Belichick applauds Dolphins’ 1972 team

Bill Belichick complimented Miami despite Don Shula’s criticism.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick remembers the 1972 Miami Dolphins as “an awesome team.” He was “a big fan” of their coach, Don Shula.

And the only team to go undefeated in NFL history was “fun to watch.”

So any expectations that the Patriots coach, who is trying to match that perfect record, would be his usual unenlightening self never materialized Thursday, three days before Miami (1-13) visits New England (14-0).

Instead, Belichick was unusually talkative — and complimentary — about that accomplishment, even though Shula has suggested an asterisk be placed next to the Patriots’ record.

The reason: Belichick and the Patriots were punished by the NFL for spying on New York Jets coaches with a sideline video camera during the season opener. Shula later softened his tone, but contended that New England’s success is diminished by Spygate.

“We had dinner in the offseason,” Belichick said. “I don’t think I’ve talked to him since then.”

He hasn’t responded to Shula’s remarks, but the links between Belichick and the Shula family don’t appear to contain any animosity.

They started in Ohio between Belichick’s father, who attended Western Reserve in Cleveland, and Shula, who went to John Carroll in a suburb of that city.

Belichick was studying for his bachelor’s degree in economics at Wesleyan in Middletown, Conn., when the 1972 Dolphins went 17-0, beating Washington in the Super Bowl. In 1975, Belichick got his start in the NFL as a special assistant for Ted Marchibroda with the Baltimore Colts, the team Shula coached from 1963-69.

“The first time I really remember spending time with him was in ’75, when I was with the Colts and he was the head coach of the Dolphins,” Belichick said. “Pregame warm up and stuff like that, just bumping into him.”

From 1992-95, Belichick and Shula’s son, David, coached in the same division: Belichick with Cleveland and Shula with Cincinnati. He also knows Shula’s son Mike, who spent four seasons as coach at Alabama before becoming quarterbacks coach this season for Jacksonville, a team New England could face in the playoffs.

“There’s sort of an interrelationship there with David and Mike, as well as Don,” Belichick said.

Having grown up in Annapolis, Md., outside of Baltimore, Belichick rooted for the Colts.

“I was a big fan of Coach Shula from when he was at Baltimore,” he said.

Shula left for Miami in 1970 and coached there through the 1995 season. The Dolphins’ perfect record was built on a powerful running game that included two 1,000-yard rushers, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, and a dangerous receiver, Paul Warfield, who led the team with just 29 catches.

Their biggest win that season: 52-0 over the Patriots in Miami.