Don Shula

Donald Francis Shula was born in Grand River, Ohio, the son of Hungarian immigrants. Playing as a defensive back for John Carroll University, the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Colts, and Washington Redskins, Shula absorbed coaching principles under Paul Brown. At age thirty-three in 1963, Shula was hired as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, becoming the youngest head coach in NFL history at the time and leading Baltimore to the 1968 NFL championship.

In 1970, Shula took charge of the four-year-old expansion Miami Dolphins, turning a losing club into an immediate AFC contender through brutal summer training camp conditioning in the Florida heat. In 1972, Shula achieved what no other coach has ever replicated: the 'Perfect Season'. Relying on his 'No-Name Defense' and the dual rushing attack of Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, the Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season and won all three playoff games, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII to finish 17-0.

Shula repeated as Super Bowl champion the following year in Super Bowl VIII. Over a monumental 33-year head coaching career with the Colts and Dolphins, Shula led his teams to six Super Bowls and suffered only two losing seasons. In November 1993, he surpassed George Halas to become the all-time winningest coach in NFL history, retiring with 347 total victories. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.