Miami Dolphins Logo PNG
The Miami Dolphins, a multiple Super Bowl-winning American football club from Miami, received a bright and informative emblem. The identity reflects the mascot, the essence of the name, the victorious nature, and the aspiration for new heights, making the Miami Dolphins logo informative and memorable.
Miami Dolphins: Brand overview
| Founded: | August 16, 1965 |
| Founder: | Stephen M. Ross |
| Headquarters: | Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| Website: | miamidolphins.com |
The Miami Dolphins are a professional football team. In the 1970s, they joined the AFC Eastern Division. The Miami Dolphins are also a member of the NFL and the oldest regional club of the Southern Wing. They are located in Miami, Florida. The team was founded in 1965.
The official history of the “Miami Dolphins” began when they received an AFL franchise extension worth about $8.1 million. Actors Danny Thomas and lawyer Joseph Robbie acquired it. Initially, they planned to keep it in Philadelphia, but Joe Floss, the league manager, recommended moving to Miami. There was a larger population there, but no team. However, Thomas disagreed and sold his share to his partner. Thus, from 1966 to 1990, Robbie was the club’s sole manager.
The situation changed in the 1990s when part of the shares was acquired by Wayne Huizenga. He led the team from 1993 to 2008. In February, Stephen M. Ross bought 50% of the franchise and adjacent territories. The deal cost him $550 million and allowed him to become a general partner. On January 20, 2009, he acquired another 45% of the shares. The total price was about one billion US dollars. Since then, Ross has owned 95% of the shares and is the full manager of the Miami Dolphins.
In the year of its founding, the team immediately received its name as a result of a contest. Nineteen thousand eight hundred forty-three participants proposed over 1000 names. Six hundred sixty-two people sent the winning name. Joseph Robbie approved it because the dolphin symbolizes the club’s location and the smartest and fastest sea creature. He also explained that dolphins are very brave and can even make a deadly attack on a shark.
Meaning and History
The Miami Dolphins team logos reflect their name, which was approved by Joseph Robbie. The franchise owner believed it was related to its location, symbolizing courage, speed, and intelligence. Accordingly, a dolphin is the central image of all emblems. It is represented in several variants and depicted against a stylized sun.
For the first 46 years since its appearance, the logo contained the letter “M” found on the football helmet. A global redesign in 2013 changed everything. The colors also did not remain unchanged: sticking to one palette, the artists experimented with various shades.
What is Miami Dolphins?
The Miami Dolphins is the only team in the AFC Eastern region that never joined the AFL. It is Florida’s oldest professional team, formed in 1965 and played its first match in 1966. From its foundation until 2008, the team won two Super Bowls and 13 division championships.
1966 – 1973
The original logo of the “Miami Dolphins” consisted of a muted orange circle and a dolphin standing on its tail. The latter was dressed in a sports helmet with the letter “M,” symbolizing the team’s short name. The dolphin’s body was painted in white and orange specks as if it had jumped out of the water and was sparkling with wet sides. The sun was drawn with alternating thin and wide conical rays.
1974 – 1989
In 1974, the silhouette of the dolphin on the Miami Dolphins logo was shifted upwards and to the right. It overlapped the outline of the sun, and its head was behind the circle. The logo was complemented by a large football helmet, painted in white and light blue with the letter “M” in the middle. The orange shade was also changed to a more powdery one. Coral particles were removed from the dolphin’s body, leaving only white. The sun’s rays remained the same.
1989 – 1996
During this period, the color palette of the Miami Dolphins logo was updated to become more saturated. The helmet lines were widened. The dolphin’s body became longer and slimmer, and the tails, on the contrary, were longer and more powerful. This allowed for visual balance in the image. White speckles appeared on the side of the dolphin, and the shape and size of the sun’s rays remained the same.
1997 – 2012
In 1997, the club received a completely new logo. The dolphin became more balanced and elongated. The speckles were removed, leaving only light strokes on the tails and around the eyes. A horizontal, wide white line appeared on the belly. The artistic style also underwent changes: the designers replaced schematic outlines with precise and confident strokes, making the animal silhouette more realistic.
The helmet became more nuanced and realistic. Eyebrows were added, and the lines became thinner. The small sun rays were removed, leaving only wide, sharp protrusions evenly distributed around the circle. The colors on the Miami Dolphins logo became more saturated. In addition, the blue color palette was expanded to include the shade of aquamarine.
2013 – 2017
In 2013, the design of the Miami Dolphins logo was updated. The dolphin changed its position: it was no longer jumping out of the water but swimming along a wave. It was turned upside down and drawn with a slight tilt: the tail became horizontal, and the head was directed upwards. The dolphin’s stern facial expression became friendly and neutral. The tail became streamlined and smooth.
