The Audible Ep. 112 | Remembering Don Shula

Coach Schulers. We all knew he he was, he was getting older, We allay knew he was ninety years old, but well, you know, he's he's one of those figures in my life and a lot of people's last jar that, um, you almost felt like he was gonna live forever. Yeah, yeah,

you're right. You know, you have that iconic feeling when you talk and you mentioned the name of Don Shula, and he'll always be remembered as you know, one of the greatest coaches to ever walk an NFL sideline, one of the greatest people to ever walk the sideline because he contributed to the game of football and and made the molding of men around him so great in the

history of the NFL. And it's just, you know, it's one of those things, as you said, Bo, when you saw Coach Schula over the years on the sidelines in the golf cart, and and you never really took it for granted that you saw him there because you knew his his his health wasn't what it was maybe the year before, two years before when you saw him, but you always had that feeling that he was gonna still be there forever, and he will be, I mean in

in the minds and memories of of the organization. I mean, quite frankly, he's the guy that put the Miami Dolphins on the map and kept them on the map for twenty six years as a as a head coach and uh and you know better than most being under him and under under his watchful eye as a player, and what he meant to all those guys that were around him. And it's just it's it was a sad day. You knew it was coming, but it was a gut punch, as you put it to to all all South Florida,

to to the NFL in general, the passing of Don Shula. Yeah, you know you you you talk about him being on the sidelines, you know, coming out and you know, usually when the weather would get better, you know, he and Marianne would come back from California and then then he would be at all the games. And it's one of the things I really enjoyed about being down on the sidelines.

John was just sitting there and watching the people come up to him, the adoration and the respect, and you know, coaches from the other teams would come jogging over, players from the other teams would come jogging over. You know, if he had any dignitaries that were down there, would always go to to talk to him and get a picture taken with him. And he was always so accommodating

to everybody. He was in his element. He was in his element, and and boy, that just the outpouring of love every and I just I just would sit there and watch, you know, just watch and watch and watching one after another afternoon. He always gave him time and always always smiled. And you know, there's our good friend. Bobby Monica was a long time equipment manager for the Dolphins, has a picture of of him, uh, you know, leaning

over to with coach talking to him. In that golf cart and sitting next to him was Warren Buffett with Warren Buffett R. Three. What a threesome. Yeah, but so Bobby goes, Bobby, Bobby has shown that picture. A lot of people goes, oh, there's coach Sholey goes, who's that other guy? So I kind of tells you the magnitude of what she was all about. But um, so I remember that annoying his humor. He was probably one that said that, hey, who's the other me and you? Bobby? Yeah,

who is it? There's there's a story. There's a story about him with he's with Mary Ann and and they meet they meet Don Johnson, you know, the right star of Miami Vice right, and uh so they're they're talking to him and Don she was like, yeah, hey, yeah, how you know where he goes? You know, I really appreciate the job that you guys are doing here. He didn't know who the hell he was. He thought he thought he was a real time, he was a real policeman,

you know us the city. Yeah, exactly, you guys are doing a great job. One of those go on, keep doing what you're doing. You know, you know what John I wanted. I wanted to ask you because you know, I had the opportunity that you know, it's hard to believe I was thinking about this in the day passed, you know. Uh, you know, I met Don Shoe in

nineteen seventy six. You know, my first first conversation was when he went on the phone when he when he said that drafted me and and and that was that was a thrill of a lifetime for for me because I had to become a Dolphin fan watching him in in in seventy one, seventy two, seventy I got graduated high school, and seventy two the year they were they went undefeated. So I you know, I I became a fan at that point. So you know, just just hearing his voice talking to me was was was was incredible

for me. And I realized I've you know, I've known him for forty four years, which you know, which which what's your forty four years? I'll always treasure. But you know, I didn't realize it was that long. But you know, you grew up in South Florida, You grew up down here and when Coach Schuler's coaching, you grew up during

those those glory years. And now I just I just wanted to kind of get your thoughts on you know what what you know, what was your what were your impressions, your thoughts of of being down in South Florida growing up watching the Dolphins emergence. Is this this early dynasty, um and watching coach sul just just just your thoughts. Well, it was incredible as a young kid that loves sports and loved all sports, I mean, um, just watching the

Miami Dolphins grow. Uh. And I was here, as you said, well, I was here for for the heyday. I mean my parents moved from Youngstown, Ohio, and I was seven years old and I think our first year here was seven d one, So I mean I arrived and immediately became a Miami Dolphins fan and just to see the run of of of excellence and excellence in the a f C because no one could come close to the Miami Dolphins in terms of the teams that you played twice a year and and and for me, my memories go back.

