 Shula in 1987 | |||||||
| No. 96, 44, 25, 26 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1930-01-04)January 4, 1930 Grand River, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||
| Died: | May 4, 2020(2020-05-04) (aged 90) Indian Creek, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Harvey (Painesville, Ohio) | ||||||
| College: | John Carroll | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1951: 9th round, 110th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
As a player: | |||||||
As a coach: | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||
| Regular season: | 328–156–6 (.676) | ||||||
| Postseason: | 19–17 (.528) | ||||||
| Career: | 347–173–6 (.665) | ||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||
Donald Francis Shula (/ˈʃuːlə/SHOO-lə; January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American professionalfootball player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven seasons as adefensive back in the NFL. For most of his career, Shula was the head coach of theMiami Dolphins.
Shula held his first head coaching position with theBaltimore Colts, whom he coached for seven seasons from 1963 to 1969. With the Colts, he led them to seven consecutive winning seasons, was a three-timeAP NFL Coach of the Year (1964, 1967, 1968), and in 1968 led the Colts to a 13–1 record and a win in the 1968 NFL Championship Game over theCleveland Browns. However, inSuper Bowl III and despite being heavy favorites over the 19 1⁄2 point underdogNew York Jets, the Colts were defeated in a massive upset by a score of 16–7. After coaching one more season in Baltimore, in 1970 Shula was then hired to be the Miami Dolphins' next head coach, and would remain with the Dolphins for the next 26 seasons. In 26 seasons with the Dolphins, Shula had only two losing seasons (1976, 1988), while leading the Dolphins to 11 division titles, 5 AFC Championships including three in a row (1971–1973, 1982, 1984), and back-to-back Super Bowl Championships in 1972 and 1973 inSuper Bowl VII andSuper Bowl VIII. His Super Bowl VII victory, capped off the only undefeatedperfect season in NFL history when his Dolphins finished the 1972 season with a perfect 17–0 record, and also won Shula his 4th NFL AP Coach of the Year Award.
Shula was the first head coach to appear in sixSuper Bowls, five with the Dolphins and one with the Colts. His six Super Bowl appearances rank second among head coaches (tied currently withAndy Reid, and behind onlyBill Belichick) and he has the most Super Bowl losses at four, tied withBud Grant,Marv Levy, andDan Reeves, although Grant, Levy, and Reeves all went winless in the Super Bowl. He was the first head coach to bring two franchises to the Super Bowl and appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, which he accomplished with the Dolphins from 1971 to 1973. Having guided Baltimore toSuper Bowl III and Miami toSuper Bowl VI, Shula is also the only head coach to lead two NFL franchises to their Super Bowl debut.
Shula retired with an all-time regular and post season overall win-loss record of 347–173–6, which currently ranks him 1st in regular season wins (328) and overall total wins (347), making him thewinningest head coach in NFL history in terms of coaching victories. As of 2024, Shula is the only head coach to win the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award four times (1964, 1967-1968, 1972). He was selected as a coach to theNFL 1970s All-Decade Team and enshrined into theMiami Dolphins Honor Roll immediately after his retirement in 1996. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1997 in his first year of eligibility, and in 2019 was selected to theNFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team as one of the 10 greatest head coaches in NFL History. Shula died in 2020 at the age of 90.
