apuszczalowski Posted May 4, 2020 Posted May 4, 2020 Seemed like a great person, only downfall was being the coach of the enemy....... 90 is a long time
Rico Posted May 4, 2020 Posted May 4, 2020 1 hour ago, eball said: Marv Levy: 17-6 vs. Don Shula (regular season and playoffs) Sorry, the Bills fan in me can't resist. Really remarkable given Shula's lifetime record. Not complete dominance, but pretty damn good.
Bigvinny Posted May 4, 2020 Posted May 4, 2020 Just realized I saw the last game he ever coached in 95. Also the last home playoff game. 1
Rico Posted May 4, 2020 Posted May 4, 2020 (edited) Here's some highlight's of Shula's last game. Vintage Dan in the playoffs, Bills are up 27-0 at the start of the 4th and he puts up numbers and points in garbage time. Buh-bye, Don. Edited May 4, 2020 by Rico
Bad Things Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 RIP and God Bless coach. He was a mighty adversary. 1
Turk71 Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 I shared a condo with his nephew Dave Shula (not his son Dave) while ski bumming in Park City around 87-88. Great guy, we skied in the day and worked in the same Main st restaurant at night. Took a few road trips together to GD shows⚡. I lost track of him over the years. Don Shula grew up in a big family on lake Erie in ne Ohio. Great coach and judging by his nephew's stories a really nice guy. RIP Don Shula 2
Buftex Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, IDBillzFan said: RIP Shula. You represented the very best of NFL head coaches; you led, you won, and never once did you need to create a video production company to help you cheat. Growing up in the 70's as a Bills fan, it is easy to forget how much we hated this guy. He was the Bill Belichick of his time, at least as far as Bills fans were concerned. I remember my uncle, my father, my older brother all just constantly harping on how much they hated "Tubs" Shula...one of the reasons always cited was that he "cheated", and had the officials in his pocket, because of his role on the NFL rules committee... I had almost forgot about that. But then tonight, watching Football Life, Dan Marino mentions, with a twinkle in his eyes that "yeah, he got some calls...but he was still a great coach" (paraphrasing). Of course, Czonka shared a great story to the contrary, saying that one time a teammate found a Raiders playbook in his locker, before they were playing in Oakland. Apparently (I didn't realize this) the Raiders were one of Shula's Achilles heels during the 70s. The Dolphins lost to the Raiders again, and as Czonka tells it, Shula told the players to destroy the playbook...he didn't want to win like that. Cool story. Also interesting hearing Steve Wyche (a Dolphins beat reporter in the 90's) site Shula's inability to beat the Bills during that era, was one of the great frustrations of the later part of his career. Guess I am just getting old....but as much as I absolutely despised him, hurts to see all the greats of yesteryear passing on. In retrospect, the way the Dolphins used to dominate the Bills only made the Bills pretty much returning the favor during the Kelly/Marino era, all the sweeter. Sports are a lot more fun with villains.... and Don Shula was a great one. RIP coach. Still hate the Dolphins....but you have earned my appreciation! If my brother was still alive, he would probably punch me for that! Edited May 5, 2020 by Buftex 6 1
Albany,n.y. Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Bigvinny said: Just realized I saw the last game he ever coached in 95. Also the last home playoff game. The last home playoff game was vs Jacksonville a year later, Kelly's last game.
