Dan Marino Details Don Shula's Involvement in Famous 'Fake Spike' Play

Marino: "[Shula] was a guy that understood to let your players play the game."

Legendary Dolphins head coach Don Shula passed away at 90 on Monday, but his impact on the NFL will likely stand the test of time.

Shula is the NFL's all-time wins leader, and he guided the Dolphins to a pair of Super Bowls in 1973 and 1974. But perhaps more impressive than the win totals is the bond Shula formed with his players.

Shula and former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino spent 13 seasons together in Miami, amassing eight winning seasons. And one of the duo's greatest moments came in November 1994.

Marino and Dolphins trailed the Jets 24-21 in the final minute in Week 13, driving into New York territory with less than 30 minutes remaining. Marino came to the line and looked as though he was going to spike the ball, but he faked the spike before tossing a touchdown to wideout Mark Ingram. The play was hailed as a genius move by Marino, but he wouldn't have pulled it off without a green light from his coach.

"He was a guy that understood to let your players play the game," Marino said on Monday. "Bernie Kosar brought the fake spike with him from Cleveland. ...We practiced it a lot, we knew it was there. It was one of those things, it was the perfect time, [Shula] let you do it. It was one of those things, he kind of let me take over the second half and do my thing to bring us back.

Dan Marino discusses the fake spike game and how Don Shula gave him freedom... pic.twitter.com/6BIJyHGuLR

— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) May 4, 2020

 Shula and Marino won 116 regular season games together as well as six playoff contests. And while the duo never captured the Lombardi Trophy, Shula and Marino remain one of the best coach-quarterback combinations in NFL history.