Don Shula

Don Shula

refer to caption

Shula in 2009
No. 96, 44, 25, 26
Position: Defensive back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1930-01-04) January 4, 1930
Place of birth: Grand River, Ohio
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight: 190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school: Painesville (OH) Harvey
College: John Carroll
NFL Draft: 1951 / Round: 9 / Pick: 110
Career history
As player:
As coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions: 21
Player stats at NFL.com
Head coaching record
Regular season: 328–156–6 (.676)
Postseason: 19–17 (.528)
Career: 347–173–6 (.665)
Coaching stats at PFR

Donald Francis Shula (born January 4, 1930) is a former professional American football coach and player who is best known as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, the team he led to two Super Bowl victories, and to the only perfect season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head coach of the Baltimore Colts, with whom he won the 1968 NFL Championship. Shula was drafted out of John Carroll University in the 1951 NFL Draft, and he played professionally as a defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts, and Washington Redskins.

Shula was named 1993 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. He had only two losing seasons in his 36-year career of coaching in the NFL. Shula has led his team to six Super Bowls, a record since tied by Bill Belichick; though Shula led two different franchises, in three different decades behind with varied-talented quarterbacks. Furthermore, he led teams that featured teams with strong defenses, strong passing offenses and/or strong running offenses. In his first Super Bowl, the Colts set the record for the longest period to be shut out, not scoring until 3:19 remained in the game. At his next Super Bowl, the Dolphins set the record for the lowest points scored by any team, with one field goal. The following year, he coached a perfect season and broke the record of longest shutout, this time with his team on the winning side, not giving up any points until 2:07 remained. The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champions the following season, as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24–7. He currently holds the NFL record for most career wins as a head coach, with 347. Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Early life and college

Shula was born in Grand River, Ohio, a small town along the Lake Erie shore in the northeastern part of the state.[1] His parents, Dan and Mary, were of Hungarian origin, having immigrated when they were children.[2] Shula's father Dan worked for $9 a week at a rose nursery and saved up to buy the small house where Shula spent his early childhood.[2] The house was next door to a grocery store in Grand River owned by Mary's parents.[2] Shula played football in his neighborhood as a child, but his parents forbade it after he got a gash on his face when he was 11.[1]

As Shula's family expanded—he had six siblings, including a set of triplets born in 1936—his father got a job in the local fishing industry for $15 a week, and later worked at a rayon plant in nearby Painesville, Ohio.[2] Shula attended elementary school at St. Mary's, a private Catholic school in Painesville; his mother was a devout Catholic, and his father converted to the religion when they married.[2] He later attended Thomas W. Harvey in Painesville and played on its football team starting in 1945.[2] He did not try out for the team because of his mother's prohibition on him playing and because he was recovering from a bout of pneumonia, but an assistant football coach noticed him in a gym class and convinced him to join.[1][2] Shula forged his parents' signatures to sign up.[1][2]

Within weeks of joining Harvey's football team, Shula was a starting left halfback in the school's single-wing offense.[2] He handled a large portion of the team's rushing and passing duties, and helped lead the team to a 7–3 win–loss record in his senior year.[2] It was the first time in 18 years that Harvey had a seven-win season.[2] The team would have won a league title had it not lost an early game to Willoughby.[2] Shula also ran track at Harvey and was an 11-time letterman in his three years there.[2]

As Shula prepared to graduate from high school in 1947, many men whose football careers were delayed by service in World War II were returning and competing for athletic scholarships.[1] As a result, Shula was unable to get a scholarship and contemplated working for a year before going to college.[1] That summer, however, he had a chance meeting at a gas station with former Painesville football coach Howard Bauchman, who suggested he ask about a scholarship at John Carroll University.[1] Shula got a one-year scholarship at the private Jesuit school in University Heights, a suburb of Cleveland.[1][2] It was extended to a full scholarship after Shula performed well in his freshman year, including in a win over Youngstown State in October 1948.[1][3] He ran for 175 yards and scored two touchdowns substituting for the injured starting halfback.[3] The same year, Shula considered joining the Catholic priesthood after a three-day retreat at John Carroll, but decided against it because of his commitment to football.[3] During his senior year in 1950, he rushed for 125 yards in a win over a heavily favored Syracuse team.[4]

