Miami Sports
Franchise History

Teams Miami

The Greater Miami area is home to four major league sports teams — the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. The Miami Metro area is also home to a number of soccer teams the newest only top division side being Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer. Miami is also home to the Sony Ericsson Open for professional tennis, numerous greyhound racing tracks, marinas, jai alai venues, and golf courses. The city streets has hosted professional auto races, the Miami Indy Challenge and later the Grand Prix Americas, whereas the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval located 35 miles (56 km) southwest currently hosts NASCAR national races. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center. The Miami area is home to the Big Four major leagues. Currently, the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins play their games within Miami's city limits. The Heat play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The Miami Marlins home ballpark is Marlins Park, located in the Little Havana section of the city on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium. The city's first entry into the American Football League was the Miami Dolphins, which competed in the fourth AFL league from 1966 to 1969. In 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. The following year, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win. The 1972 Dolphins were the third NFL team to accomplish a perfect regular season, and won Super Bowl VIII, Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. The Miami Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in suburban Miami Gardens. The Orange Bowl, a member of the College Football Playoff, hosts their college football bowl game annually at Hard Rock Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of eleven times (six Super Bowls at the now Hard Rock Stadium, including most recently Super Bowl LIV and five at the Miami Orange Bowl), more than any other metro area. The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association was formed in 1988 as an expansion team. They have won three league championships (in 2006, 2012 and 2013), and six conference titles. The Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball began play in the 1993 season. They won the World Series in both seasons they qualified for the postseason, doing so in 1997 and 2003. The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League was founded in 1993 as an expansion team. They have made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996. They play in nearby Sunrise at the BB&T Center.

The Greater Miami area is home to four major league sports teams — the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. The Miami Metro area is also home to a number of soccer teams the newest only top division side being Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer. Miami is also home to the Sony Ericsson Open for professional tennis, numerous greyhound racing tracks, marinas, jai alai venues, and golf courses. The city streets has hosted professional auto races, the Miami Indy Challenge and later the Grand Prix Americas, whereas the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval located 35 miles (56 km) southwest currently hosts NASCAR national races. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center. The Miami area is home to the Big Four major leagues. Currently, the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins play their games within Miami's city limits. The Heat play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The Miami Marlins home ballpark is Marlins Park, located in the Little Havana section of the city on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium. The city's first entry into the American Football League was the Miami Dolphins, which competed in the fourth AFL league from 1966 to 1969. In 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. The following year, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win. The 1972 Dolphins were the third NFL team to accomplish a perfect regular season, and won Super Bowl VIII, Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. The Miami Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in suburban Miami Gardens. The Orange Bowl, a member of the College Football Playoff, hosts their college football bowl game annually at Hard Rock Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of eleven times (six Super Bowls at the now Hard Rock Stadium, including most recently Super Bowl LIV and five at the Miami Orange Bowl), more than any other metro area. The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association was formed in 1988 as an expansion team. They have won three league championships (in 2006, 2012 and 2013), and six conference titles. The Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball began play in the 1993 season. They won the World Series in both seasons they qualified for the postseason, doing so in 1997 and 2003. The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League was founded in 1993 as an expansion team. They have made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996. They play in nearby Sunrise at the BB&T Center.

Miami Marlins

⚾ MLB: 1993-2021 29 2

Joined the National League as an expansion team to begin the 1993 season.

Miami Dolphins

🏈 NFL: 1966-2021 56 2

The Dolphins were founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas. They began play in the AFL in 1966. The region had not had a professional football team since the days of t...

Miami Heat

🏀 NBA: 1989-2021 33 3

The franchise began play in the 1988–89 season as an expansion team. After a period of mediocrity, the Heat gained relevance during the 1990s following the appointment of former head coach Pat Riley a...

Florida Panthers

NHL: 1994-2021 28

The Panthers began playing in the 1993–94 NHL season, where they set the then-record for most successful expansion team until the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017–18. The team has made one appearance in t...

Defunct Teams

Teams that have folded or moved away from the Miami area.

F i l t e r & S o r t

The Floridians

🏀 ABA: 1969-1972 4

The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians...

Pollock's Cuban Stars

⚾ Negro: 1928-1936 9

The team began barnstorming around Miami in 1930 as Florida Cuban Giants. Joined the East–West League in 1932 as Pollock's Cuban Stars. The returned as an independent team moniker from 1933 until 1936.

The early history of sports contains hundreds of teams that appeared for only 1 or 2 seasons before folding. Most of these teams have no historical photographs or articles, so are omitted from this list to reduce clutter. To view a comprehensive list of all defunct teams, browse to the early leagues section for baseball, football, basketball, or hockey.