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Super Bowl champion and member of Dolphins’ undefeated 1972 team dead at 79
Bob Heinz, a former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle and member of the NFL’s only undefeated team, has died aged 79. The Dolphins announced his death and paid tribute to his role in their “No-Name Defense” and their championship side.
Heinz played for Miami from 1969 to 1977 after being selected 37th overall in the 1969 draft. He became a starter in 1971 and helped the Dolphins win consecutive Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973; the Miami Herald reported that he died of natural causes. He later played two games for Washington in 1978 and is survived by his wife of 56 years and their three children.
In short
- Bob Heinz, a defensive tackle on Miami’s 1972 undefeated team, has died aged 79.
- He helped the Dolphins win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973.
- Heinz played nine seasons in Miami and briefly joined Washington in 1978.
Explained simply
The Miami Dolphins are an American football team in the National Football League (NFL). In the 1972 season, they won every game, including the Super Bowl, the league’s final championship match; no other NFL team has completed a season with a perfect record.
Bob Heinz was a defensive tackle, a player whose role was to help stop the opposing team’s attack. He joined the Dolphins in 1969 and became a regular starter in 1971, as the team built the defence known as the “No-Name Defense”.
Heinz was part of the Dolphins teams that won the Super Bowl in 1972 and 1973. Those championships made him a member of one of the most notable periods in the club’s history.