Don Shula – The Ultimate Representation Of Winning With Class

In 1985, the Miami Dolphins played one of their most significant games since I became an unconditional fan nearly 40 years ago. 

The Chicago Bears visited South Florida’s Orange Bowl and threatened to match the Dolphins’ historic achievement of an undefeated season. My Dad is not a gambler, but the week preceding the game prompted him to ask me for my prediction for his office pool. (I submitted a score and my Dad, as it turned out, won a modest jackpot.)

The rickety Orange Bowl provided a classic environment, although we watched the game on ABC’s Monday Night Football. The stadium turned so raucous when the Bears possessed the ball, even Dolphins Coach Don Shula attempted to help quiet the crowd. We sensed he genuinely appreciated our fanaticism, and the crowd in attendance respectfully mimicked his arm motions seeking quiet. Fans simply cheered louder. 

To beat the Bears, Shula didn’t stick to an ideological game plan. Knowing the Bears presented what I believe is the NFL’s best defense in history, Shula designed a strategy that regularly rolled out the offensive line and his future Hall of Fame quarterback, Dan Marino, away from a formidable pass rush. The Dolphins dominated the game and preserved the NFL’s only undefeated season.

Don Shula, the NFL’s all-time winningest coach, is the ultimate representation of winning with class. He handled success and defeat with grace. He respected the game. He followed the rules. His players described his toughness as a coach, but stood by his side even after they retired. 

When Shula fielded a backfield of Csonka, Kiick and Morris, he built a team around running. When Marino stood under center, Shula designed an attack of passing. When his teamed trailed badly in a playoff game, he tossed in a trick play forever replayed in historic football highlights. 

In the 1990s, when free agency continued to modify the game, Shula retired after a playoff loss. Unfortunately, too many fans eagerly awaited the arrival of another Hall of Fame coach, Jimmy Johnson, to take a seat at the head of the table. Johnson achieved some success, but no coach replicated Shula’s sustainable achievements and longevity. Some fans had forgotten Shula was an authentic, one-in-a million. Without him, the Dolphins went from kings of football to peasants wandering the desert for 20 years.

When I watched ESPN on Monday after hearing Shula had passed away, one of the talking heads attempted to honor Shula in a rambling monologue that predictably began to morph into another manufactured debate about the state of football. I stopped the video and instead remembered as a kid looking forward to Shula’s weekly TV show, devoid of today’s formulaic kicking and screaming attempts to fuel ratings.

Thank you Don Shula. I never met you. However, as I grew up, you epitomized how to win and lose with class. You raised standards. You demonstrated that toughness and grace are not mutually exclusive. You reiterated the importance of loyalty between one man and his teams and how success isn’t achieved through shortcuts, revolving doors or constantly looking around the corner for something supposedly better. 

Some Dolphins fans likely didn’t fully appreciate what they had in Shula until they lost him to retirement. Today we remember his greatness and remind ourselves some men are too good to have genuine successors.