Paying Tribute to Don Shula

Don Shula was one of the greatest coaches in professional sports history and his impact on South Florida and the Miami Dolphins cannot be overstated

It's been almost 25 years since Don Shula last coached the Miami Dolphins, but it will be a lot longer than that before his legacy fades. At least it should be.

There probably are not enough words to properly convey what Don Shula has meant to the Miami Dolphins, or to South Florida itself.

Because it has been a quarter-century since he coached, younger fans can't fully appreciate what Shula did or what he meant to South Florida.

Photo courtesy of Miami Dolphins

He flat-out put South Florida on the sports map. He made the Miami Dolphins the envy of most, if not all, pro football franchises for most of the 1970s and even into the '80s both with his remarkable consistency and the hard-working, no-nonsense approach he always took.

There was a reason the Dolphins always were among the least-penalized teams during Shula's 26 years as head coach. He wouldn't tolerate anything else.

And player after player have told us through the years how tough, how demanding Shula could be.

But it worked. Boy, did it work.

To fully appreciate Shula's brilliance as a head coach, you can start with the fact that in 26 seasons as Dolphins head coach, the team had a losing record twice. Twice. On the flip side, he reached double digits in victories a whopping 16 times.

Even more remarkable was Shula's ability to adjust to his talent.

He built the powerhouse teams of the 1970s around a punishing ground game and a cerebral defense, and it worked well enough that the Dolphins made three consecutive trips to the Super Bowl, highlighted by the only perfect season in NFL history.

A decade later, he went back to the Super Bowl behind the Killer B's defense and a strong running game with a young quarterback, David Woodley, who was as much runner as passer.

The Dolphins lost that Super Bowl against the Washington Redskins but the next spring found themselves with the opportunity to take Dan Marino with the next-to-last pick in the first round of the 1983 draft.

Realizing the remarkable talent he had landed, Shula changed the Dolphins offense and unleashed the greatest passing attack the league had ever seen.

Through the years, Shula just kept winning and winning and winning, as his stamp on South Florida became more and more pronounced.

On Nov. 14, 1993 in Philadelphia, Shula passed George Halas to become the winningest coach in NFL history, showing the same kind of resourcefulness and adaptability.

With Marino sidelined for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, Shula watched quarterback Scott Mitchell get knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. So in came third-string quarterback Doug Pederson, the same Doug Pederson who is now head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

A rookie free agent out of Northeast Louisiana, Pederson had never attempted a pass in an NFL regular season game. So Shula played it conservatively, let his defense do the work and the Dolphins left Veterans Stadium with a 19-14 victory that earned Shula a magical record and another victory ride on the shoulders of some of his players.

Photo courtesy of Miami Dolphins

After retiring from coaching following a 1995 playoff loss against the Buffalo Bills, Shula remained a presence around the Dolphins. More importantly, he remained royalty in South Florida.

It's totally fitting that the business address of Hard Rock Stadium, where the Dolphins moved in 1987, is 347 Don Shula Drive in honor of their coach and his final victory total.

But there's also the Don Shula Expressway in Miami, and it's close to neither Hard Rock Stadium nor the Orange Bowl, where Shula made most of his mark.

The Dolphins had gone through four forgettable AFL seasons when Shula arrived in 1970 after coaching the Baltimore Colts for seven years, and it ended up costing Miami a first-round pick as compensation.

It was the best first-round pick in Dolphins history — even better than the one used to select Marino.

The Dolphins, who had won all of 15 games in their first four years of existence, went 10-4 in Shula's first year and made the playoffs for the first time.

It was the start of a great ride for Shula and the Dolphins.

Photo courtesy of Miami Dolphins

Shula was the first South Florida sports icon and he would no doubt be the first name mentioned as belonging in a Mount Rushmore of the area.

Not surprisingly, Shula was one of the 10 coaches to the NFL's 100th Anniversary team unveiled last year.

Because of his success with two different organizations — Shula had a 71-23-4 record with the Colts — and because of his ability to get to the Super Bowl with different quarterbacks and because he's the winningest coach in NFL history, an argument could be made that he belongs at the very top of the list.

When it comes to South Florida sports, Shula belongs at the very top. The younger generation might throw out Dwyane Wade or even Pat Riley, but for a long time Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins were all there was in the sports landscape of the area.

And Shula brought a lot of attention to South Florida. He brought a lot of admiration.

And that will always remain.