Sports world pays tribute to former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, who died Monday
Don Shula, who had more coaching victories than anyone in NFL history, passed away Monday, the Miami Dolphins announced. He was 90 years old.
The team said in a tweet: “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 and prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike.”
A cause of death was not announced but the Miami Herald reported it was not because of the coronavirus.
Among Shula’s 347 victories was a 27-24 win in double overtime against the Chiefs on Christmas Day in 1971. That AFC playoff victory was the last game played at Municipal Stadium as the Chiefs moved to Arrowhead Stadium the following season.
Shula coached the Baltimore Colts from 1963-69 and was the losing coach in Super Bowl III when Jets quarterback Joe Namath famously guaranteed New York would win.
In 1970, Shula took over as coach of the Dolphins, who appeared in five Super Bowls during his tenure. That included wins in Super Bowl VII, when Miami had the only perfect season in the modern era, and Super Bowl VIII.
The Dolphins were 9-7 in 1995 his final season as coach. In his 33 years on the sideline, his teams had a losing record only twice. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Tributes came from around the league and some from outside the NFL:
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 10:31 AM.