The animal’s shape became less cumbersome and more elegant. White, blue, and aquamarine lines were drawn on the sides. They were also drawn on the fins and near the eyes. The dolphin closed the sun in the center. Uniform triangular rays were replaced by three types, each of a different length. The shades were muted, so the sun circle became yellow.
2018 – today
The current version of the logo builds on the previous one. The designers made the sun circle dark orange and removed part of the tail fin to make it appear curved. The dolphin no longer has the helmet that was there before. The designers deemed the logo quite recognizable without the letter “M,” denoting the city of Miami. The other elements remained the same, preserving the original shape, location, and size.
The current dolphin is more elegant than the versions of previous years. In addition, the elongated shape of the body gives it a dynamism that other emblems lack. It looks strong, fast, and agile, embodying the main qualities of a football team. It symbolizes speed, quick reaction, striving for achievement, intelligence, and the ability to overcome any difficulties.
Miami Dolphins: Interesting Facts
The Miami Dolphins are an NFL team with many cool moments since they started in 1966. They’ve done some amazing things in football.
- Perfect Season: In 1972, the Dolphins had a perfect season, winning every game, including the Super Bowl, and ended with a 17-0 record. No other NFL team has ever done this.
- Super Bowl Wins: In addition to their perfect season, the Dolphins won the Super Bowl the next year, making them one of the top teams in the early ’70s.
- Famous Coach: Don Shula coached the Dolphins from 1970 to 1995 and won more games than any other coach in NFL history. He’s a big part of why the Dolphins were so good.
- Dan Marino: Marino was the Dolphins’ quarterback from 1983 to 1999, breaking many passing records. Although he never won a Super Bowl, he’s remembered as one of the best quarterbacks ever.
- Their Stadium: The Dolphins play at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This place has had different names and has hosted many big sports events.
- Live Mascot: Early on, the Dolphins had a real dolphin mascot named Flipper who would do tricks during games. Now, they have a mascot named T.D. (The Dolphin) who’s a big part of their games and events.
- Fight Song: They have a fight song, “Miami Dolphins #1,” that plays after they score or win at home, which helps make the games fun for fans.
- Playing Abroad: The Dolphins have played games in London as part of the NFL, trying to attract fans worldwide. This has helped make them more popular outside the U.S.
- No-Name Defense: Their perfect season in 1972 wasn’t just because of their offense; their defense was strong, too, but they didn’t have any big, famous stars. They were called the “No-Name Defense.”
- Helping Out: The Dolphins do a lot of good stuff in their community through the Miami Dolphins Foundation, working on health and education and helping out where they can.
The Miami Dolphins have a history of big wins, famous players, and doing good in their community. They’ve been an important part of the NFL for a long time.
Font and Colors
The background is a white sun disk surrounded by an orange ring with sharp triangular rays of different sizes. It serves as the backdrop for the main figure – a light blue dolphin positioned precisely in the center. From a compositional point of view, the logo looks the same as it did 50 years ago. Only the design details have changed. If in the first versions, the dolphin “stood” on its tail, now it swims up swiftly. The lines became clearer and more elongated.
The emblem contains only a graphic part without any inscriptions, so the artists paid special attention to the color palette. Sticking to the original palette, they changed the shades several times. In the current version, coral red is used for the rays, blue for the dolphin, and white for the sun disk and decorative details.
Miami Dolphins color codes
| Aqua | Hex color: | #008e97 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 142 151 | |
| CMYK: | 100 21 42 2 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 321 C |
| Orange | Hex color: | #f26a24 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 245 130 32 | |
| CMYK: | 0 60 100 0 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 165 C |
| Blue | Hex color: | #005778 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 87 120 | |
| CMYK: | 100 61 35 15 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 7701 C |
FAQ
Have the “Miami Dolphins” Returned to the Old Logo?
No, the “Miami Dolphins” have not returned to their original logo with the dolphin in a helmet adorned with an orange letter M. They still use the version without the helmet.
What Dolphin is Depicted on the “Miami Dolphins” Logo?
The football club’s “Miami” logo depicts a turquoise dolphin. This is more of a collective image rather than a representative of any specific biological species.
Is the “Miami Dolphins” Mascot a Real Dolphin?
The “Miami Dolphins” mascot is an anthropomorphic character named TD – a person dressed as a dolphin. A live dolphin was with the team for two years, from 1966 to 1968. He performed tricks after every successful ball hit into the opponent’s goal. The football club had to spend money on its maintenance; moreover, the animal was stressed, so it was freed from the status of a mascot.
Why are the “Miami Dolphins” Delayed?
During one of the 2020 matches between the “Miami Dolphins” and their opponents, the “Buffalo Bills,” there was a forced delay due to difficult weather conditions. The storm forced the players of both teams to spend an additional 30 minutes in the locker room.
