Don Shula, the NFL’s winningest coach who led the Miami Dolphins to the league’s only undefeated season, died on Monday, May 4th. He was 90.
The Dolphins issued a statement saying that Shula died “peacefully at his home.” Shula is survived by his second wife, two sons and three daughters.
Donald Francis Shula was an American professional football coach and player. The winningest coach in NFL history, Shula was best known for his time being the longtime head coach of the Miami Dolphins, leading them to two Super Bowl victories, including the only perfect season in NFL history in 1972.
He was previously the head coach of the Baltimore Colts, with whom he won the 1968 NFL Championship. Shula was drafted out of John Carroll University in the 1951 NFL Draft, and he played professionally as a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts, and Washington Redskins.
Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. He had only two losing seasons in his 33-year career as a head coach in the NFL, and led his teams to six Super Bowl appearances. In Super Bowl III, his first, the Colts set the record for the longest period to be shut out, not scoring until 3:19 remained in the game, which was later broken in Super Bowl VII. At his next Super Bowl, the Dolphins set the Super Bowl record for the lowest points scored by any team, with one field goal.
The following year, he coached a perfect season and broke the record of longest shutout, this time with his team on the winning side, not giving up any points until 2:07 remained. The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champions the following season, as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24–7. He holds the NFL record for most career wins as a head coach with 347 (328 in the regular season). Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
“If I’m remembered for anything, I hope it’s for playing within the rules,” Shula once said. “I also hope it will be said that my teams showed class and dignity in victory or defeat.”
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