Playing career

Shula graduated in 1951 as a sociology major with a minor in mathematics, and was offered a job teaching and coaching at Canton Lincoln High School in Canton, Ohio for $3,750 a year ($34,245 in 2016).[1] The Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, however, had selected him in the ninth round of the 1951 draft that January.[5] Cleveland had won the NFL championship the previous year behind a staunch defense and an offense led by quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and end Dante Lavelli.[6]:177–182 Shula was joined in the Browns' training camp by John Carroll teammate Carl Taseff, whom Cleveland coach Paul Brown selected in the 22nd round.[5][6]:220 Brown made the selections in part because John Carroll coach Herb Eisele attended his coaching clinics and used similar schemes and terminology as Brown did.[1] Shula and Taseff both made the team and were its only two rookies in 1951.[4][6]:220 Shula signed a $5,000-a-year contract and played as a defensive back alongside Warren Lahr and Tommy James.[4][6]:220

Shula played in all 12 of Cleveland's games in 1951, making his first appearance as a starter in October, and recorded four interceptions.[3][7] The Browns, meanwhile, finished with an 11–1 record and advanced to the championship game for a second straight year.[8] The team lost the game 24–17 to the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles.[6]:233–234[8]

Shula served for 11 months in the Ohio National Guard in 1952 during the Korean War.

Shula was a member of an Ohio National Guard unit that was activated the following January amid the Korean War.[3][9] Military service in Ohio and at Fort Polk in Louisiana kept Shula away from football until the unit was deactivated that November.[3] Returning to the Browns, Shula signed a $5,500-a-year contract and played in five games at the end of the season, having become a full-time starter because of injuries to other players.[6]:247[7] The Browns again advanced to the championship game and again lost, this time to the Detroit Lions.[6]:251–253 In early 1953, Brown traded Shula along with Taseff and eight other players to the Baltimore Colts in exchange for five Colts players including tackles Mike McCormack and Don Colo.[6]:264 Before joining Baltimore, Shula finished a master's degree in physical education at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.[10]

Shula signed a $6,500-a-year contract with Baltimore, which was preparing for its first season after relocating from Dallas, where the franchise had been called the Dallas Texans.[3][11] The team replaced an earlier Colts franchise that folded after the 1950 season.[12] The Colts finished with a 3–9 record in 1953 despite leading the NFL in defensive takeaways, including three interceptions by Shula.[7][13] Baltimore continued to struggle the following year under new head coach Weeb Ewbank, a former Browns assistant.[14][15] The team again finished 3–9 for last place in the NFL West, although Shula had a career-high five interceptions.[7][15]

Shula had five interceptions again in 1955, but the Colts finished 5–6–1, well out of contention for the divisional championship.[7][16] Shula missed the final three games of the season because of a broken jaw suffered in a 17–17 tie with the Los Angeles Rams.[3] Ewbank brought in future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas as a backup in 1956, but the Colts posted a losing record even after he became the starter partway through the season.[17] Shula had just one interception that year.[7] The Colts waived Shula at the end of training camp in 1957 season, and the Washington Redskins picked him up.[3][18] Shula spent one season with the Redskins before retiring. In his seven NFL seasons, he played in 73 games, intercepted 21 passes and recovered four fumbles.[7]

Coaching career

Early years (1958–1962)

Shula got his first coaching job shortly after ending his playing career, signing as an assistant at the University of Virginia under Dick Voris in February 1958, before being an assistant at Iowa State University.[3][19] Virginia finished with a 1–9 record that year.[20] Shula got married in the summer before the season to Dorothy Bartish, who grew up near Painesville. Shula and Bartish had begun dating after he graduated from John Carroll; she was working as a teacher in Hawaii when he proposed.[21]

