Legendary Football Coach Don Shula Passes Away

The NFL along with the rest of the sports world continues to mourn the passing of legendary coach Don Shula.  The two-time Super Bowl Champion passed away yesterday at the age of 90.  He was the winningest coach in NFL history.  Known for his strict, competitive demeanor, many sports fans, players, and analysts remember him as the only coach to lead a team to a perfect season.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins went 17-0, winning Super Bowl VII.  He followed that feat up by winning a second consecutive Super Bowl the following year.  Many of his players on that team believed that the 1973 team was even more dominant than the 1972 team, despite not going undefeated that season.

What made Shula one of the greatest coaches in NFL history was the fact that he kept the Dolphins a powerhouse even after their dominant era in the 1970s.  The Dolphins made it to two additional Super Bowls in the 1980s as Shula coached quarterback Dan Marino, who is now widely considered to be one of the best football players of all time.  

Despite his success with the Dolphins, many forget his ties with the city of Baltimore.  From 1953-1956, he played as a defensive back for the Baltimore Colts and went on to coach them a decade later at the age of 33.  He took the team to two NFL championships in 1964 and 1968, winning the latter.  The Colts would advance to Super Bowl III in the 1968 season.

Shula retired from coaching in 1995, but his legacy continues to live on.  In four decades of coaching in the NFL, Shula finished with a 328-156-6 record and coached in six Super Bowls, winning two.  He will be missed.