Shula was born on January 4, 1930, inGrand River, Ohio, a small town along theLake Erie shore in the northeastern part of the state.[1][2] His parents, Dan and Mary Shula (Dénes Süle and Mária Miller),[3][4] were ofHungarian origin, having immigrated when they were children.[5] Shula's father Dan worked for $9 a week at a rose nursery and saved up to buy the small house where Shula spent his early childhood. The house was next door to a grocery store in Grand River owned by Mary's parents.[5] Shula played football in his neighborhood as a child, but his parents forbade it after he got a gash on his face when he was 11.[2]
Shula had six siblings, including a set of triplets born in 1936. To meet the family's financial needs, his father obtained a job in the local fishing industry for $15 a week, and later worked at arayon plant in nearbyPainesville, Ohio. Shula attended elementary school at St. Mary's, a privateCatholic school in Painesville; his mother was a devout Catholic, and his father converted to that denomination when they married.[5]
Shula later attendedHarvey High School inPainesville, Ohio, where he played on its football team starting in 1945. He did not try out for the team because of his mother's prohibition and because he was recovering from a bout ofpneumonia, but an assistant football coach noticed him in a gym class and convinced him to join. Shula forged his parents' signatures to sign up.[2][5]
Within weeks of joining Harvey's football team, Shula was a starting lefthalfback in the school'ssingle-wing offense.[5] He handled a large portion of the team's rushing and passing duties, and helped lead the team to a 7–3win–loss record in hissenior year. It was the first time in 18 years that Harvey High School had had a seven-win season. The team would have won a league title had it not lost an early game toWilloughby. He also ran the440-yard dash at Harvey and was an 11-timeletterman in his three years there.[5]
As Shula prepared to graduate from high school in 1947, many men whose football careers were delayed by service inWorld War II were returning and competing for college athletic scholarships.[2] As a result, Shula was unable to get a scholarship and contemplated working for a year before going to college. That summer, however, he had a chance meeting at a gas station with former Painesville football coach Howard Bauchman, who suggested he ask about a scholarship atJohn Carroll University.[2]
Shula received a one-year scholarship at the privateJesuit school inUniversity Heights, a suburb ofCleveland.[2][5] It was extended to a full scholarship after Shula performed well during hisfreshman year, including a victory overYoungstown State in October 1948.[2][6] He ran for 175 yards and scored two touchdowns substituting for the injured starting halfback.[6] The same year, Shula considered joining the Catholic priesthood after a three-day retreat at John Carroll, but decided against it because of his commitment to football.[6]
During hissenior year in 1950, he rushed for 125 yards in a win over a heavily favoredSyracuse team.[7]
Shula graduated in 1951 as a sociology major with a minor in mathematics, and was offered a job teaching and coaching atCanton Lincoln High School inCanton, Ohio for $3,750 a year (equivalent to $45,000 in 2024).[2] TheCleveland Browns of theNational Football League, however, selected him in the ninth round of the1951 draft that January.[8] Cleveland had won theNFL championship the previous year behind a staunch defense and an offense led byquarterbackOtto Graham,fullbackMarion Motley andendDante Lavelli.[9]: 177–182 Shula was joined in the Browns' training camp by John Carroll teammateCarl Taseff, whom Cleveland coachPaul Brown selected in the 22nd round.[8][9]: 220 Brown made the selections in part because John Carroll coachHerb Eisele attended his coaching clinics and used similar schemes and terminology as Brown did.[2] Shula and Taseff both made the team and were its only two rookies in 1951. Shula signed a $5,000-a-year contract and played as adefensive back alongsideWarren Lahr andTommy James.[7][9]: 220
Shula played in all 12 of Cleveland's games in 1951, making his first appearance as a starter in October, and recorded fourinterceptions.[6][10] The Browns, meanwhile, finished with an 11–1 record and advanced to thechampionship game for a second straight year.[11] The team lost the game 24–17 to theLos Angeles Rams in Los Angeles.[9]: 233–234 [11]
