Don Shula was a well-known coach and was beloved by many players during his 33-year career. He holds the record for the most wins in NFL history with 328 victories and 347 total wins, including playoffs. Shula earned his 200th career victory 41 years ago this week on November 8th, 1981.
In week 10 of the 1981 season, the Miami Dolphins took on the New England Patriots on the road. Miami trailed 17-6 at halftime to the two-win Pats but would rally and take a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter. After trading scores in the fourth, the Dolphins won the game 30-27 in overtime.
Don Shula has a slew of accolades, and his mark left on the game will forever be lasting. Shula served on the competition committee for the last 20 years of his career. The same committee that played a role in the rule changes that geared the NFL to a more passing-friendly league. Don Shula’s career may never be duplicated, and his legacy is head and shoulders above the rest.
Don Shula = Perfection:
Shula impacted the teams he coached from day one, which resulted in 15 division titles. His first stop as head coach in the NFL was in Baltimore, where he coached the Colts from 1963-1969. During that time, Shula won three of his four AP Coach of The Year awards, including back-to-back awards in 1967-1968. In ‘68, he coached the colts to an NFL Championship but lost to the New York Jets in the Super Bowl 16-7. Baltimore entered the game 15-1.
Don Shula took over as the Dolphins’ head coach from 1970 until 1995. He processed to coach them to five Super Bowl appearances (‘71,’72,’73,’82,’84) and two Super Bowl wins (‘72,’73). Shula collected his fourth and final AP Coach of The Year award in 1972. The same year he became the first and only coach ever to lead a team to a perfect record for the entire season.
During his time in Miami, Don Shula posted a 257-133-4 record over 26 seasons. From 1970 until 1995, the Phins made 16 trips to the postseason and won at least one game in nine of those 16 years. Shula coached in the playoffs 19 times which is over half of his career, and holds a 19-17 record.
Over his 33-year stay in the NFL, Shula coached four league MVP winners. Johnny Unitas (2), Earl Morrall, and Dan Marino. Coach Shula holds multiple distinctions, such as being the first coach to lead two teams to a Super Bowl and appear in three straight. He was the first to coach in six Super Bowls and the only coach to guide two franchises to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
More Accolades:
Don Shula is tied with three other coaches for the most losses in the Super Bowl with four. The other coaches were Marv Levy, Bud Grant, and Dan Reeves. Shula was able to coach five different quarterbacks to a Super Bowl (Morrall, Unitas, Woodley, Greise, Marino). His regular season record of 328-156-6 makes him the winningest coach in history.
Of all the coaches Don Shula faced off against, he has a losing record against seven. He has a losing record vs. Marv Levy (6-14), John Madden (3-4 inc. playoffs), Bill Cowher (1-2), Tom Flores (1-6), Raymond Berry (3-8), Walt Michaels (5-7-1) and Vince Lombardi (5-8).
Don Shula Coaching Tree:
Over the years, Shula’s impact has gone beyond winning. In his 33 years of service as the head coach of two organizations, he’s had the opportunity to mold great minds into excellent assets later in their careers. The coaching tree of Shula has three very notable names. The first being Chuck Noll, who was an assistant under Shula working as the defensive backs coach in Baltimore. Noll went on to coach the Steelers from 1969-1991, winning four Super Bowls along the way and an induction into the Hall Of Fame in 1993
The two other “disciples” are very recent names. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Peterson played for Shula in 1993 and has his own Super Bowl as head coach of the Eagles. Doug Marrone was also a player for Shula and had limited success as head coach for the Bills and Jaguars.
Lasting Impact:
Don Shula was elected to the Hall Of Fame in 1997 for all his hard work over three decades. His 347 total wins may never be eclipsed, and the league is an air show these days. Even though Don Shula has retired and passed, his impact on today’s NFL will be felt for years to come
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