Don Shula

Don Shula, who on his way to becoming pro football’s winningest coach also fielded the only unbeaten team in NFL history, has died, the Miami Dolphins announced Monday. He was 90.

“Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years,” the team said in a statement. “He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene.”

The cause of death was not immediately known but a source told the Miami Herald that it was not related to the novel coronavirus.

Shula, who was only 33 when he stepped into his first head coaching job, coached only two National Football League teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins, and he ended his career with a 347-173-6 record. He also posted the NFL’s only perfect season — 17-0 with the 1972 Dolphins — and six Super Bowl appearances. He won two, capping that historic 1972 season with a 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins, then beating the Minnesota Vikings a year later in Super Bowl VIII.

For most of their early history, the Dolphins were coached by Shula. He was the most successful head coach in professional football history in terms of total games won. Under Shula, the Dolphins posted losing records in only two of his 26 seasons as the head coach. During the period spanning 1983 to the end of 1999, quarterback Dan Marino became one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, breaking numerous league passing records. Marino led the Dolphins to five division titles, 10 playoff appearances, and Super Bowl XIX before retiring following the 1999 season.