcher in high school, but it was likely to cause problems at the college level.

Even though Purdue didn’t throw the ball much, they still wanted Griese to throw it well when he was given the opportunity.

“We didn’t throw many passes, but we threw enough (to be effective),” he said.

The Boilermakers went 5-4 in 1963 before Griese got the chance to start in 1964.

As the team went 6-3, the sophomore passed for 934 yards, five touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, and rushed for 147 yards and four more touchdowns.

 

Leading the Boilermakers

Griese was more than ready to help his teammates improve in 1965 as a passer, kicker and punter.

The program jumped out to a 4-0-1 record (including a shocking 25-21 win over top-ranked Notre Dame on September 25) before finishing 7-2-1.

The QB led the Big Ten Conference that season in nine categories, including 238 attempts, 142 completions, a 59.7 completion percentage, 1,719 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 171.9 yards per game and a 128.9 efficiency rating.

On the ground, Griese added 45 yards and four touchdowns.

His stats brought Consensus All-American and first-team All-Big Ten awards.

Then, as if a full slate of college football games weren’t enough, Griese played for Purdue’s basketball and baseball teams as a point guard and pitcher (going 12-1 during one of his seasons).

As it turned out, he was just getting warmed up.

 

Senior Year

American Football amongst the Yard Lines

 

Being a fan of the Boilermakers was a lesson in futility for decades.

In the mid-to-late 1960s, however, it was an exciting time to cheer on Purdue.

With Griese at the helm, the team began the 1966 season 1-1 after a Week 2 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend.

Following an October 22 loss to 2nd-ranked Michigan State, Purdue was 4-2.

They wouldn’t lose again.

Beginning with an October 29 victory over the University of Illinois, Griese and his teammates went on a tear.

As a senior, he led the Big Ten in eight categories, including 130 completions (in 215 attempts), a 60.5% completion rate, 1,749 passing yards, and 12 touchdowns (career-highs), 174.9 yards per game, and a 137.0 efficiency rating.

He also had career-highs with 215 yards and six scores on the ground.

Purdue ended the regular season with an 8-2 record and was invited to play in the Rose Bowl, the first-ever Bowl in school history.

During the contest, Griese kicked two extra points as the Boilermakers beat the USC Trojans, 14-13.

 

Awards Aplenty

Griese’s senior year was one of the best in Purdue history.

During awards season, he was named a first-team All-Big Ten, first-team All-American, the Big Ten’s MVP, received the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the country’s top QB, was a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, and received the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football Award.

In three years as a starting quarterback, Griese passed for 4,402 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 29 picks, and rushed for 427 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He was also the school’s all-time leader in five categories, including 4,983 yards of total offense and 191 points scored.

Griese was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984, followed by the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1992, and he is also a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

The Purdue football program named him as its all-time QB in 1987 as part of the program’s Centennial Celebration.

 

Miami Selects Griese

A detailed view of a Miami Dolphins helmet
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

 

In 1966, the Miami Dolphins began play as an expansion franchise in the American Football League (AFL).

The organization was owned by Joe Robbie and actor Danny Thomas, and coached by George Wilson.

Miami’s inaugural season brought just three wins, but the team did win two consecutive games against the Denver Broncos and Houston Oilers in mid-October.

Then, in the 1967 AFL Draft, the Dolphins picked Griese with the fourth overall selection in the first round.

When training camp broke that summer, the rookie was a backup to second-year veteran John Stofa.

That arrangement changed when Stofa broke his leg in the first quarter in a Week 1 tilt against the Broncos.

Wilson put Griese in the game, and he threw a touchdown pass on his very first play while leading the ‘Fins to a 35-21 victory.

Although Miami didn’t win again until November, they won three of five to close the year as Griese passed for 2,005 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions, and added 157 yards and a touchdown rushing.

Those numbers were good enough to be named an AFL All-Star.

He received the accolade again in 1968 when Griese somehow withstood a league-high 43 sacks and passed for 2,473 yards (career-high), 21 touchdowns, 16 picks, and 230 yards and a touchdown on the ground as Miami went 5-8-1.

 

Shula Arrives

Just when it looked like the Dolphins were improving, they took a step back in 1969.

While Griese started only nine games and threw for almost 1,700 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 16 picks, his team didn’t win until late October and ended the season with a 3-10-1 record.

That led to Wilson’s firing, and Robbie hired former Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula before the 1970 season.

By then, the roster was beginning to take shape.

Not only did the ‘Fins have Griese under center, Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris were all in the backfield, and former Cleveland Browns receiver Paul Warfield and two-time Green Bay Packers Super Bowl champ, tight end Marv Fleming, were catching passes.

Bob Kuechenberg, rookie Jim Langer and Larry Little were blocks of granite on the offensive line.