Shula was a member of anOhio Army National Guard unit that was activated the following January during theKorean War.[6][12] Military service in Ohio and atFort Polk in Louisiana kept Shula away from football until the unit was deactivated that November.[6] Returning to the Browns, Shula signed a $5,500-a-year contract and played in five games at the end of the season, having become a full-time starter because of injuries to other players.[9]: 247 [13] The Browns again advanced to thechampionship game and again lost, this time to theDetroit Lions.[9]: 251–253
In early 1953, Brown traded Shula along with Taseff and eight other players to theBaltimore Colts in exchange for five Colts players includingtacklesMike McCormack andDon Colo.[9]: 264 Before joining Baltimore, Shula finished amaster's degree in physical education atCase Western Reserve University inCleveland.[14]
Shula signed a $6,500-a-year contract with the Colts, which was preparing for its first season after relocating from Dallas, where the franchise had been called theDallas Texans.[6][15] The team replaced an earlier Colts franchise that folded after the 1950 season.[16] The Colts finished with a 3–9 record in 1953 despite leading the NFL in defensive takeaways, including three interceptions by Shula.[10][17] Baltimore continued to struggle the following year under new head coachWeeb Ewbank, a former Browns assistant.[18][19] The team again finished 3–9 for last place in the NFL West, although Shula had a career-high five interceptions.[10][19]
Shula had five interceptions again in 1955, but the Colts finished 5–6–1, well out of contention for the divisional championship.[10][20] Shula missed the final three games of the season because of a broken jaw suffered in a 17–17 tie with theLos Angeles Rams.[6] Ewbank brought in futurePro Football Hall of Fame quarterbackJohnny Unitas as a backup in 1956, but the Colts posted a losing record even after Unitas became the starter partway through the season.[21] Shula had just one interception that year.[10]
The Colts waived Shula at the end of training camp in 1957 season, the last player cut as the team reduced its squad to 35 men,[22] and theWashington Redskins picked him up.[6][23] Shula spent one season with the Redskins before retiring. In his seven NFL seasons, he played in 73 games, intercepted 21 passes and recovered four fumbles.[10]
Shula got his first coaching job shortly after ending his playing career, signing as a defensive backs coach at theUniversity of Virginia underDick Voris in February 1958.[6][24][10] Virginia finished with a 1–9 record that year.[25] Shula got married in the summer before the season to Dorothy Bartish, who grew up near Painesville. Shula and Bartish had begun dating after he graduated from John Carroll; she was working as a teacher inHawaii when he proposed.[26]
After one season at Virginia, Shula moved to another defensive backs coaching job at theUniversity of Kentucky in 1959 under head coachBlanton Collier.[13][6] Collier had been an assistant to Paul Brown when Shula played in Cleveland.[9]: 17–18 After one season in Kentucky, Shula got his first NFL coaching job as the defensive backfield coach for the Detroit Lions in 1960.[6] The Lions posted winning records in each of Shula's three seasons there under head coachGeorge Wilson and finished in second place in the NFL West in 1961 and 1962.[27][28][29] Detroit's defense was near the top of the league in fewest points allowed when Shula coached there, including a second-place finish in 1962.[29] The defense also led the league that year in fewest yards allowed, with 3,217.[30] Detroit's defense featured a group of linemen dubbed the "Fearsome Foursome" in 1962, consisting ofdefensive tacklesRoger Brown andAlex Karras anddefensive endsDarris McCord andSam Williams.[30]
Weeb Ewbank, under whom Shula had played in Cleveland and Baltimore, was fired as the Colts' head coach in 1963 following three disappointing seasons and disagreements over team strategy and organization with ownerCarroll Rosenbloom.[31][32] Rosenbloom immediately named Shula as the team's next head coach, having recruited him for the job earlier.[31]
Shula was only 33 years old, making him the youngest coach in league history at the time, but Rosenbloom was familiar with his personality and approach from his playing days inBaltimore.[32] While Rosenbloom said he realized he was "out on a limb" in hiring Shula, he felt it would bring a sense of team spirit back to the Colts.[32] While Shula had only been an average player, he was "always... taking pictures, talking football", said Rosenbloom. "He had always wanted to coach".[32]