After one season at Virginia, Shula moved to an assistant coaching job at the University of Kentucky in 1959 under head coach Blanton Collier.[3] Collier had been an assistant to Paul Brown when Shula played in Cleveland.[6]:17–18 After one season in Kentucky, Shula got his first NFL coaching job as the defensive backfield coach for the Detroit Lions in 1960.[3] The Lions posted winning records in each of Shula's three seasons there under head coach George Wilson and finished in second place in the NFL West in 1961 and 1962.[22][23][24] Detroit's defense was near the top of the league in fewest points allowed when Shula coached there, including a second-place finish in 1962.[24] The defense also led the league that year in fewest yards allowed, with 3,217.[25] Detroit's defense featured a group of linemen dubbed the "Fearsome Foursome" in 1962, consisting of defensive tackles Roger Brown and Alex Karras and defensive ends Darris McCord and Sam Williams.[25]

Baltimore Colts (1963–1969)

Weeb Ewbank, under whom Shula had played in Cleveland and Baltimore, was fired as the Colts' head coach in 1963 following a string of losing seasons and disagreements over team strategy and organization with owner Carroll Rosenbloom.[26][27] Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom immediately named Shula as the team's next head coach, having recruited him for the job earlier.[26] Shula was only 33 years old, making him the youngest coach in league history at the time, but Rosenbloom was familiar with his personality and approach from his playing days in Baltimore.[27] While Rosenbloom said he realized he was "out on a limb" in hiring Shula, he felt it would bring a sense of team spirit back to the Colts.[27] While Shula had only been an average player, he was "always... taking pictures, talking football", said Rosenbloom. "He had always wanted to coach".[27]

Shula lost his first regular-season game, a September 15 matchup against the Giants.[3] The 1963 Colts won their next game, however, and went on to finish the season with an 8–6 record for third place in the NFL West.[3][28] The team was still led by Unitas, who was Shula's teammate during his final year as a player in Baltimore and had helped the Colts win championships in 1958 and 1959.[17] The team's primary receivers were end Raymond Berry and tight end John Mackey, while defensive end Gino Marchetti anchored the defense.[28]

Shula guided the team to a 12–2 record in his second year as coach.[29]:123 That put the Colts on top of the NFL West and earned a spot in the NFL championship against the Browns, which by then were coached by Collier.[29]:121–123 The Colts were heavily favored to win even by sportswriters in Cleveland, due in large part to their strong receiving corps and to Unitas, who had 2,824 passing yards and won the league's Most Valuable Player award.[29]:122[30] Halfback Lenny Moore also had 19 touchdowns, setting an NFL record.[29]:123 In addition to having the NFL's top-scoring offense, the Colts defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL.[29]:124 Before the championship, Collier said Shula had always thought about coaching even during his playing career, giving him "the experience of a man in the profession for ten years."[29]:123 The Colts, however, lost to the Browns 27–0 in the title game.[29]:151 Despite the loss, Shula won the NFL's Coach of the Year Award.[29]:123

The Colts tied the Green Bay Packers with a 10–3–1 record at the end of the 1965 season, forcing a playoff to determine which of them would play in the championship game.[31] The Colts had lost twice to the Packers during the regular season, and Unitas and backup Gary Cuozzo were sidelined by injuries as the playoffs approached.[32] Baltimore got out to a 10–0 lead at halftime while using halfback Tom Matte at quarterback, but the Packers, coached by Vince Lombardi, made a comeback in the second half and tied the score at the end of regulation.[33] The Colts stopped the Packers on their opening drive in the sudden-death overtime, but the ensuing drive ended with a missed field goal by placekicker Lou Michaels.[33] The Packers then drove for a field goal of their own, winning 13–10.[31][33] Shula said after the game that while his team could not expect to execute its usual strategy without Unitas and Cuozzo, the Colts "don't belong in this league" if they could not beat Green Bay once in three tries.[33]

The Colts fell to second place in the NFL West the following season, the first year a Super Bowl was played between the NFL champion and the winner of the rival American Football League.[34] In 1967, the Colts again failed to make the playoffs despite a regular-season record of 11–1–2, losing the newly created Coastal Division on a tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Rams because the Rams scored more points in the games between the two clubs.[35][36][37] The Colts' only loss was a 34–10 setback to the Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the final Sunday of the season.[38] Though the season ended in disappointment, Shula won his second Coach of the Year award, and Unitas was again the league's MVP.[39]

