"I don't know any other way to lead but by example."-Don Shula

Don Shula led by example. From his decorum to the meticulous way he prepared his team every Sunday, Shula is the quintessential role model for aspiring head coaches in the National Football League.

Shula was born in Grand River, Ohio and played college football at John Carroll University in Cleveland. After graduation, he became one of only two rookies on Coach Paul Brown's 1951 Cleveland Browns squad. Brown's coaching style left an indelible impact on Shula that lasted an incredible thirty-three straight seasons as a professional head coach.

After retiring as a player, Shula went directly into the coaching ranks. He took a position as a defensive backs coach under his first true coaching mentor, Blanton Collier. Shula spent one year under the tutelage of Collier at the University of Kentucky before entering the NFL as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

Shula's three years in Detroit formed the basis for his coaching philosophy. It was in Detroit where he realized the importance of utilizing the strengths of professional football player by putting them into positions where they would succeed. Shula's philosophy of molding young athletes into mature men was noticed by Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom.

Rosenbloom hired Shula as the Baltimore coach in 1963. At the age of thirty-three, the hiring was controversial because Shula was deemed by many pundits to be too young to handle the rigors of a professional football head coaching position. All Don Shula did in Baltimore was lead the Colts to a 73-26-4 record and three playoff appearances over the course of seven seasons.

Despite his tremendous success in Baltimore, Shula was labeled a coach who couldn't win the big game. His 2-3 postseason record included two losses in championship games in which the Colts were prohibitive favorites, including Super Bowl III when the Colts were sixteen point favorites to beat the New York Jets. Joe Namath's brash declaration before the game and the subsequent upset shook Shula to the core of his coaching philosophy.

Miami Dolphins owner Joe Robbie liked what he saw in the young Baltimore coach and lured him away to become the Miami Dolphins head coach. The move by Robbie brought charges of tampering by the NFL against the Dolphins, costing the team a first round draft pick to the Colts and setting the stage for acrimony between the franchises that lasted until the 1980's.

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