Coach Shula had not been well for years.  He truly was one of the all time great ones.  To this day, the Dolphin organization has not recovered from his being pushed aside for Jimmy Johnson.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/05/04/don-shula-passes-at-90/

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Don Shula passes at 90

Posted by Mike Florio on May 4, 2020, 10:22 AM EDT

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Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history, has died. He was 90.

"Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years,” the team said in a statement confirming Shula’s passing. "He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami on 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 ninth-round pick out of John Carroll in 1951, Shula played defensive back for the Browns, Colts, and Washington through 1957.

He returned to the NFL in 1960, as the Lions’ defensive coordinator. Three seasons later, the Colts hired Shula to serve as head coach.

After the 1969 season, Shula signed to coach the Dolphins, with Miami giving up a first-round pick after the Colts charged Miami with tampering. It was nevertheless a great investment; the Dolphins went to the Super Bowl to cap the 1971 season (losing to the Cowboys), crafted the NFL’s only 17-0 season in 1972, and won another Super Bowl the next year.

The Hall of Famer remained the head coach in Miami through 1995, winning the coach of the year award four times. Shula finished with 328 regular-season wins and 19 playoff victories. His regular-season winning percentage translates to a victory rate of more than two out of every three games played.

We extend our condolences to Coach Shula’s family, friends, and colleagues.

 

RIP Coach

I lived in south Florida from 84-92, which were Marino's prime years. They had some good offenses, especially when they had the Mark brothers but could never put it all together. Their lack of a legit running game hamstrung those teams. It was basically all Marino and if he had a bad day, they didn't have a chance. Hopefully the Patriots run is done and it would be nice to see MIami be on top of that division again. I could even cheer for the Dolphins as long as it doesn't get in the Eagles way. RIP coach. 

RIP. 

one of the best to ever walk the sidelines 

RIP

That's a shame to hear. He was one of the all time great coaches, one that all fans could respect. 

Shula's NFL record 347 wins is legendary (includes playoffs).  To put it in perspective, Belichick probably has to coach at least 5 more seasons to reach it. And think about all the deep playoff runs the Patriots have had the last 20 years... Shula started coaching when there were still 14 games in the regular season and the playoffs were shorter. Shula's regular season record 328 wins is even harder to reach.

Riposare in pace. 

As a young fan (started following the NFL in 1981), the thing that impressed me about Don Shula is that he was able to win consistently with different types of teams.  As an example, in 1982 he took the Dolphins to the Super Bowl with a team that was run game and defense-focused.  Just two years later, he took the Dolphins back to the Super Bowl when they employed a pass heavy attack after Dan Marino joined the team.  Many coaches are wedded to their system, but Shula was willing to go with whatever worked and helped his team win.

It should be noted Shula is one of the most prominent branches on Paul Brown coaching tree.  (He played for Brown while Shula was an NFL player.)

RIP Don Shula

All time great HC.

Favorite Shula story: Dolphins and another team had to share locker rooms for practices leading up to a game due to a problem in the other locker room. Dolphins practice 2nd. While getting ready, Dolphins assistant coaches find the other teams entire game plan and play book left behind by an opposing player. Kind of excited, they take it to Shula and ask what he wants to do with it. Shula replies "Throw it away. We're better than that." They threw it away.

Yes he was better than that. A leader who consistently did the right thing for the right reason.

RIP coach.