The NFL community is remembering Don Shula as he died at the age of 90 on Monday. Shula was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and one of his best players, Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino, went to Twitter to react to the news of the legendary coach’s death. He thanked his former coach for believing in him and said his attitude was a big reason for the team’s success.
“Coach Shula – you will truly be missed!” Marino wrote. You embody the definition of ‘greatness.’ You brought that winning attitude with you every day and made everyone around you better. Thank you for always believing in me. My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Shula family. Love you Coach.” Marino was a member of the Dolphins for his entire career (1983-1999). With the help of Shula, Marino was able to lead the Dolphins to a Super Bowl appearance in 1984. The team was not able to get back to the big game, but Marino still had a lot of success in Miami, throwing for 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns.
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“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.
Shula was Marino’s head coach until he retired after the 1995 season. During their time together the only year the Dolphins had a losing season was in 1988. In Shula’s final season, the Dolphins finished with a 9-7 record and lost the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Marino threw for 3,668 yards and 24 touchdowns in 1995.
Along with leading the Dolphins to a Super Bowl appearance, Marino was named to the Pro Bowl nine times and the All-Pro Team eight times. He was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1984. His No. 13 jersey is retired, and both Marino and Shula were recently named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