Shula lost his first regular-season game, a September 15 matchup against the Giants.[6] The1963 Colts won their next game, however, and went on to finish the season with an 8–6 record for third place in the NFL West.[6][33] The team was still led by Johnny Unitas, who was Shula's teammate during his final year as a player in Baltimore and had helped the Colts win championships in 1958 and 1959.[21] The team's primary receivers were endRaymond Berry andtight endJohn Mackey, whiledefensive endGino Marchetti anchored the defense.[33]
Shula guided the team to a 12–2 record in his second year as coach.[34]: 123 That put the Colts on top of the NFL West and earned them a spot in theNFL championship against the Browns, which by then were coached by Collier.[34]: 121–123 The Colts were heavily favored to win even by sportswriters in Cleveland, due in large part to their strong receiving corps and Unitas, who had 2,824 passing yards and won the league'sMost Valuable Player award.[34]: 122 [35] HalfbackLenny Moore also had 19 touchdowns, setting an NFL record.[34]: 123 In addition to having the NFL's top-scoring offense, the Colts defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL.[34]: 124 Before the championship, Collier said Shula had always thought about coaching even during his playing career, giving him "the experience of a man in the profession for ten years".[34]: 123 The Colts, however, lost to the Browns 27–0 in the title game.[34]: 151 Despite the loss, Shula won the NFL'sCoach of the Year Award.[34]: 123
The Colts tied theGreen Bay Packers with a 10–3–1 record at the end of the 1965 season, forcing a playoff to determine which of them would play in thechampionship game.[36] The Colts had lost twice to the Packers during the regular season, and Unitas and backupGary Cuozzo were sidelined by injuries as the playoffs approached.[37] Baltimore got out to a 10–0 lead at halftime while using halfbackTom Matte at quarterback, but the Packers, coached byVince Lombardi, made a comeback in the second half and tied the score at the end of regulation.[38] The Colts stopped the Packers on their opening drive in the sudden-death overtime, but the ensuing drive ended with a missed field goal by placekickerLou Michaels.[38] The Packers then drove for a field goal of their own, winning 13–10.[36][38] Shula said after the game that while his team could not expect to execute its usual strategy without Unitas and Cuozzo, the Colts "don't belong in this league" if they could not beat Green Bay once in three tries.[38]
The Colts fell to second place in the NFL Westthe following season, the first year aSuper Bowl was played between the NFL champion and the winner of the rivalAmerican Football League.[39] In 1967, the Colts again failed to make the playoffs despite a regular-season record of 11–1–2, losing the newly created Coastal Division on a tiebreaker with theLos Angeles Rams because the Rams scored more points in the games between the two clubs.[40][41][42] The Colts' only loss was a 34–10 setback to the Rams at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the final Sunday of the season.[43] Though the season ended in disappointment, Shula won his second Coach of the Year award, and Unitas was again the league's MVP.[44]
Before the 1968 season began, Unitas injured his elbow and was replaced by backupEarl Morrall.[44] Expectations for Morrall were low, but the veteran quarterback led the Colts to a string of wins at the beginning of the season.[45] Shula tried to ease Unitas back into the lineup, but the quarterback's injury flared up numerous times, culminating with a game against Cleveland in which he had just one completion and three interceptions.[45] That turned out to be the only loss of the season for Baltimore, which finished with a league-leading 13–1 record.[46] The Colts beat theMinnesota Vikings in theWestern Conference championship game, and then beat the Browns 34–0 in theNFL Championship Game the following week.[46] That set up a matchup with theNew York Jets inSuper Bowl III. The Jets were coached by Ewbank, and led by quarterbackJoe Namath, who guaranteed a victory before the game despite being the underdog. New York won the game 16–7.[46]
Shula spent one more season as the head coach of the Colts, who posted an 8–5–1 record in 1969 and missed the playoffs.[47] He compiled a 71–23–4 record in seven seasons in Baltimore, but was just 2–3 in the postseason, including upset losses in the1964 NFL Championship Game and Super Bowl III, where the Colts were heavy favorites.[48]
Shula's 73 victories were the most in Colts history until 2007 whenTony Dungy surpassed him with his 74th win.