Shula worked the team hard in his first summer, but the response was an incredible 10-4 turnaround and loss to the Oakland Raiders in the franchise’s first playoff appearance.

 

Near Miss

Griese took advantage of the talent around him in 1970 and passed for 2,019 yards, 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while running for a career-best two touchdowns on the ground.

He was then picked for his first Pro Bowl after the season.

Remarkably, a year later, the Dolphins and Shula were Super Bowl-bound in the organization’s sixth year.

Miami went 10-3-1 in the regular season with Griese receiving first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

Additionally, he received the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the league MVP after slinging the ball for 2,089 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine picks (for a league-leading 7.2 touchdown percentage).

The Dolphins beat Kansas City in the divisional round in two overtimes before dispatching Shula’s former team, the Colts, in the AFC Championship, 21-0.

In Super Bowl VI, Griese passed for 134 yards and an interception, and the score was 10-3, Dallas Cowboys at halftime.

During the second half, the Cowboys were relentless, and Miami was blown out, 24-3.

 

Undefeated

American Football Field

 

Losing pro football’s biggest game just gave the Dolphins more incentive to get back.

Miami went 4-0 to start 1972, and Griese was steady with 638 yards, four touchdowns and four picks.

Then, in Week 5, the San Diego Chargers came to town.

At the time, the Chargers’ defense boasted defensive end Deacon Jones, who gave the Miami offensive line fits.

Sure enough, after Griese took a snap early in the contest, Jones and defensive tackle Ron East barrelled through and sacked the quarterback while also breaking his ankle.

“It wasn’t malicious, it was just hard-hitting,” he said in 2012. “There were no bounties. They kind of knew that if you knock the quarterback out of the game, you had a pretty good chance of winning.”

Unfortunately for the Bolts, veteran QB Earl Morrall took over for Griese and helped the ‘Fins prevail, 24-10.

As Griese watched from the sidelines the rest of the regular season, Morrall led Miami to an undefeated record.

Cleveland came to South Florida for the divisional round, and Morrall did just enough to win, 20-14.

The following week, Pittsburgh was having a field day against Morrall, and Shula turned to Griese (who was fully healed) at halftime.

Shula asked, “Are you ready?” Griese replied with, “Yes, I’m ready.”

Miami won, 21-17.

 

Super Bowl VII

super bowl

 

Before the Dolphins met head coach George Allen’s Washington Redskins’ “Over-the-Hill Gang” in Super Bowl VII, the ‘Skins were favored by a point.

For the first three-plus quarters, Washington sure didn’t look like the favored team.

In the first quarter, Griese found receiver Howard Twilley for a 28-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead.

Kiick ran in a score from one yard away in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.

Neither team scored a single point in the third, and it looked like it would be more of the same late into the fourth quarter.

Just a few minutes remained when Miami was on the Washington 34-yard line, staring at 4th-and-4.

The way the ‘Fins were moving the ball, Shula could have had Griese and the offense go for a first.

However, the coach thought it would be neat to kick a field goal and see the final score read 17-0 during Miami’s 17-0 season.

That’s when disaster struck.

When kicker Garo Yepremian kicked the ball, it went straight into the mitts of Washington defensive tackle Bill Brundige.

The pigskin bounced back to Yepremian, and the kicker tried to quickly pass the ball to Csonka, who was blocking a few yards away.

In a scene resembling a vaudeville act, the ball squirted straight into the air, and Yepremian tried desperately to bat the ball out of bounds.

His attempt to spike the ball down instead went up and into the arms of Redskins corner Mike Bass, who took the gift and sprinted 49 yards to the house.

“Garo’s Gaffe” trimmed the lead to 14-7, but Miami hung on for the win and the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship.

Griese’s contributions for the day included 88 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

 

Miami Repeats

Shula did a great job molding the team in his image when he arrived in Miami.

Wilson may have assembled many of the Dolphins’ would-be stars, but Shula made everything click.

By 1973, the roster had an embarrassment of riches on both sides of the ball.

The year before, Miami had the top-ranked offense and defense while going 17-0.

In ‘73, the defense was still the league’s best, although the offense slid to fifth overall.

After beating San Francisco to open the season, the Raiders beat the Dolphins in Week 2.

Miami didn’t lose again until December 9 against the Colts.

Griese threw for 1,422 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight picks and was selected for his third Pro Bowl.

Returning to the postseason for the fourth year in a row, the ‘Fins beat Cincinnati in the divisional round before getting some payback for their Week 2 loss and eliminating the Raiders in the AFC Championship game.

The Minnesota Vikings and their “Purple People Eaters” defense were expected to cause Griese problems in Super Bowl VIII.

Instead, Griese took a back seat with only 73 passing yards while Csonka and Kiick kept the Vikings on their toes and made the game look easy in a resounding 24-7 win.