You know, Monday night football was awesome because you had Howard Coastell, and you had Dandy Don, you had Frank Gifford and you're you're as a kid, you're watching on your belly, just trying to stay up as late as you can. But Monday night football wasn't the big deal for me. It was the half an hour before Monday

night football because that was the Don Shula Show. And and that was what I tuned in for because I was going to get the Sea coach Shula talk about the game, talk to one of his current players that was maybe the star of the game or whoever he was able to bring on that that particular Monday night. And that's what I looked for too. I got to see Don Shula talk about the game, and you know, I would study what he said and hear about from the player, what what his thoughts were on the game.

So those are my memories, going, you know, to the Orange Bowl and watching you know, the Dolphins never lose, really they they never really lost a game. Remember him losing a game at home and and and the heat

and the it was just it was just awesome. I mean it was awesome for a kid to kind of grow up in South Florida knowing that and then getting to St. Thomas Aquintas and and I was a peer of Mike, one of his sons, because he was only a couple of years younger than me, and he played for Shaman at high school and I was at St. Thomas and we got to play them every year, and Coach Shula would attend that game and he would be there on a Friday night, and and I knew I

was playing in front of him, and I knew the pressure that Mike had, you know, growing up as a son of Don Shula. But I wanted to be, you know, the best player on the field, just so I could say, you know, Coach Shula saw me play, you know, and I was this little run and he waited around for me after the game. You know, it shook my hand in congratulations and you know, what a good game. And

that's where I first met him. So I had to be nineteen eighty one, So it was I was always an off Coachula because of the coach that he was. But just that just the little things that you saw on him. You know that the knew he was a father, You knew he was a disciplinarian. You knew he always contributed to the game, you know, always being on the

on the rules committee. Just all the little things that that added up, you know, his faith, his family, everything that that that's the memories I have as a young kid growing up into high school and then finally getting

to meet him and watches his legendary career go on. Yeah, it's it really is a remarkable life when you when you look back at it, and you know, talk to so many people over the last couple of days and interviews and this and that and uh, and the one thing you get is just you know, you there's a feeling back whether you know, whether there whether whether guys played against him, played for him, coached against him, wrote about him, you know, and and and you know, yeah,

you know there there's there's always that There's always been that that side of coach Shuler. That's a coach, right and and and a and a demanding coach and a demanding individual. And to the point where I think every player that played for him at some point you hated the guy. You know, You're just like all great coaches, all great coaches, haven't that dealing you know, well but because but but but you know what I would I would I would, I would venture to guess you would.

You would get the same kind of response from anybody who played for Paul Brown, anyone that paid for Vince Lombardi, Tom Land Reach, you go down those old yeah, those old school guys. It was you know, it was a different game back then. You're your player, You treated you players differently then. But but I even those players that that and you know, at times I felt that same way he feel. The guy he's always picking on you. He's I can't no matter what, no matter what I do,

it's not good enough, you know. And so there is, but but the respect that that was always always constant there with him, and uh uh was remarkable and and and to be able to watch him, you know, get done with his career and and you know what I really think over the last you know that the last uh twenty years when he got them coaching and and I kind of think his legend grew bigger and bigger and bigger, because you know, the one thing I always remember about him, he even even in the heyday, even

when you know, I got there in nineteen seventy six and there and there were only three years removed from you know, their their second Super Bowl win, eight years removed from from the undefeated season, and a lot of those guys were still were still playing there for him. Yeah, and he and he was you know he was he was Don Scholl, that tough, hard nosed Don Chow. But you know what, he always made time for people. You always make time for the ordinary Joe. I mean he

never he was never bigger than anybody. He was never you know, I don't know, I don't got time for it, don't have He would always always make time or or you know, if you know, if if he couldn't, there was some he'd tell somebody going, go tell that guy. Just look, I'm sorry, I can't you know what I mean. He always he had respect for people around him, even though he was a guy that everybody wanted to tug on his his collar, everyone who wanted to tug in a jacket and get a word with him, or get