The relationship between Shula and Rosenbloom had soured after Shula's Super Bowl loss in 1969, and when Miami Dolphins ownerJoe Robbie offered the coach a $70,000-a-year contract, the powers of general manager, and a 10% ownership stake in the AFL team afterthat season, he jumped at the opportunity.[49][50][51] Rosenbloom cried foul at an NFL meeting in 1970 in Hawaii, alleging that Robbie's hiring of his coach violated the league's prohibition ontampering, or negotiating to hire other teams' employees without seeking permission.[52] Shula and Robbie hoped that Shula's ownership stake and status as his own general manager would avoid tampering penalties under an exception for an employee leaving a club to "better himself".[50] League commissionerPete Rozelle found the Dolphins in violation of the tampering policy because they did not seek permission to negotiate and did not notify the Colts of the hiring before its announcement.[52] As punishment, Rozelle awarded the Colts Miami's first-round pick in1971.[52]
The Dolphins had been one of the AFL's worst teams in the years leading up to Shula's hiring, which came as the AFL and NFL prepared tomerge starting in the 1970 season. Between the team's founding in 1966 and the 1969 season, the Dolphins won no more than five games in any season under coachGeorge Wilson.[53][54][55][56]
Shula led Miami to immediate success, delivering a 10–4 win–loss record in the 1970 season and a 10–3–1 record the following year, when the team won the AFC championship but lostSuper Bowl VI to theDallas Cowboys by a score of 24–3.[57][58] The team's stars included several futurePro Football Hall of Fame members: quarterbackBob Griese, fullbackLarry Csonka, guardLarry Little, centerJim Langer, linebackerNick Buoniconti and wide receiverPaul Warfield, whom Shula acquired from the Browns in 1970 for a first-round draft pick.[59][60]
Shula's Miami teams during his first decade as coach were known for great offensive lines, led byLarry Little,Jim Langer,Bob Kuechenberg andNorm Evans, strong running games featuring Csonka,Jim Kiick, andMercury Morris, quarterbacking by Griese andEarl Morrall and excellent receivers in Warfield,Howard Twilley andJim Mandich.[61][62] The Dolphins' defense was known as "The No-Name Defense", though it had a number of outstanding players, including defensive tackleManny Fernandez, linebackerNick Buoniconti, andsafetiesDick Anderson andJake Scott.[63]
In1972, Shula led Miami to the NFL's first and only perfect season, ending with a 17–0 record and a 14–7 victory inSuper Bowl VII over theWashington Redskins.[64] No other team has since equaled that feat; the2007 Patriots went undefeated until losing to theNew York Giants in theSuper Bowl.[64] Shula strung together the wins despite the loss of his quarterback, Griese, due to injury in the fifth game of the season. He was replaced by 38-year-oldEarl Morrall, who had been the backup to Unitas during Shula's years in Baltimore.[64] Griese was able to return for the playoffs, leading the team in the Super Bowl win.[64] That season, Shula would also be the first American professional football coach to reach 100 wins in his first decade as a head coach.[65]
Shula's1973 team lost its second game of the season to theOakland Raiders, ending an overall winning streak that stretched to 18 games.[66] That run is tied for the third-longest in league history.[67] The team finished with a 12–2 regular-season record and went on to win a secondSuper Bowl in a row, defeating theMinnesota Vikings 24–7.[68][69]
The 1974 Dolphins had a chance to win a third title in a row, but they fell to theOakland Raiders 28–26 in an AFC divisional playoff game.[70][71] With 35 seconds remaining in the game, Oakland quarterbackKen Stabler was in the process of being sacked by Dolphins defensive endVern Den Herder when, just before he was tackled, he completed a desperation forward pass to his running backClarence Davis in the game's final moments — since dubbedThe Sea of Hands play.[70] The Dolphins team was decimated the following season by the creation of the now-defunctWorld Football League and their inability to match contract offers from the rival league to three of its star players: Csonka, Warfield andJim Kiick. All three left to join theMemphis Southmen for the 1975 season.[72]
Shula led the team to more winning seasons through the 1970s and into the 1980s, only posting a losing record once, in 1976 when the team finished 6–8.[73] The team advanced to the playoffs in1978,1979 and1981, but lost in the first round each time.[74][75] The playoff loss in the 1981 season against theSan Diego Chargers was a hard-fought back-and-forth battle that many sportswriters, players and coaches consider one of the greatest games ever played. Shula called it "maybe the greatest ever".[76] The Chargers won the so-calledEpic in Miami 41–38 with a field goal in double-overtime.[77]
In 1982, Shula's team advanced through the playoffs to theSuper Bowl during the strike-shortened season, but lost the championship to theWashington Redskins.[78] The offense was led byDavid Woodley andDon Strock, who shared duties at quarterback following Griese's retirement after the 1980 season, and fullbackAndra Franklin, who was second in the NFL in rushing.[79][80] The defense, one of the best in the league, was nicknamed the "Killer Bees" because six starters' last names began with "B", including defensive tackleBob Baumhower, linebackerBob Brudzinski and safetiesLyle Blackwood and his brotherGlenn Blackwood.[81]
