Bob Baumhower was a 6'5" defensive lineman from Portsmouth, VA. During his collegiate career, he was twice selected to the All-American second squad while playing with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Miami picked him up in the second round of the 1977 NFL Entry Draft with the 40th overall pick. He would wear the number 73 jersey throughout his NFL career.
Baumhower started all 14 games of his rookie season at the nose guard position, making around 100 tackles. In a week 10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, he made a season high 12 tackles along with two sacks and a fumble recovery. In week 13, he made seven tackles, blocked a field goal and recovered two fumbles in a 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots. Miami posted a 10-4 record, missing the playoffs. The defense allowed 197 points on the season, the second lowest point total in the AFC.
In 1978, Baumhower started every Miami game, making in the neighborhood of 120 tackles. In week six, he scored his first career touchdown in a 21-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, returning a fumble 13 yards for a score. He followed that up the next week with his only career interception in a victory over the San Diego Chargers, 28-21. Miami earned a wild card berth with an 11-5 record, falling short to the Houston Oilers for the second time in five weeks, 17-9. Miami's defense led the NFL with 32 interceptions.
1979 would see Baumhower selected to his first Pro Bowl, one of three Dolphins on the team. He made around 120 tackles, also collecting approximately six sacks. He made 15 tackles in a week 10 loss to the Houston Oilers, 9-6. Miami's defense was key in winning the first AFC East title in five seasons, allowing an NFL fourth lowest 257 points and 4,439 yards allowed.
Baumhower started every game in 1980 for the fourth season in a row to begin his career. He made around 100 tackles and recovered four fumbles. In week three, he blocked a field goal against the Atlanta Falcons, helping the Dolphins to a 20-17 victory. Miami's defense intercepted an NFL third best 28 interceptions, placing third in the AFC with 305 points allowed. The Dolphins finished the season with an 8-8 record, missing the playoffs.
In 1981, Baumhower again started every Miami game. After missing the 1980 season, he returned to his second career Pro Bowl, along with Ed Newman. He made around 85 tackles and 10 sacks on the season, including four in the third week of the season of Houston Oilers quarterback Ken Stabler in a 16-10 victory. Miami finished the season 11-4-1, winning the AFC East by one game over the New York Jets. Miami's defense led the AFC with 275 points allowed.
1982 would see Baumhower appear in all nine regular season games, starting eight, bringing to an end his consecutive starts streak at 89 games (including playoffs). He made 52 tackles and 3.5 sacks on the campaign and earned his third career Pro Bowl selection. He was one of four Dolphins to make the trip to Hawaii. Miami posted a 7-2 record, clinching the AFC's second seed in the expanded 16-team playoff field. Miami's defense led the AFC by allowing 131 total points through the season. Through the postseason, Baumhower would collect sacks in three of the four games, including one on Washington Redskins qb Joe Theismann in Super Bowl XVII.
In 1983, Baumhower was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, and fourth overall. He was also for the only time in his career selected to the All-NFL first team. He started all 16 games, making 97 tackles and eight sacks on the season, including a three sack performance in the final week of the season as Miami took a 34-14 decision from the New York Jets in the Orange Bowl. The Dolphins won the AFC East by four games, at 12-4. The "Killer B's" held opponents to 250 points through the season, leading the second place Detroit Lions by 36 points.
Baumhower started all 15 of the games in which he appeared in 1984, making his fifth Pro Bowl appearance. He finished the season with 52 tackles, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries. He scored his second career touchdown in a week six 31-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, returning a fumble 21 yards for the score. With 298 points allowed, the Miami defense ranked seventh in the NFL, which was hardly needed considering the offensive firepower that Dolphin's fans got to witness every week. The team went 14-2, hardly breaking a sweat through the AFC playoffs, winning the two games leading up to Super Bowl XIX by a combined 76-38 score.
Baumhower missed the 1985 season to rehabilitate his surgically repaired right knee. He started the first 10 games of the 1986 campaign before missing four due to a groin injury. He returned to start the seasons final two games. He made 30 tackles with one sack as Miami posted an 8-8 record.
In nine seasons as Miami's nose tackle, Baumhower made in the neighborhood of 750 tackles. After retiring, he opened up a chain of restaurants in Alabama, aptly named "Baumhower's". The company has grown to nine restaurants, and counting.