Before the 1968 season began, Unitas injured his elbow and was replaced by backup Earl Morrall.[39] Expectations for Morrall were low, but the veteran quarterback led the Colts to a string of wins at the beginning of the season.[40] Shula tried to ease Unitas back into the lineup, but the quarterback's injury flared up numerous times, culminating with a game against Cleveland when he had just one completion and three interceptions.[40] That turned out to be the only loss of the season for Baltimore, which finished with a league-leading 13–1 record.[41] The Colts beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Western Conference championship game, and then beat the Browns 34–0 in the NFL Championship Game the following week.[41] That set up a matchup with the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. The Jets were led by quarterback Joe Namath, who guaranteed a victory before the game despite being the underdog. New York won the game 16–7.[41]

Shula spent one more season as the head coach of the 8-5-1 Colts, and missed the playoffs. He compiled a 71–23–4 record in seven seasons with Baltimore, but was just 2–3 in the postseason, including upset losses in the 1964 NFL Championship Game and Super Bowl III, where the Colts were heavy favorites.

Miami Dolphins (1970–1995)

After the 1969 season, Joe Robbie, owner of the Miami Dolphins, signed Shula to a contract to become Miami's second head coach. As a result of Shula's signing, the team was charged with tampering by the NFL, which forced the Dolphins to give their first-round pick to the Colts.[42] The decision was controversial because Shula and Robbie's negotiations and signing were conducted before and after the official NFL/AFL merger, respectively. Had the negotiations been concluded before the merger, while the NFL and AFL were rivals, the NFL's antitampering rules could not have been applied.

Shula's Miami teams were known for great offensive lines (led by Larry Little, Jim Langer, and Bob Kuechenberg), strong running games (featuring Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris), solid quarterbacking (by Bob Griese and Earl Morrall), excellent receivers (in Paul Warfield, Howard Twilley, and TE Jim Mandich) and a defense that worked well as a cohesive unit. The Dolphins were known as "The No-Name Defense", though they had a number of great players, including DT Manny Fernandez and MLB Nick Buoniconti.[43]

In 1972, the Dolphins were unbeaten in the regular season, 14–0–0. They swept the playoffs and finished 17–0–0.

Shula changed his coaching strategy as his personnel changed. His Super Bowl teams in 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1982 were keyed by a run-first offensive strategy and a dominating defense. In 1983, shortly after losing Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins, the Dolphins drafted quarterback Dan Marino out of the University of Pittsburgh. Marino won the starting job halfway through the 1983 regular season, and by 1984, the Dolphins were back in the Super Bowl, due largely to Marino's record 5,084 yards through the air and 48 touchdown passes.

For all his success, the Dolphins' January, 1974 Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings proved to be Shula's last championship. Despite consistent success in the regular season, Shula was unable to win in the postseason, failing in 12 trips to the playoffs—including two more Super Bowl appearances—before retiring after the 1995 season.

His retirement following that regular season ended one of the greatest coaching legacies in NFL history. He set numerous records in his 33 seasons as a head coach. He is first in most games coached (526), most consecutive seasons coached (33), and Super Bowl Appearances—six, appearing once with the Baltimore Colts and five times with the Miami Dolphins. Shula had a 2–4 record in his Super Bowl appearances.

Shula was the head coach of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, which finished a perfect 17–0 and won the Super Bowl VII 14–7 over the Washington Redskins. Shula's 1973 team repeated as NFL champions, winning the 1974 Super Bowl over the Minnesota Vikings. The following season, the Dolphins had a chance to win a third title in three years, but they fell to the Oakland Raiders 28–26, in an AFC divisional playoff game in one of the more popular playoff games ever played. With 35 seconds remaining in the game, Ken Stabler was in the process of being sacked by Vern Den Herder. Just before he was tackled, he threw a completed desperation forward pass to his running back Clarence Davis in the game's final moments, and in doing so, ended Miami's two-year dominance. The Dolphins team was decimated the following season by the creation of the now defunct World Football League and their inability to match contract offers to three of its star players—Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield—to the rival league. The Dolphin franchise has never been able to duplicate the success of 1971–74.