The1983 season marked the beginning of a new era in Miami with the selection of quarterbackDan Marino out of theUniversity of Pittsburgh in the first round of theNFL draft.[82] Marino won the starting job halfway through the1983 regular season, and by1984, the Dolphins were back in theSuper Bowl, due largely to Marino's record 5,084 yards through the air and 48 touchdown passes.[83][84] The Dolphins, however, lost the game to theSan Francisco 49ers, then led by quarterbackJoe Montana.[85]
Over the years, Shula's relationship with Robbie chilled considerably, in part due to Robbie's unwillingness to spend money on higher-profile players, which led to contract holdouts by Marino and linebackerJohn Offerdahl.[86] Shula's power over the Dolphins as general manager and part-owner of the team also led to conflict that at times burst into public view. When Shula arrived late to a banquet celebrating Miami's 1974 Super Bowl win, Robbie ordered Shula to "get the hell into the room," to which Shula replied that he'd "knock you on your ass" if Robbie shouted at him again.[86]
One of the few times Shula came close to leaving Miami was during the 1983 season, whenDonald Trump, the owner of theNew Jersey Generals in the upstartUnited States Football League, offered Shula a $1 million-a-year contract–a significant increase from the $450,000 Shula was earning at the time with the Dolphins.[87] Trump said the negotiations were derailed when Shula insisted on obtaining a rent-free apartment atTrump Tower.[88] Shula broke off the negotiations and called the courtship "a huge distraction", deciding to stay in Miami.[88] Years later, Larry Csonka, by then an executive with theJacksonville Bulls, said that he believed Shula would have taken the job with Trump's team, but he was angered at being "thrown out to the press" by Trump.[89]
After the 1984 season, Shula's teams posted only one losing record, but they never again advanced to the Super Bowl.[73] The Dolphins reached the playoffs in 1985, 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1995, Shula's final season.[73] On October 2, 1994, Don Shula's Miami Dolphins defeated son David Shula's Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 23–7. Dubbed the “Shula Bowl”, it marked the first time in NFL history that a head coaching matchup featured father against son.[90] Shula's retirement in 1996 was tinged by speculation that he was forced out byWayne Huizenga, a businessman who took full ownership of the team in 1994 from the Robbie family, who inherited it after Robbie's death in 1990.[91] Shula said he was "at peace with myself" in making the decision to step away from the game at 66 years old.[91] He finished his coaching career with a 328–156–6 regular-season record, giving him the all-time lead in wins for an NFL head coach.[92]
Shula changed his coaching strategy as his personnel changed.[93] His Super Bowl teams in1971,1972,1973, and1982 were keyed by a run-first offensive strategy and a dominating defense.[93] In the years when Marino was quarterback, the team leaned on its offense, and particularly its passing attack, to win games.[93] "I've been accused of being a conservative, 'grind'em-out' kind of coach, because that was the style of my teams in 1972–73, but I point out that when I was at Baltimore, and Johnny Unitas was my quarterback, we used to have a wide-open, explosive passing attack," Shula said in 1985. "And when I came down to Miami, I didn't try to jam the Unitas style down the throat of Bob Griese, who was a different kind of quarterback, nor did I try to force the Griese style on Marino when he came along."[94]
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Shula entered the branding business in 1989, lending his name to asteakhouse owned by the wealthy Graham family, who became friends with Shula and his family after the Shulas moved to the Graham-developed suburb ofMiami Lakes.[95] Dozens of Shula-branded restaurants opened in the ensuing years, primarily in Florida, including steakhouses, burger restaurants and bars.[95][96] Shula also put his name on other Graham-owned properties in 1991, including the family's hotel in Miami Lakes where his first steakhouse was located. It was renamed Don Shula's Hotel & Golf Club in exchange for an equity stake in the family's hospitality division.[97] He remained active in the branding business during his retirement, and the company bearing his name expanded, although his sonDave assumed management of the firm during his later years.[95][98]
Shula also became a frequent product promoter in his later years, working for Miami-based auto dealership Warren Henry, HearUSA hearing aids,NutriSystem diet plans,Humana health insurance andBudweiser beer, among others.[98] In 2007, he joined his wife Mary Ann in promoting NutriSystem diets geared for people age 60 and older.[99] "If it's something I feel fits into my personality, what I feel is important and what I actually do, then I'll do it. It's all things that I enjoy doing and take a lot of pride in representing," he said in 2012.[98] As part of a government public awareness campaign, Shula was the first American to enroll in theMedicare Part D prescription drug plan, just after midnight on November 15, 2005.[100]
