It is with a touch of sadness that we note the passing of Don Shula at the age of 90 — one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Football League. Shula was the winningest coach in league history.
Born in Grand River, Ohio on January 4, 1930, Shula played high school ball at Harvey High School. He attended John Carroll University as an offensive and defensive back. In the NFL he played eight years as a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Colts, and the Washington Redskins. He started his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Virginia and then with the Detroit Lions. In 1963 he was hired as the head coach of the Baltimore Colts at the age of 33, at that time youngest man ever to coach a pro team.
During his time at Baltimore Shula took the team to the NFL championship game twice. He also was the losing coach in Super Bowl III, the Joe Namath “I Guarantee It Bowl.”
Shula joined the Miami Dolphins as head man in 1970 where he continued for the next 26 years. While there he won two Super Bowls. In 1972 he coached the only undefeated team of modern times. He had 347 total victories and a lifetime winning percentage of .665 and was four times NFL coach of the year. Coach Shula passed on May 4th in Indian Creek, FL.
May is Not in Bloom
Under normal circumstances May is one of the years biggest sports months— The Indy 500, the Coca Cola 600, the Kentucky Derby, the NBA Finals, Major League Baseball, the French Open in tennis, and of course the Tokyo Olympics among many other events.
Perhaps the coronavirus has shown by shutting down these events how much sports and athletic competition have become important to our lives. Even people who are not dedicated sports fans realize that the world needs sports and games to mark history and enliven daily life.
Perhaps we will appreciate what sporting competition brings to our lives once this very sad episode in human history has ended.
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