Bob Heinz, a key piece of the Miami Dolphins’ famed “No Name Defense” and a two-time Super Bowl champion, died Saturday, Oct. 31. He was 79.
Heinz spent nine seasons in the NFL, playing for the Dolphins from 1969-77 before finishing his career with Washington in 1978. Across 111 games, the defensive lineman recorded nine sacks and helped Miami reach the sport’s highest peak in the early 1970s.
Drafted by the Dolphins in the second round in 1969 out of the University of the Pacific, Heinz grew into an important part of the unit that powered the 1972 team’s perfect run. That Miami squad became the first, and still the only, NFL team to finish a season with no losses and no ties.
Heinz also had a steady postseason role for Miami, starting all three playoff games at the end of the 1971, 1972 and 1973 seasons. The Dolphins fell to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3 in Super Bowl VI, then answered with back-to-back championship finishes.
Miami closed out its 14-0 regular season in 1972 by beating the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC playoffs before taking down Washington 14-7 in Super Bowl VII. The next year, the Dolphins went 12-2 in the regular season, rolled through the playoffs again and beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII.
Born July 25, 1947, in Milwaukee, Heinz moved to California during his high school years and graduated from Lincoln High School in Stockton. He played at San Joaquin Delta College before transferring to Pacific, where he lettered in football and track from 1966 to 1969. As a senior, he was named the school’s most valuable lineman, and he was inducted into Pacific’s Hall of Fame in 1988.
After his playing days, Heinz worked in sales and later became an advertising executive. He mostly stayed out of the spotlight, though his Super Bowl VIII championship ring drew attention in 2015 when it sold at auction for $68,040.
Heinz is survived by his wife, Carol; his children, Julie, Joe and John; daughter-in-law, Laura; two grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
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