After Shula's retirement, he was named the Dolphins' vice-chairman.[51] He maintained other connections to football in retirement, often appearing in ceremonial roles. In 2003, atSuper Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, he performed theceremonial coin toss to end the pregame ceremonies.[101] In 2007, atSuper Bowl XLI inMiami Gardens, Shula took part in theVince Lombardi Trophy presentation.[102] On February 3, 2008, he attendedSuper Bowl XLII inGlendale, Arizona, in which the Patriots could have matched his Dolphins team's perfect season, but lost.[103]
Shula was also an avid golfer after his coaching career and had a home near the Indian Creek Country Club in the wealthy enclave ofIndian Creek, Florida as well as acondominium overlooking theLinks at Pebble Bay inPebble Beach, California.[104] On March 25, 2007, Shula presented the Winners Cup toTiger Woods, winner of the 2007 WGC-CA Golf Tournament held at theDoral Resort in Miami.[104]
Shula was involved in a number of activities outside of sports. In 2011, he received theEllis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.[105] And atJohn Carroll University, he endowed the Don Shula Chair in Philosophy, which supports the Philosophy Department by presenting programs of interest to philosophers and the general public.[106]
Shula suffered fromsleep apnea and heart issues toward the end of his life, and had apacemaker implanted in 2016.[107] Shula died on May 4, 2020, at the age of 90 at his home in Indian Creek.[108][109]
Shula married Painesville, Ohio native Dorothy Bartish, with whom he was in a relationship since high school, on July 19, 1958, after his playing career ended.[110] They had five children:Dave (b. May 28, 1959), Donna (b. April 28, 1961), Sharon (b. June 30, 1962), Anne (b. May 7, 1964), andMike (b. June 3, 1965). Dorothy died ofbreast cancer on February 25, 1991, aged 57.[6] That same year, the Don Shula Foundation for Breast Cancer Research was founded.[111]
He married his second wife, Mary Anne Stephens, on October 15, 1993.[110] They resided in the Indian Creek home Mary Anne had received in her divorce settlement from her third husband, investment bankerJackson T. Stephens.[112] The couple split their time between Indian Creek and a home inSan Francisco where they stayed during Florida's hurricane season.[107]
Shula was a devoutCatholic throughout his life. He said in 1974, at the peak of his coaching career, that he attendedMass every morning.[113] Shula once considered becoming aCatholic priest, but decided he could not commit to being both priest and coach.[113]
Shula set numerous records in his 33 seasons as a head coach. He is the all-time leader in victories with 347 when including the postseason.[114] He is first in most games coached, with 526, most consecutive seasons coached, with 33, and Super Bowl losses with four, tied withBud Grant,Dan Reeves, andMarv Levy.[115][116] His teams won 15 division titles, six conference title wins, two NFL championships and six Super Bowl appearances.[117]
Shula's teams were consistently among the least penalized in the NFL.[118]
Shula was known as a tough and practical coach who worked players hard and put an emphasis on discipline, which helped reduce errors in games.[119][120] However, while he looked the tough-guy part, Shula paired it with a sharp football mind that helped keep him ahead of the competition.[120]
During the last 20 years of his coaching career, Shula served on the NFL's Competition Committee, an era when the body pushed through rules that made the league more pass-oriented.[121]
Shula had a winning record against almost every coach he faced, with seven exceptions: Levy, against whom he was 6–14 during the regular season and 0–3 in the playoffs;John Madden, against whom he was 2–2 in the regular season and 1–2 in the playoffs for a total of 3–4; andBill Cowher, against whom Shula was 1–2 late in his career.[122] Shula also had losing records againstTom Flores (1–6)Raymond Berry (3–8),Walt Michaels (5–7–1), and Vince Lombardi (5–8).[122]
Shula has the distinction of having coached five different quarterbacks to Super Bowl appearances:Johnny Unitas andEarl Morrall in 1968,Bob Griese in 1971, 1972, and 1973,David Woodley in 1982, andDan Marino in 1984, three of them future Hall of Famers.[123] He also coached Johnny Unitas to another World Championship appearance in the pre-Super Bowl era in 1964.[124] The only other NFL coach to approach this distinction isJoe Gibbs, who coached four Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks —Joe Theismann,Doug Williams, andMark Rypien — winning three times.[125]
Shula was added to theMiami Dolphin Honor Roll on November 25, 1996, not long after he retired.[126] He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997, in his first year of eligibility.[127] In 1999, Shula was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor coachVince Lombardi's legacy, and is given annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the coach.[128] On January 31, 2010, a statue of him was unveiled atHard Rock Stadium, where the Dolphins play.[51] The stadium's street address is 347 Don Shula Drive, making reference to his career win total.[51] In 2011, he was added to a Walk of Fame outside the stadium, and in 2013 he attended a White House ceremony honoring the 1972 team's perfect season.[51]