SoCal Deek Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 I’ve told this story before. Me and my family were flying into Miami from the west coast for a cruise a few years ago. I happened to notice Coach Shula sitting all by himself in the waiting area in Atlanta, making the same connection. I went over and introduced myself as a life long Bills fan, and he was kind enough to sit and talk with me for the longest time. I recalled the infamous streak of the 70’s and told him how elated WNY was when it was finally over, and he immediately turned the conversation to the Bills having the Dolphins number in the 90’s. It showed me it’s all about perspective. He was incredibly generous with his time. I’ll NEVER forget it. Rest In Peace Coach Shula. My prayers are with your family. 6
Buftex Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Bronxbomber21 said: 2020 sucks and it hasn't even been 5 months 1
Chandler#81 Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 4 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said: The last home playoff game was vs Jacksonville a year later, Kelly's last game. and you found this irrelevant point important enough to post???♂️
billsintaiwan Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 8 hours ago, Buftex said: Growing up in the 70's as a Bills fan, it is easy to forget how much we hated this guy. He was the Bill Belichick of his time, at least as far as Bills fans were concerned. I remember my uncle, my father, my older brother all just constantly harping on how much they hated "Tubs" Shula...one of the reasons always cited was that he "cheated", and had the officials in his pocket, because of his role on the NFL rules committee... I had almost forgot about that. But then tonight, watching Football Life, Dan Marino mentions, with a twinkle in his eyes that "yeah, he got some calls...but he was still a great coach" (paraphrasing). Of course, Czonka shared a great story to the contrary, saying that one time a teammate found a Raiders playbook in his locker, before they were playing in Oakland. Apparently (I didn't realize this) the Raiders were one of Shula's Achilles heels during the 70s. The Dolphins lost to the Raiders again, and as Czonka tells it, Shula told the players to destroy the playbook...he didn't want to win like that. Cool story. Also interesting hearing Steve Wyche (a Dolphins beat reporter in the 90's) site Shula's inability to beat the Bills during that era, was one of the great frustrations of the later part of his career. Guess I am just getting old....but as much as I absolutely despised him, hurts to see all the greats of yesteryear passing on. In retrospect, the way the Dolphins used to dominate the Bills only made the Bills pretty much returning the favor during the Kelly/Marino era, all the sweeter. Sports are a lot more fun with villains.... and Don Shula was a great one. RIP coach. Still hate the Dolphins....but you have earned my appreciation! If my brother was still alive, he would probably punch me for that! I was just about to post something similar. Seemed like the dolphins were never penalized back then. And, yes, Shula was on the competition committee. I got around to liking him after we started to dominate. Would have felt bad for him if any other team in the division thwarted him. Ha 1
Nanker Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 I met him once. He was the featured speaker at a work related event. I told him I was a Bills fan and that he had great success against them. He said, “Yes, until they brought Marv Levy in!” He had a nice persona. RIP Coach. 2
Albany,n.y. Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 10 hours ago, Chandler#81 said: and you found this irrelevant point important enough to post???♂️ If it's so irrelevant why would you bring it up that I posted it? It's relevant if you revise history.
Bigvinny Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 15 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said: The last home playoff game was vs Jacksonville a year later, Kelly's last game. Ok. My mistake.
Albany,n.y. Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Bigvinny said: Ok. My mistake. It's not a big deal, I was just setting the record straight because I remember Jim Kelly lying on the ground knocked out with ex-Bill WR turned DB now NFL analyst Bucky Brooks standing over him.
The Frankish Reich Posted May 5, 2020 Posted May 5, 2020 Shula's generation is gone. When I was young, I didn't like these stodgy, dull, figures. Shula. Wooden. Landry. Noll. Dean Smith. I preferred the free-wheeling new types who were emerging in the 70s. No, not Jimmy Johnson or Bobby Knight, but maybe John Madden, Tommy Heinsohn, Bum Phillips. Characters, with character. Now I miss them. I even find myself quoting John Wooden in classic dad-style: "don't confuse activity with achievement." They brought a kind of constancy, consistency, in their lives and approaches and their teams reflected that. The closest things we have to that now are Belichick's Pats -- my dislike for them is kind of like my dislike for Tom Landry back in the day, but it's different. That was a blend of dislike with respect. They demanded respect just by their presence. The Shulas, Landrys, and Nolls were never grumpy jackasses like Belichick, and if they got an edge, it was an edge they'd earned it the old fashioned way. Maybe Coach K is the closest thing. Whatever, it's a dying breed. Goodbye Don Shula; I'll miss you.
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