an autograph or get something. And and I always I was always because I sit on the bus sometimes and watch, you know, as he come through, and just you go, man, that guy just says he's just given everybody time. And then I think that's kind of let's think what it

enamored him to a to a lot of people out there. Well, you know, you think about all the things that were probably on his plate and continued as the as the demand of an NFL coach grew, it probably got a little bit harder for Coachula as as he got into his you know, twentieth year as a head coach, because it was quite different from his fifth or sixth, or

seventh or even tenth year in the league. Because the popularity of the game grew, the demands grew of the of the head coach, the responsibilities grew on a daily basis, But he was still himself, you know, he was always he was always the same man. And I think to your point, that's what made Coachula and his upbringing, you know, in the Midwest and being a guy, an Ohio guy, and and growing up there with a big family and him have himself having a big family and those responsibilities.

It was amazing the way he was able to balance that and still I think all through his coaching career, maybe only having two losing seasons out of all those years, which is incredible. Well, you know this, it's funny because we you know, there's a lot of a lot of stories out there, but I remember, you know, a lot a lot of obviously because I had our opportunity to be around him for ten years as a player and

threw up some downs. And you know, and you talk about two losing seasons in in in all the years that he coached, that that's that's remarkable. That's a remarkable. And I got there. And when I got there in nineteen seventy six, I would fortunately, unfortunately blew my knee out in the first game I played in in the Orange Bowl preseason games. So I was on the injury reserve and didn't play my whole rookie year. But I

was there at the game and saw everything. And and and they think that was one of their that was one of the That was his first season, first losing season. I want to say. They went to six and eight, was a fourteen game schedule, six and eight. And I remember walking in the locker room after the game, you know, and and and they've gotten beaten badly by Minnesota. Uh and in that last game in the Orange Bowl. And I walked in there, and I didn't know what to expect.

I kind of expected to be like, hey, guys, has been a tough year. You know, we'll get back into the off season. And and I mean my mouth just dropped open because he's walking around the locker room and he is just living and he's looking at people right in the eyes. He said, look, I know some of you guys gave up on me. And he's walking, he's looking as he walks his point and he goes, and I can guarantee you this. You guys aren't gonna be on this football team next year. I won't have it.

I have this kind of attitude I want and I mean, he went on for twenty minutes, and I'm you know, you know, I'm I'm barely on the team at that point. You know, I was on because the draft, but I didn't really play, didn't wasn't And I'm just sitting there going, whoa, you know, I came from a I came up program in Sansei State. We're during the middle of practice. We have pops popsicle plates, hear what I mean. And now all of a sudden, now, all of the sudden, this

guy you pointing out people. I know you, I know you're and I'm going, holy crap, what the hell? What the hell am I getting myself? You know? But but you know, but that was his that was his guy. That was the guy. He was right, that was him and he and he demanded the best there's another another time that Joe and I Rosen I always always joke about it. We were we were and I think it was like maybe nineteen eighty seventy nine on what year

was maybe one? We went eight and we had a bunch of injuries and we went eight and eight, and and so we're in the middle of an eight and eight season and you know, part with and he was frustrated and he was mad. He was mad all the time, and you know, it wasn't a fun year. And and so we're watching game film one day and we're watching a special team. We did special teams. The whole team would watch special team films, right, and he would, you know,

someone run the projector. But he was always the you know, he was always the guy with the pointer, right. And and so he's going and he's going, and you could just tell more and more he's just getting more and more frustrated. We just got beat by the Colts, you know, badly, and he's just getting more and more frustrated, more and more frustrat finally says, turned, damn projector off and he stands on me. He goes, Damn, I'm sick of this.

