The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami, Florida Metropolitan Area. The Dolphins are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins began play in the American Football League as an expansion team in 1966, they were founded by Joseph Robbie, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger. The Dolphins are the oldest major-league professional sports franchise in the state of Florida. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance following the 1971 season in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. In 1972, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season to date in the Super Bowl era, winning all 14 regular season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII. The team also won Super Bowl VIII, becoming the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, and the second team (first AFL/AFC team) to win back-to-back championships. Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games.