Later life

Matchbook from Shula's Steakhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, circa 1990

In retirement, Shula has lent his name to a chain of steakhouses, Shula's Steakhouse,[44] and a line of condiments.[45] He appeared in NutriSystem commercials with Dan Marino and other former NFL players.

Shula also has a hotel in Miami Lakes, Florida, which is home to the Original Shula's Steak House, The Senator Course at Shula's Golf Club, The Spa at Shula's, and Shula's Athletic Club. The hotel has 205 guest rooms and specializes in college and professional sport travel.

In 2003, in San Diego at Super Bowl XXXVII, Shula performed the ceremonial coin toss to end the pregame ceremonies.

As part of a government public awareness campaign, he was the first American to sign up for Medicare Part D prescription drug plan benefits, enrolling just after midnight on November 15, 2005.[46]

In 2007, in Miami at Super Bowl XLI, Shula took part in the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation.[47] On March 25, 2007, Shula presented the Winners Cup to Tiger Woods, winner of the 2007 WGC-CA Golf Tournament held at the Doral Resort in Miami. On February 3, 2008, he participated in the opening of Super Bowl XLII.

In 2011, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.

At John Carroll University, he endowed the Don Shula Chair in Philosophy, which supports the Philosophy Department by presenting programs of interest to philosophers and the general public.[48]

Personal life

Don & Mary Anne Shula at the 2014 Miami International Film Festival

Shula married Painesville native Dorothy Bartish on July 19, 1958. They had five children: Dave Shula (b. May 28, 1959), Donna (b. April 28, 1961), Sharon (b. June 30, 1962), Anne (b. May 7, 1964), and Mike Shula (b. June 3, 1965). Dorothy died of breast cancer on February 25, 1991.[3] That same year, the Don Shula Foundation for Breast Cancer Research was founded.[49]

He married Mary Anne Stephens on October 16, 1993. On November 25, 1996, he was added to the Miami Dolphin Honor Roll. In 2007, ads for NutriSystem geared for people age 60 and older featuring the Shulas aired.[50] They reside in the Indian Creek, Florida, home Mary Anne received in her divorce settlement from her third husband, investment banker Jackson Stephens.[51]

Shula has been deeply religious throughout his life. He said in 1974, at the peak of his coaching career, that he attended mass every morning.[52] Shula once considered becoming a Catholic priest, but decided he could not commit to being both priest and coach.[52]

Legacy

A statue of Shula outside of Sun Life Stadium

Shula set numerous records in his 33 seasons as a head coach. He is the all-time leader in victories with 347. He is first in most games coached (526), most consecutive seasons coached (33), and Super Bowl losses (four, tied with Bud Grant, Dan Reeves, and Marv Levy). His teams won seven NFL conference titles: 1964, 1968, 1971–73, 1982, and 1984. Shula's teams were consistently among the least penalized in the NFL, and Shula served on the Rules Committee, to help change the game to a more pass-oriented league. He had a winning record against almost every coach he faced, with several exceptions: Levy, against whom he was 5–14 during the regular season and 0–3 in the playoffs; John Madden, against whom he was 2–2 in the regular season and 1–2 in the playoffs for a total of 3–4; and Bill Cowher, against whom Shula was 1–2 late in his career. Don Shula also had losing records against Tom Flores(1-6) Raymond Berry (3-8), Walt Michaels (5-7-1), and Vince Lombardi (5-8).

Shula also holds the distinction of having coached five different quarterbacks to Super Bowl appearances (Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall in 1968, Bob Griese in 1971, 1972, and 1973, David Woodley in 1982, and Dan Marino in 1984), three of them (Unitas, Griese, and Marino) future Hall of Famers. He also coached Johnny Unitas to another World Championship appearance (in the pre-Super Bowl era) in 1964. The only other NFL coach to approach this distinction is Joe Gibbs, who coached four Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks (Joe Theismann, Doug Williams, and Mark Rypien), winning three times.