Look at this crap up here. He said, I could go to Carol City and get twenty two guys and go eight Nate and this family. What do I need you guys for which which he probably could have. You know, it's it's like that old line that the bum Phillips used to say about him when when bum was at the height of his uh his coaching career with the with the Houston Oilers, we played him a lot. You know, he had a earl in Dan Pastorini and Robert Brazil and then a great football team. But he always said

about Cod they'd asked Hi about coach. Su said, well, I'll tell you what, He's the best coach I've ever seen. He can take his and beat urine, and he can take urine and beat his and and it doesn't tell and you know, it's it's a country twang. But but I think there's a lot of truth to that. You know, his way of doing things, his way of demanding excellence out of everybody, and not only demanding excellence out of everybody,

but demanding that you did it right. You know that you didn't fought the rules, that you didn't cheat, that you didn't do anything out of order, you know. And you know I told the story to um. Uh to one of these guys the other day, was asking about him. I said, you know, there was one point, you know, he no matter what the rules were, he he was going to abide by the rules. So back in the mid mid mid early eighties, UM the league, the league, there was a writer in the in in Boston, Christine

Brennan UM. And she was a female sports one of the first female sports writers in the business. And UH, at the time, they wouldn't let female females in the locker room after game. Whether you're a writer or whatever, you're no matter what you're credential or not, didn't matter. They wouldn't let females in the in the locker room

at least Cochulawin. And then one day he comes in on the Monday, UH and says, look, the league is determined that UM that now that we're supposed to allow UM credential female reporters in the locker room, they have the same access now as every other every other credential writer, TV guy, whatever. So we're gonna we're gonna allow, We're gonna abide by the rules. We're gonna allow the female female writers coming in our locker room. But being coach Sula,

he already had a plan. Because here it's how it's gonna work. We're gonna close the doors for five minutes. Each one of you is gonna have a terry clothed, terry terry cloth robe in your locker. Here's what you do.

You come in, you get undressed, you put your robe on, you walk to the shower, you take your robe off, you hang it on the hook, You take your shower, you get out, you draw yourself off, you put your robe on, you go back to your locker, you put your underwear on, and then you take your robe off and get dressed. So not only did he like adhere to the rules, he already coached it. He coached you through it. He had prepared, He had like he did for everything else. He had prepared for exactly how he

wanted it done and what he wanted done. And uh, it's so sure enough, and then way sure enough. We had one guy, Steve told We decided he was gonna be the funny guy. So he took his robe and he cut the bottom half of it off right below

where the belt goes. So just before he let the reporters, and Steve puts on that half of a robe that covered everything, everything that didn't need to be covered, everything that we need to be covered, exposed, and just as he is just a good way to open here, he goes coach, sure, coach, sure, is this how we're supposed to wear the roade? And he stands up on the bed and everything out there and just kind of broke

things up. But you know, it just kind of tells about you know, his his you know, his thought of doing things within the rules, but also being prepared to to do what you're supposed to do within the parameter of those rules. It's just got a little snapshot of something that most key teams would just say, oh, look there's gonna be ladies in there, and just make sure you cover yourself up. You know, you know you have you got to go a little further than that. That's right.

He had every detail covered and that's what you could count on with, you know, a Hall of fame, a legend, really an NFL legend as a head coach, and he was just a guy that that was always prepared and and nothing really you know, he was gonna get the best out of his guys. Yeah, and he was gonna be demanding doing it, but you respected that. You know, as years went on, you kind of respect that and you kind of figured out that was probably the best way of going about it. Yeah, he's uh, he was

a really remarkable guy. And uh, they'll be missing and I'm sure you know that. Uh, I know the family's got a you know, a service set up for him, that a private service. But I'm sure that somewhere down the road and we get through all this pandemic and things get a little bit back to more back to normal, they'll they'll be a memorial for him that uh, they will all be able to attend and and and really kind of send them off in the way that he deserves to be sent off. Yeah, and you know, and

you know the Miami Dolphins will do that. And I'm just wondering, bo, I know it has it's it's so early on, but I know there'll be ah some type of sticker or patch either jersey. I would I would love to see what, you know, what the Bears did for George Hallis and have those initials always on jersey in terms of on the sleeve. That that would be kind of really Uh, paying tribute to Don Shula because he meant so much and built so much of this organization.

