Don Shula, the NFL's winningest head coach, dies at 90

Don Shula.
(Image credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula died "peacefully at his home" on Monday, the team said in a statement. He was 90.

Shula is a legendary figure in the football world, and his reputation is well-earned. He's the winningest coach in NFL, compiling 328 victories between 1963 and 1995 while leading the then-Baltimore Colts, and, eventually, the Dolphins for the vast majority of his career on the sidelines.

The Dolphins went to five Super Bowls under Shula, winning two. His most memorable season came in 1972, when the Dolphins completed a 14-0 regular season and went on to win their three playoff games to finish a perfect 17-0. Thanks to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in 2008, it remains the only unblemished season in NFL history. The team won another title the following year.

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Shula entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.