Shula is honored at the Don Shula Stadium at John Carroll University, and the Don Shula Expressway in Miami. An annual college football game between South Florida schools Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University is named the Shula Bowl in his honor. The game's winner receives a traveling trophy named the Don Shula Award. On January 31, 2010, a statue of him was unveiled at Hard Rock Stadium.

Writings

He has co-authored three books: The Winning Edge (1973) with Lou Sahadi ISBN 0-525-23500-0, Everyone's a Coach (1995) ISBN 0-310-20815-7, and The Little Black Book of Coaching: Motivating People to be Winners (2001); ISBN 0-06-662103-8, both with Kendra Blanchard.

Head coaching record

Team Year Regular season Postseason
WonLostTiesWin %Finish Won Lost Win % Result
BAL1963 860.5713rd in Western Conference - - - -
BAL1964 1220.8571st in Western Conference 0 1 .000 Lost to Cleveland Browns in NFL Championship Game.
BAL1965 1031.7692nd in Western Conference 0 1 .000 Lost to Green Bay Packers in Western Conference Playoff.
BAL1966 950.6432nd in Western Conference - - - -
BAL1967 1112.9172nd in Coastal Division - - - -
BAL1968 1310.9291st in Coastal Division 2 1 .667 Won 1968 NFL Championship. Lost to New York Jets in Super Bowl III.
BAL1969 851.6152nd in Coastal Division - - - -
BAL Total71234.75523.400
MIA1970 1040.7142nd in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Oakland Raiders in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1971 1031.7691st in AFC East 2 1 .667 Lost to Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI.
MIA1972 14001.0001st in AFC East 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl VII Champions.
MIA1973 1220.8571st in AFC East 3 0 1.000 Super Bowl VIII Champions.
MIA1974 1130.7861st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Oakland Raiders in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1975 1040.7142nd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1976 680.4293rd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1977 1040.7142nd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1978 1150.6882nd in AFC East01.000Lost to Houston Oilers in AFC Wild-Card Game.
MIA1979 1060.6251st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1980 880.5003rd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1981 1141.7331st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to San Diego Chargers in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1982* 720.7781st in AFC East 3 1 .750 Lost to Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII.
MIA1983 1240.7501st in AFC East 0 1 .000 Lost to Seattle Seahawks in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1984 1420.8751st in AFC East 2 1 .667 Lost to San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XIX.
MIA1985 1240.7501st in AFC East 1 1 .500 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Championship Game.
MIA1986 880.5003rd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1987 870.5333rd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1988 6100.3755th in AFC East - - - -
MIA1989 880.5002nd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1990 1240.7502nd in AFC East 1 1 .500 Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1991 880.5003rd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1992 1150.6881st in AFC East 1 1 .500 Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Championship Game.
MIA1993 970.5632nd in AFC East - - - -
MIA1994 1060.6251st in AFC East 1 1 .500 Lost to San Diego Chargers in AFC Divisional Game.
MIA1995 970.5633rd in AFC East01.000Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Wild-Card Game.
MIA Total2571332.6591714.548
Total[53]3281566.678 19 17 .528

