Coming soon to a store near you: The 1972 Dolphins

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Coming soon to a store near you: The 1972 Dolphins

By Ben Volin | Friday, August 22, 2008, 09:21 AM

As the Dolphins slipped further and further down the NFL standings the past two years, and the Patriots marched on undefeated in 2007, former Dolphins running back Mercury Morris kept hearing from his old fans.

Was there any sort of clothing or product commemorating the Dolphins’ 17-0 perfect season in 1972? Something to remember the good times?

“There was a demand for something, anything, and I started seeing it through my fan mail,” Morris said this week from his home in Homestead. “There’s nothing out there for us, so why don’t we just make something ourselves?”

That something is Perfect Season Game Day Gear. Now the 1972 Dolphins are more than the only undefeated team in the Super Bowl Era.

They are also a clothing brand — polos, hats, T-shirts and more.

Perfect Season Game Day Gear is the brainchild of Morris and former Dolphins Jim Kiick and Marv Fleming, who established 17-0 Enterprises and partnered with the executives of Dolphins Enterprises - Bill Pearce, Marv Fleming, Bryan Wiedmeier and Dick Anderson, also their former teammate.

The gear will be available in about 30 days, Morris said, and can be bought at Publix, the team store at Dolphin Stadium, and online at miamidolphins.com and mercurymorris22.com.

“It was two years in the making but we finally got to where we’re going to launch this thing,” Morris said. “The dolphins realize that this is a good matchup with us, with their new beginning that they’re trying to establish.”

Morris, 61, has never been one for subtlety.

The clothing features the Dolphins logo on the front, encircled by “The Perfect Season” and “Undefeated.” One sleeve has“19,” the other has “72,” and it says “Unbeaten” on the back.

“It’s in your face, coming and going!” Morris said.

There is also a special “Perfectville edition,” which has “Est. 1972. Pop. 1” on one of the sleeves.

Morris said the clothing line coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Dolphins winning the Super Bowl in January 1973 (the 2008 football season will be the 36th since 1972, but who’s counting?).

“It was 35 years ago, and it’s we’re going to make this a year that they’ll remember us,” Morris said. “When you see the Perfect Season logo, then you’ll know that that product came from the Dolphins team. We want the fans to have that link back to us.”

17-0 Enterprises also is teaming up with Korbel to produce a special edition bottle of champagne.

Morris will keep a countdown on his Web site of the number of undefeated teams remaining this NFL season.

In previous years, when that countdown reached zero, members of the 72 Dolphins held a champagne toast.

This year, when it reaches zero, Morris wants to organize a toast among all Dolfans worldwide, culminating the following week at Dolphin Stadium.

“You don’t like it when the 53 players toast? How about 50 million and 53 now?” Morris said. “We want the fans to recognize what a tremendous accomplishment that was, and why there have been 1,291 chances to do it, and we’re still sitting here by ourselves!”