Don Shula

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Full Name: Donald Francis Shula Primary Position: DB/DHB/HB Height/Weight: 5' 11"/190 College: John Carroll University Birthdate: January 4, 1930 High School: Harvey (Painesville, OH) Birthplace: Painesville, Ohio Pro Experience: 7 years

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[edit] Biography

Donald Francis Shula (born January 4, 1930 in Grand River, Ohio) is a former professional football coach for the National Football League. He is best known as coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he lead to two Super Bowl victories, and an undefeated season in 1972. He currently holds the NFL record for most career wins with 328, and is one of the most highly regarded and well respected coaches of all-time.

[edit] Personal Life

Don Shula was born in the cradle of coaches that is northern Ohio in 1930. He grew up in suburban Cleveland, graduating from Harvey High School in Painesville, then moving on to John Carroll University. He played football at both career stops. He also graduated in 1954 with an M.A. in Physical Education from Case Western Reserve University.

[edit] Football Career

In 1951, Shula was signed by the Cleveland Browns as a defensive back. He played under Paul Brown. He then moved to the Baltimore Colts for the 1953 season. He played with Baltimore for four seasons before finishing his playing career with the Washington Redskins. Shula intercepted 21 passes in his seven NFL seasons, returning them for 267 yards. He also recovered four fumbles, but his true calling was coaching.

[edit] Early Coaching Career

Shula took a position as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky in 1959, coaching offensive backs under head coach Blanton Collier.

Shula played under both the aforementioned Paul Brown and Weeb Ewbank, a Brown disciple, who is also in the Hall of Fame. In fact, upon his retirement, Ewbank hired Shula as an assistant coach.

When Ewbank left to coach the New York Jets in 1963, Shula was hired by owner Carroll Rosenbloom to coach Baltimore although he was only 33 years old.

Shula took the controls and led the Colts to an 8-6 record in 1963. He was extremely successful in the regular season for Baltimore. He had a 71-23-4 record in seven seasons with the club but he was just 2-3 in the postseason losing twice in the NFL Championship Game. He was the losing coach in Super Bowl III, the famous game in which Joe Namath of the New York Jets guaranteed a victory.

[edit] Miami Dolphins

After the 1969 season, Joe Robbie, owner of the Miami Dolphins, signed Shula to a contract to become the second head coach in Miami. Subsequently, the team was charged with tampering, which forced the Dolphins to give their first round pick to the Colts. The decision was a controversial one by the NFL, since the discussions and signing were done before and after the official NFL/AFL merger, respectively.

Shula had unparalleled success with Miami in the 1970s. His teams were known for a strong running game (featuring Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris) and a solid quarterback, with a defense that worked well as a cohesive unit; his teams were consistently among the least penalized in the NFL. Using what he learned from Brown and Ewbank, Shula led the Dolphins to three Super Bowl apperances, two Super Bowl wins and seven playoff appearances in the 1970s.

In 1972, the Dolphins became the only team in the modern NFL to go undefeated (14-0) in the regular season. They swept the playoffs and finished 17-0, a mark still unequalled. Including the Dolphins' 12-2 mark in 1973, the club also set a record with a 32-2 record over two seasons.

Shula also changed his coaching strategy as his personnel changed. His Super Bowl teams in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1982 were keyed by a run-first offensive strategy and a dominating defense. In 1983, shortly after losing Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins, the Dolphins drafted quarterback Dan Marino out of the University of Pittsburgh. Marino won the starting job halfway through the 1983 regular season, and by 1984 the Dolphins were back in the Super Bowl thanks largely to Marino's record 5,084 yards through the air and 48 touchdown passes. Shula's offensive strategies helped Marino over his career rewrite the NFL record book for quarterbacks.

After the Dolphins' 1973 Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings, it was expected that Shula would win several more championships. Despite consistent success in the regular season, Shula was unable to capture another title, failing in 11 trips to the playoffs -- including two more Super Bowl appearances -- before retiring after the 1995 season.

Shula set numerous records in his 33 seasons as a head coach. He holds NFL records for regular season wins (328), total victories (347), single season win percentage (1.000 in 1972), most games coached (526), most playoff losses (17), and most consecutive seasons coached (33).

Shula left quite a legacy. He is honored at the Don Shula Stadium at John Carroll University, and the Don Shula Expressway in Miami. Additionally, an annual college football game between South Florida schools Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University is named the Shula Bowl in his honor. The game's winner receives a traveling trophy named the Don Shula Award. His sons David and Mike have become successful coaches. On October 2, 1994, Don and David Shula became the first father and son to coach against each other. David's Cincinnati Bengals fell at home 23-7. Mike Shula is currently the head coach at his alma mater, The University of Alabama, where he played quarterback from 1983-86.

In retirement, Shula has lent his name to a chain of popular steakhouses Shula's Steakhouse.

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