*57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to 9

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Schudel, Jeff (August 9, 2013). "Don Shula at 80: From Harvey to Hall". The News-Herald. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Shula's Roots – A Rock Foundation". Sun-Sentinel. November 15, 1993. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "A Don Shula Timeline". CNNSI.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  4. 1 2 3 Horrigan, Joe (1997). "Don Shula: All-Time Winner" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 19 (2). Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  5. 1 2 "1951 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-571-6.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Don Shula NFL Football Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  8. 1 2 "1951 Cleveland Browns Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  9. ↑ "Football and America: Korean War". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  10. ↑ Adam Augustyn, ed. (2011). The Britannica Guide to Football. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-61530-524-7.
  11. ↑ "Browns Trade 10 Gridders For Five Baltimore Colts". St. Petersburg Times. Cleveland. Associated Press. March 26, 1953. p. 20. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  12. ↑ "Baltimore Colts Back In League". The Times-News. Baltimore. United Press International. February 4, 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  13. ↑ "1953 NFL Opposition & Defensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  14. ↑ "Baltimore Colts Select Ewbank". Eugene Register-Guard. Baltimore. United Press International. January 15, 1954. p. 2B. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  15. 1 2 "1954 Baltimore Colts Statistcs & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  16. ↑ "1955 Baltimore Colts Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  17. 1 2 "Hall of Famers: Johnny Unitas". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  18. ↑ "Pittsburgh Gets Wells of 'Skins". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Associated Press. October 1, 1957. p. 13. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  19. ↑ "Voris Adds 2 More To Virginia Staff". The News and Courier. Charlottesville, Virginia. Associated Press. February 9, 1958. p. 9–A. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  20. ↑ "Virginia Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  21. ↑ "Don Shula: Family man". The Plain Dealer#cleveland.com/cleveland.com. Advance Internet via Northeast Ohio Media Group. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04.
  22. ↑ "1960 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  23. ↑ "1961 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  24. 1 2 "1962 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  25. 1 2 Altman, Tara (May 1, 2013). "Former Lions' defensive end, Sam Williams, dies at 82". Detroit Lions News. Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  26. 1 2 "Baltimore Colt Coach Ewbank Fired, Replaced By Shula". Lodi News-Sentinel. Lodi, California. United Press International. January 9, 1963. p. 10. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Shula Emphasizes Spirit". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida: Times Publishing Company. Associated Press. August 14, 1963. p. 13-A. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  28. 1 2 "1963 Baltimore Colts Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pluto, Terry (1997). Browns Town 1964: Cleveland Browns and the 1964 Championship. Cleveland: Gray & Company. ISBN 978-1-886228-72-6.
  30. ↑ "Johnny Unitas NFL Football Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  31. 1 2 "1965 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  32. ↑ "Packers Vs. Colts Is 'Sudden Death'". The News and Courier. Charlottesville, Virginia. Associated Press. December 26, 1965. p. 17–C. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "Chandler's boot silences Colts in overtime battle". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon, Canada. Associated Press. December 27, 1965. p. 23. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  34. ↑ "1966 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  35. ↑ "Rams Swamp Colts, Gain Play-Off, 34–10". The Milwaukee Journal. December 18, 1967. p. 17. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  36. ↑ "1967 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  37. ↑ "National Football Loop Completes 1967 Slate". Gadsen Times. New York. Associated Press. April 22, 1967. p. 31. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  38. ↑ "1967 Baltimore Colts Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  39. 1 2 "Unitas Must Prove HImself To Get Starting Job Back". Reading Eagle. Baltimore. Associated Press. October 22, 1968. p. 22. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  40. 1 2 "Unitas Watches And Waits". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Baltimore. Associated Press. December 1, 1968. p. B–6. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  41. 1 2 3 "1968 NFL Standings, Team & Offensive Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  42. ↑ Olsen, Jack. "The Rosenbloom-Robbie Bowl", Sports Illustrated, November 9, 1970.
  43. ↑ Underwood, John. "Two That Were Super", Sports Illustrated, January 10, 1972.
  44. ↑ Shula's
  45. ↑ Shula's Online Store
  46. ↑ "Humana Signs Its First Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan Beneficiary". Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  47. ↑ "Marino, Shula to be honored at Super Bowl XLI". NFL. December 14, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2007
  48. ↑ "The Don Shula Chair in Philosophy". John Carroll University College of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  49. ↑ "HISTORY: Dolphins Honors – Don Shula". Miami Dolphins. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10.
  50. ↑ "NFL's Shula named NutriSystem spokesman". CNN Money. January 22, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2007
  51. ↑ Friedman, Mark (May 10, 2010). "Shula, Stephens Battle Over $1 Million in Annual Alimony". Arkansas Business News. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Business Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 2013-10-13. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  52. 1 2 Scott, Ronald B. (December 2, 1974). "Coach Don Shula, the Would-Be Priest Who Makes Miami Mean". People. 2 (23). Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  53. ↑ Don Shula Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com
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