 

Leading by Example

Miami’s three-year run playing in the Super Bowl ended in 1974 when the team went 11-3, but lost to the Raiders in the divisional round by two points.

Griese was a Pro Bowler again that year when he passed for 1,968 yards, 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and one rushing touchdown.

In 1975 and 1976, the QB played well despite missing the last four games of the ‘75 season because of a broken toe.

The Dolphins went 6-8 in ‘76, the first losing record since Shula arrived.

Although Miami missed the postseason again in 1977 despite a 10-4 record, Griese (now wearing glasses after experiencing problems with his contacts) had one of his best years as a pro.

He started every game (while being the victim of 36 sacks) and passed for 2,252 yards, 22 touchdowns (which led the NFL), 13 interceptions, a 7.2 TD percentage (also tops in the NFL), and led the league with an 87.8 passer rating.

“There is no great mystery to quarterbacking. You move personnel around in various formations, looking for the defense’s particular patsy, and then you eat him alive,” he told the media.

During a Week 11 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Griese torched the defense with no less than six touchdowns in just three quarters of work.

Following the season, he was selected as a first-team All-Pro for the second time, chosen for his fifth Pro Bowl, and Griese was picked as the Bert Bell Award winner as the NFL’s Player of the Year.

 

Griese Retires

Retirement

 

A year later, Griese was a Pro Bowler for the sixth time despite only starting nine games and appearing in 11 (due to a torn ligament in a preseason contest).

While the ‘Fins returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years with an 11-5 record, number 12 threw for 1,791 yards, 11 touchdowns, 11 picks, and an NFL-best 63% completion percentage.

Miami then lost to the Oilers in the wild-card round.

In 1979, Griese started all but two games and accumulated 2,160 yards, 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Miami went 10-6, but lost to Pittsburgh in the divisional round.

Before the 1980 season began, the franchise picked LSU quarterback David Woodley in the eighth round.

The rookie, as well as long-time veteran Don Strock, took playing time away from Griese.

However, Shula thrust Griese into a number of games early in the season to keep the Dolphins competitive.

He also started three games, throwing for 790 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.

Unfortunately, during a game against Baltimore in Week 5, defensive end Mike Ozdowski crashed through the offensive line and severely injured the QB’s shoulder.

When the year concluded with an 8-8 record, Griese decided to retire.

 

Hall of Famer

During his 14-year career, Griese passed for 25,092 yards, 192 touchdowns, 172 interceptions, and rushed for 994 yards and seven touchdowns.

He was a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, two-time AFL All-Star, and led the NFL once each in passing touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating.

Griese also received the Jim Thorpe Trophy in 1971 as the league MVP and the Bert Bell Award in 1977 as the NFL’s Player of the Year.

While he quarterbacked the Dolphins, the organization went to three Super Bowls, winning two, including the only NFL team to go undefeated through an entire season.

After retiring, Griese’s number 12 was the first jersey number retired in franchise history; he was added to the team’s Honor Roll and Walk of Fame, and he was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.

In 1990, Griese was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

Broadcaster

Just two years after leaving the sport as a player, Griese joined NBC Sports as a broadcaster.

Frequently paired with Charlie Jones, Griese was on hand to work as a broadcaster for Super Bowl XX between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.

ABC Sports hired the former quarterback away from NBC in 1987, and he was asked to work college football games.

By the late 1990s, Griese watched with interest as his son, Brian, started at QB for the Michigan Wolverines.

Initially, ABC didn’t have Griese announce games his son played in, but eventually relented.

Then, in 1997, the Wolverines had one of the best rosters in college football under head coach Lloyd Carr that included Brian Griese (and sophomore QB Tom Brady), guard Steve Hutchinson, tackles Jeff Backus and Jon Jansen, tight end Jerame Tuman, receiver Tai Streets, and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, who played corner and receiver.

Michigan went undefeated, and Bob Griese called the 1998 Rose Bowl game (which he played in with Purdue in 1966) between the Wolverines and Washington State, a game UM won.

(Brian Griese eventually played in the NFL for four teams between 1998 and 2008).

Bob Griese moved to ESPN in 2009 and 2010 and also called Dolphins radio and television games for several years.

At 81 years of age, Griese lives with his second wife, Shay (his first wife, Judi, died of breast cancer in 1988), in North Carolina and Florida.

 

References

https://www.courierpress.com

https://evvsportsarchive.com

https://sports.jrank.org

https://www.legion.org

https://www.profootballhof.com

https://www.espn.com

ifca-hof.org

https://www.si.com

flasportshof.org

https://rosebowlgame.com

https://www.profootballhof.com

https://footballfoundation.org

https://purduesports.com/bob-griese

https://www.sports-reference.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Manny Fernandez

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Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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