He coached the 1972 Miami Dolphins to a perfect 17-0 record, culminating with a Super Bowl win. No NFL coach before or since matched that feat by Don Shula. The 90-year-old died "peacefully at his home," the team announced Monday, reports TMZ. No cause of death was announced for the Hall of Famer. Shula played in the league himself in the 1950s, then went on to coach the Baltimore Colts and, more famously, the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995. After its perfect season, Miami followed up with another Super Bowl win in the 1973 season.
"Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years," says the team statement, per Fox News. "He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene." Shula finished his career with a record 347 victories (counting regular season and the playoffs), per Yahoo Sports. In 33 seasons as a coach, he had only two losing seasons. "That's an unbelievable stretch of consistency," writes Yahoo's Frank Schwab. (More Miami Dolphins stories.)