Don Shula: OJ Simpson Reacts to Hall of Fame Coach’s Death

Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula died on Monday at the age of 90, per a statement released by the Miami Dolphins. He was the Dolphins’ head coach from 1970-1995 and led the team to an undefeated season in 1972. O.J. Simpson, who played running back for the rival Buffalo Bills from 1969-1978, saw the news and sent his condolences to Shula’s family.

The Juice posted a video on his Twitter account on Monday, reminiscing about Shula. He believes that the former Dolphins coach belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of NFL coaches alongside Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick. Simpson and his friends can’t agree on the fourth coach, but the former running back feels that Chuck Noll (Pittsburgh Steelers) belonged on the list with Shula, Lombardi and Belichick. He didn’t choose Joe Walsh due to the former San Francisco 49ers coach having fewer than 100 wins to his name.

“Shula was the one coach that I wanted to play for in my career,” Simpson said. “Unfortunately, I had to play against him twice a year in Buffalo against Miami, and never in all of those years did we ever win one game. That No-Name Defense, boy were they good.”

Simpson joined several high-profile figures on Monday praising Shula for the accomplishments of his coaching career. Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino said that Shula embodied “the definition of ‘greatness.’” Belichick, on the other hand, said that Shula is “the standard for consistency and leadership” in the NFL.

“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 found considerable success during his coaching career with the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins. He led the Dolphins to five Super Bowl appearances, winning two. During his tenure with the Colts, Shula led the team to two NFL Championship games with the team winning the title in 1968. Shula spent 33 years as a head coach but only had two losing seasons (1976, 1988).