Although Yepremiam’s field goals were indispensable to Miami’s perfect season, his blunder in Super Bowl VII infuriated some of his teammates. Late in the low-scoring game, the Dolphins held a 14-0 lead and were looking to complete the first, and what to this day would be the only, shutout in Super Bowl history. That was much desired by the team’s No Name Defense, and with a Dolphins field goal that Cyprus-born Yepremian was sent onto the field to kick, the final score could have been 17-0. That, his teammates felt, would have perfectly matched Miami’s 17-0 record.
With two minutes to go, however, Yepremian’s 42-yard field goal attempt was blocked. He made matters much worse by picking up the ball and attempting to throw it. The ball slipped from his hand. In the ensuing chaos, Washington’s Mike Bass managed to grab the ball and return it 49 yards for a touchdown. “That championship ring will hang heavy on my hand,” Yepremian said after the game. But his contrition didn’t dissolve the resentment some teammates felt toward him. And he didn’t help his cause by taking advantage of his newfound celebrity in various ways, including accepting several invitations to appear on Bob Hope-hosted TV shows.
In an autobiography, written later, Yepremian said a letter of encouragement he’d received after the Super Bowl from Shula had helped lift his despondency. This came as a surprise to Shula, who knew nothing of the letter. Shula’s wife, Dorothy, it came to light, had written the letter unbeknownst to her husband.