Shula is honored at theDon Shula Stadium atJohn Carroll University, which was named after him when it opened in 2003, and theDon Shula Expressway inMiami, which was dedicated in 1983.[51] Since 2002, an annual college football game betweenSouth Florida schoolsFlorida Atlantic andFIU is named theShula Bowl in his honor.[129] The game's winner receives a traveling trophy named theDon Shula Award.[129]
Shula co-authored three books:The Winning Edge (1973) with Lou SahadiISBN 0-525-23500-0,Everyone's a Coach (1995)ISBN 0-310-20815-7, andThe Little Black Book of Coaching: Motivating People to be Winners (2001);ISBN 0-06-662103-8, both with Ken Blanchard (author of The One Minute Manager).
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BAL | 1963 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3rd in Western Conference | — | |||
| BAL | 1964 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 1st in Western Conference | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toCleveland Browns inNFL Championship Game |
| BAL | 1965 | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 2nd in Western Conference | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toGreen Bay Packers inWestern Conference Playoff |
| BAL | 1966 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2nd in Western Conference | — | |||
| BAL | 1967 | 11 | 1 | 2 | .917 | 2nd in Coastal Division | — | |||
| BAL | 1968 | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 1st in Coastal Division | 2 | 1 | .667 | Won 1968 NFL Championship. Lost toNew York Jets inSuper Bowl III |
| BAL | 1969 | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 2nd in Coastal Division | — | |||
| BAL Total | 71 | 23 | 4 | .755 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||
| MIA | 1970 | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2nd in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toOakland Raiders inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1971 | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 1st in AFC East | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toDallas Cowboys inSuper Bowl VI |
| MIA | 1972 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st in AFC East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl VII champions |
| MIA | 1973 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 1st in AFC East | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl VIII champions |
| MIA | 1974 | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 1st in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toOakland Raiders inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1975 | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2nd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1976 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3rd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1977 | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 2nd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1978 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toHouston Oilers inAFC wild card game |
| MIA | 1979 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toPittsburgh Steelers inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1980 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1981 | 11 | 4 | 1 | .719 | 1st in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toSan Diego Chargers inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1982* | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 1st in AFC East | 3 | 1 | .750 | Lost toWashington Redskins inSuper Bowl XVII |
| MIA | 1983 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toSeattle Seahawks inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1984 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 1st in AFC East | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toSan Francisco 49ers inSuper Bowl XIX |
| MIA | 1985 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toNew England Patriots inAFC Championship Game |
| MIA | 1986 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1987 | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 3rd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1988 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5th in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1989 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1990 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 2nd in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toBuffalo Bills inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1991 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1992 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toBuffalo Bills inAFC Championship Game |
| MIA | 1993 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC East | — | |||
| MIA | 1994 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toSan Diego Chargers inAFC Divisional Game |
| MIA | 1995 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toBuffalo Bills inAFC Wild Card Game |
| MIA Total | 257 | 133 | 2 | .659 | 17 | 14 | .548 | |||
| Total[13] | 328 | 156 | 6 | .677 | 19 | 17 | .528 | |||
Shula worked under three head coaches:
Nine of Shula's assistant coaches have become NFL or NCAA head coaches:
Four of Shula's former players have become NFL or NCAA head coaches:
Four of Shula's executives became general managers in the NFL:
Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and player Don Shula in 1930 (age 89)
