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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined much of the NFL world in mourning Don Shula, who passed away Monday at the age of 90.
Jones released a statement through the team’s official website honoring the Hall of Fame head coach.
“On behalf of our family and the Dallas Cowboys organization, we extend our deepest sympathies to the entire Shula family. We are so grateful for the relationship we have shared with Don and Mary Anne through so many years, and our support, friendship and admiration will be with her always moving forward.
Don was not just an iconic figure in the history of our game, he was an American institution who always represented the highest levels of character, leadership and integrity.
Being in his presence was always a special opportunity to rub shoulders with true greatness.
His name and his legacy will serve to inspire all of the very best virtues of sportsmanship, competition and achievement in coaches for generations to come. There will never be another one like him.”
A four-time Coach of the Year recipient and two-time Super Bowl champion, Shula is widely recognized as a bonafide member of football’s Mount Rushmore, his name etched alongside the likes of Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh. Shula is the current record-holder for regular-season wins as a head coach (328). Context: Bill Belichick ranks third with 273.
Shula played for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins before swapping his helmet for a headset. He cut his coaching teeth with the Detroit Lions, serving as the defensive coordinator from 1960-62. In 1963, he was hired as the Colts’ HC, a job he held until 1969. The Colts won the 1968 NFL Championship Game, blanking the Browns, 34-0.
The next year, his star at full luminosity, Shula became the Miami Dolphins’ head man, where he presided over the club’s perfect season in 1972 and a victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII.
The next decade, Shula inherited eventual Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who accomplished everything except capture a title under The Don’s reign.
Shula announced his retirement following the 1995 campaign, the owner of 347 wins, 173 losses, six ties — and one impression on the sport so significant it remains untouched to this day.
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