Shula, Donald F.
Football
b. Jan. 4, 1930, Grand River, OH
After playing both offense and defense at John Carroll University in Ohio, Shula became a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns in 1951. He spent two seasons with the Browns, four with the Baltimore Colts, and one with the Washington Redskins before retiring as a player after the 1957 season. He had 21 career interceptions and returned them for 267 yards, a 12.7 average.
Shula served as an assistant coach at the college and professional levels for five years and in 1963 he became pro football's youngest head coach with the NFL's Baltimore Colts. He guided the Colts to the NFL championship in 1968, when the team won 13 of 14 regular season games. However, the New York Jets beat Baltimore 16-7 in Super Bowl III.
In 7 seasons at Baltimore, Shula had a 71-23-4 record. He went to the Miami Dolphins in 1970 and produced Super Bowl champions in 1972 and 1973. His 1972 team won all 17 of its games, including the playoffs, the only time that has ever been accomplished.
Unlike most other successful coaches, Shula has never clung to a single strategic approach. With the Colts, he emphasized a strong defense built around lineman Bubba Smith and linebacker Mike Curtis. In his early years with the Dolphins, he built a ball-control offense around the inside running of Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick and the accurate short passing of Bob Griese. After strong-armed quarterback Dan Marino joined Miami in 1983, Shula developed a pass-oriented offense.
During the 1993 season, Shula recorded his 325th victory, surpassing George Halas's record. He retired after the 1995 season with a total of 347 wins, including playoffs. His teams had 31 winning seasons out of 33 and reached the playoffs 20 times.
