NFL fans are in mourning as former Dolphins head coach Don Shula died on Monday. He was 90 years old and will be remembered as one of the best coaches in NFL history. No other coach has won more games than Shula, posting a total of 347 wins from 1963-1995. During that time, Shula won three championships – one with the Baltimore Colts and two with the Miami Dolphins. In 1972, Shula led the Dolphins to a perfect 14-0 record, which led to a Super Bowl win. No other NFL team since has been able to go undefeated throughout the entire year.
“The Miami Dolphins are saddened to announce that head coach Don Shula passed away peacefully at his home this morning,” the team said in a statement. “Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years. He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene. Our deepest thoughts are prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike.
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Because of what Shula did during his time in NFL, he’s seen as a person who made the NFL what it is today. And because of that, many fans are paying tribute to a true legend of the game.
Don Shula
— Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) May 4, 2020
• 7 NFL seasons as a player
• 36 NFL seasons as a coach
• 2x Super Bowl champ (VII, VIII)
• 4x Coach of the Year (1964, ‘67, ‘68, ‘72)
• NFL’s all-time winningest coach (347, regular + postseason)
• Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of ‘97)
RIP 🙏 pic.twitter.com/B1Ac3kJFok
Don Shula went 138-39-5 in his first 13 seasons with the #Colts and #Dolphins.
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) May 4, 2020
Two Super Bowls, a NFL title, three conference titles (post-merger).
.758 win percentage. Insane.
RIP Don Shula. What a coaching legend. Changed styles completely with Dan Marino to show how great he was as a coach.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) May 4, 2020
Don Shula’s legacy is etched into the fiber of the NFL. You cannot tell the story of this league without a chapter on the winningest coach of all time who spanned generations and spawned the only perfect season
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) May 4, 2020
#RIP #DonShula The first time I met Coach Shula it was at the combine and he saw my name tag and said, “I always wanted to meet the man that was listed ahead of me in the American Football Coaches manual. #GreatCoach https://t.co/pQEwjmmsbE
— Dan Shonka (@Ourlads_Shonka) May 4, 2020
Today is a sad day. Coach Shula was the rare man who exemplified true greatness in every aspect of his life. He will be so missed by so many but his legacy of character and excellence will endure. All my best to Mary Anne and the Shula family. pic.twitter.com/PLoIhyPGrl
— Tom Garfinkel (@TomGarfinkel) May 4, 2020
All-time wins list tells you all you need to know on his legacy.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 4, 2020
1) Don Shula 328
2) George Halas 318
3) Bill Belichick 273
4) Tom Landry 250
5) Curly Lambeau 226
6) Paul Brown 213
7) Andy Reid 207
8) Marty Schottenheimer 200
9) Chuck Noll 193
10) Dan Reeves 190
“You can’t tell the story of this league… without a chapter on Don Shula.” – @JasonLaCanfora pic.twitter.com/SRMhR6fbVo
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 4, 2020
⭐️ Most wins in NFL history (347)
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 4, 2020
⭐️ 2x Super Bowl Champion
⭐️ 4x Coach of the Year
⭐️ Coached the NFL’s only perfect season
Don Shula’s legacy will live forever. Rest in Peace, Coach. pic.twitter.com/4vUu0oimXU
RIP Don Shula. His physical health had diminished, but the joy of being around him never did. “He’s done the things he wants to do and he’s enjoying every minute of his life,” his wife, Mary Anne, said in 2013. “He is a very spiritual man, and he’s at peace with the world.”
— Jenny Vrentas (@JennyVrentas) May 4, 2020
Don Shula was an NFL head coach for 33 seasons and only had a losing record in TWO of them: 1976 (6-8) and 1988 (6-10). TWO. His 347 wins as a head coach (including playoffs) are the most in NFL history. George Halas had 324. Bill Belichick has 304.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) May 4, 2020
For so many of us who grew up in South Florida during the 1970s, 80s & 90s, there was no larger-than-life sports figure more so than Don Shula. RIP, coach. @Gil_Brandt & I will celebrate his life from 7-10 pm ET tonight on @SiriusXMNFL
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) May 4, 2020
The Greatest.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 4, 2020
Thank you for everything, Coach Shula. pic.twitter.com/7eXY4ZOKn6
Rest in peace to the winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/4mZ8cjUBl2
— NFL (@NFL) May 4, 2020
Don Shula won more games than any other coach in NFL history.
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 4, 2020
Rest easy. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/kFxIyETjXh
Wild Don Shula stat.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) May 4, 2020
Coached 33 years in the NFL.
31 winning records. TWO losing records.
We lost one of the most iconic men in the history of NFL coaching in Don Shula. His leadership and wisdom helped to guide me and many others who have made a life in coaching football. Thank you Coach Shula. May your spirit and legacy live on forever. RIP
— Bill Cowher (@CowherCBS) May 4, 2020
My most treasured day as a sports reporter: On the day before Don Shula’s 80th birthday, he invited me to his house. We spent hours on his veranda, overlooking Biscayne Bay, as he told story after story, treating me not like a reporter but like a grandson. I will never forget it.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 4, 2020
In 1993, SI saluted the most successful NFL coach in history.
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 4, 2020
Don Shula was a man whose mastery of the game spanned four decades: https://t.co/OwxR238YLW pic.twitter.com/0gv19Ijcv5
Coach Don Shula leaves behind an incomparable legacy as the NFL’s winningest coach and as the one who put Miami sports on the map.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 4, 2020
Don Shula was the face (and jaw) of a franchise throughout the 1970s, 80’s and into the mid-1990s. He raised two Lombardi Trophies in Miami. And, oh yes, his team in 1972 was perfect — a feat never equaled before or since.
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) May 4, 2020
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