Don Shula passes away

This morning, the football world received the word of the passing of the man that won more games than any coach in the history of the National Football League.

Don Shula, who was a head coach in the National Football League for 33 seasons with both the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins, has passed away at the age of 90.

Shula was the head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1969, and achieved his greatest success as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995. During his time with the Dolphins, they won two Super Bowls, including completing the only perfect season in NFL history (1972) en route to defeating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. The next season, the Dolphins handed our Minnesota Vikings their second Super Bowl loss, defeating the Vikings by a score of 24-7.

For his career, Shula won a total of 347 games (328 regular season, 19 postseason), more than any other coach in the history of the NFL.

We send our condolences to the family and friends of coach Don Shula, as well as the fans of the teams that he coached during his career.

Both the Vikings and Coach Bud Grant have released statements on Don Shula’s passing.

From the Vikings:

The NFL family lost one of its most legendary members with the passing of Don Shula. His impact on the game, his leadership and the legacy he leaves will never be forgotten. The Vikings thoughts are with Coach Shula’s family and friends.

From Coach Grant:

Don will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time by his record and his longevity. He’s one of the very best. He was innovative as a coach, always prepared and he changed with the evolution of football over the years. His intensity and competitiveness was second to none and he instilled that in his players.