In 1985, the Chicago Bears were attempting the second
perfect season in NFL history. After 12 consecutive victories, they would play
the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
My parents must have been out of town because I remember
that I spent that night at my Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Al’s place. I had a
ritual in those days when I watched sports. I had to have a ball with me, and when
I would get excited I would clap both hands on the outside of the ball.
Grandpa Al was worried I would wake the neighbors, and it
was probably a well-placed concern.
I rooted so hard for Dan Marino as he picked apart the hated
Bears and led the Dolphins to a 38-24 victory. Don Shula, who coached the
Dolphins to the only undefeated season, was now the coach who denied the Bears
a chance at theirs.
Nearly 15 years later, my first job out of college finds
me working at the now defunct Boca Raton
News in South Florida. Shula had retired after the 1995 season and Marino’s
retirement was near. It is hard to overstate how big Marino and the Dolphins
were in South Florida. The Miami Heat didn’t exist until 1988 and the Florida
Marlins’ first year was 1993. For so long, the Dolphins were the only game in
town.
It was a thrill to cover several of Marino’s games in
what turned out to be his final season. The day he announced his retirement, I
had the opportunity to write one of our paper’s many stories about No. 13.
I was always fascinated that Marino lasted until the 27th pick of the 1983 NFL draft.
I decided to begin the story at that moment as Shula knew
he was lucky Marino was still available. I wrote, “Even Don Shula’s famed, firm
jaw was incredulous.” Unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word for it, as
there is no online version of the story to be found. I’m still proud of that
sentence, though, and pleased to have played a role in our Dolphins coverage
that day.
On Monday, Shula, the NFL’s all-time winningest coach died
at the age of 90. I always admired Shula; for his success, of course, but also
the way he approached the game. Shula once said,"some clubs want to win so much they’ll do anything to get it. Our approach has
been just the opposite. We’ve tried to do things the right away. And the right
way is (abiding by) the rules and regulations. … I may not like all of them but
once they are (official) we play by them.”
I also loved his quip at his first press conference when
a reporter asked if he had a three-year or five-year plan. “My plan is to go to
work,” he replied.
David Hyde, the long-time sports columnist for the Sun-Sentinel, shared this anecdote about
Shula in Monday’s column. Hyde wrote that the way Shula approached his daily
jog was the way he approached everything: “What stood out
was the methodical preciseness of his path around the field. He ran for 30
minutes. Never less. He always made geometric, 90-degree turns as the field’s
line demanded. He never cut corners. Never.”
Shula’s career record was 328-156-6. To put that in
perspective, Bill Belichick, who does not have the same respect for the rules
as Shula, has 273 victories. He’ll need at least five good seasons to challenge
Shula’s mark.
Shula had such a presence that even today it’s hard to
imagine him anywhere but the football field.
Standing on the sidelines – in the South Florida sun – with a jaw as firm as his principles.
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