Huizenga’s first swing came with Saban in late 2004, when he successfully convinced the 2003 BCS national champion coach to leave the LSU Tigers for the Dolphins head job. Two years later, after going 15-17, Saban returned to college, where he built his legacy as the greatest coach in the sport’s history at Alabama.
His successor, Cameron, impressed as San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator, coaching a top-five scoring unit for three consecutive seasons from 2004-06. That made up for a rough five-year stint as Indiana Hoosiers head coach (1997-2001) during which he went 18-37, so much so that he was selected over then-Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin.
“Could this thing blow up on us? Maybe,” Huizenga told reporters during Cameron’s introductory news conference, a sign of what was to come. The Dolphins went 1-15 in 2008, firing Cameron after one season.
Huizenga’s final hire, Sparano, joined the organization with five years of head coaching experience at Division II New Haven and had the most success, leading the team to the playoffs in his first year. That was the highlight of his run, however. Ross fired him in 2011 before the end of his fourth season.
“I don’t think he was the right head coach for the Miami Dolphins,” Ross told Dan Le Batard in 2014.
“I didn’t hire him. We’re a much better organization today than then,” he added.
While Hafley did a decent job with the Packers defense, it’s fair to wonder if the Dolphins are doomed to repeat their past mistakes. It isn’t as though Hafley set the world on fire at Boston College. He took over for Steve Addazio, who went 44-44 in seven seasons, including 6-6 in his final year, and posted a 22-26 record with one bowl appearance.
And despite Green Bay ranking in the top half of the league in total and scoring defense under his command, it suffered a sharp decline once it lost Micah Parsons to a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15, allowing 405.5 yards and 27.5 points per game over their final four games, including postseason.
Ross’ first four hires as owner — Joe Philbin, Adam Gase, Brian Flores, Mike McDaniel — lacked previous head-coaching experience, so it made sense for the organization to zag and target someone with that on their resume.
But the Dolphins could have found someone with pro experience — former Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, perhaps — to better fit that need.
The Hafley hire carries plenty of risk. Miami’s history shows having college head-coaching experience is hardly a recipe for success. And little about Hafley’s run at Boston College suggested he was a can’t-miss coaching prospect, either.
Perhaps we’ll be wrong. If so, it will be a historic moment on South Beach.