When you think of the Miami Dolphins, that would be a fitting in my opinion, of fitting tribute to him. Yeah, John, your your close friend with Dan Marino. You've been around him a lot, you know, and and and you know it's it's hard to mention Coach Schula without mentioning Dan Marino, uh, in their relationship. And uh, and you know Danny, you know, Dani know Dan Danny, Danny absolutely adored the guy. I mean he still I mean still doesn't. Uh. You know,

we always always kind of give Danny the business. And yeah, when you were the quarterback, and you know, he can kind of give play kind of you kind of put kid gloves on with you while put the boxing gloves on with us. And then they're, oh, no, no, I got my share of it. But but I know you've talked to Danny and and and uh, I know it hit him a hard way, hit him as hard as it did all the rest of us. But I know, just your thoughts about being around Danny and his relationship

with Coach. We both as a player, and and like I think, like all of us. Our relationship with him

post playing UH became a very very very special relationship. Well, I think all of you guys, you take a look at all of the players that that coach Shula had an influence on, and I think you know when you you mentioned it earlier about going through it while you're going through it as a player who was a heck of a lot different than developing a true friend chip and relationship and as a friend and as a confidant and as a guy that you'd want to go back

and share those memories with post your playing days, was completely different. And I think that that goes to be said and be true of of all the players that he influenced, and especially maybe a guy like Dan Marino, because as you said, it was probably more of a sparring session when coach Sula went to up to Dan and had some suggestions compared to a full out brawl when he went to a linebacker as yourself, or a defensive tackle or an offensive lineman when he wanted to

get his point across. And I think daily Danny truly respected UH Coachula because of that attitude that he brought every day and that that demanding nature and the way that he was able to I don't know, cultivated relationship where it was gonna make both of them successful. And for for a team to have success, in my opinion, you have to have that head coach quarterback relationship be

as firm and trust worthy as possible. And I think that's what it was, and that's why the Dolphins had so much success and so much winning, no matter if it was Dan Reno, which obviously coach and quarterback won a hell of a lot of games. But remember Coachula brought five different quarterbacks to a Super Bowl appearance and that's never happened. It might never happen again. Um, So you know that relationship with Dan was quite special. He

made him a better player, a better person. Uh And and I think it went back and forth because I think coach Shula probably learned a lot from Dan and is his confidence, his cockiness, his his air about him was able to go. You know, I can let this guy go. I can get my point of cross, but at a certain point I gotta let Dan v Dan and let him take the reins. And I think Coachula was smart enough to do that. So as a player

and coach, it was great. And I think post player coach relationship, I think that friendship really grew as as it did for you and Larri Zanca and Larry Little

and all those guys that played for him. Yeah, you know, as you were talking about that and that, the thought came on mind that you know, when I first came in the I stuck out probably on a peer four of the last years of Bob Greasy, you know, and and that then Grease, you know, you know, one of the things that made Bob and I know people people question Hall of Fame and this and that because some of his passing numbers weren't his as gaudy as as

some of those other people out there. But you know what part of what made him great and and and allowed Bob to be that guy is a coach who trusted him. Boy called his own place. Bob's always called his own place, you know, and and and and you know and you always It's funny because one of the great stories I've heard from from Bobby, he tells a story about when they're playing the Cowboys in the Super Bowl, and you know, Bob's calling the plays, and Bob I

always called the plays. He said, you come sure. You know, he was always wanting to call plays. He always wanted to inject the play, you know, along the way. And he said, no, look, I got it, I'm calling the plays. I'll take care of myself. But Coach will trusting him because he knew what kind of a quarterback Bob was. And and that's the only guy that I ever saw

him turn the reins over to. You know, I played when Nick Bonacani was on the defensive side for a year and and and even Nick kind of was you know, you know, had to had to stay within the boundaries of what was going on. But but Bob, you know, had free run of that offense. And and that's why that offense worked the way it did well. Now along comes Danny, you know. And then after Bob, you know, he had done Strock, he had David Woodley and then and and by the way, we go go to a

Super Bowl with with Strock and Woodley. Uh, and then Danny comes in the next year. And and Danny, I think his first year when he got into starts but he always said, okay, yeah, okay, here's the play that's to play. But but it didn't. It took Danny probably uh into his second year as a starter. It started midway through that his first year, and then the next year we really had that big year, and I believe it was en four. It was a year, big year.

And and at that point, you know, Danny became a guy that would you know, you know, Coachward send to play in and Danny would like, no, no brush out. He sending a running play and no, no, guys, we're gonna throw you know, you know, Danny wanted to throw the ball every down. Yes, and so now you've got a quarterback that you're calling the place for him. But the play that's being once the ball snapped to play, that's being being gone being executed, isn't the play you called, right,

But then he throws a touchdown. So so you come off the side of the field. Well we didn't go well yeah, coach, but but you you could see with Coach Sula, he became the trust Danny and and and allowed that. You know, you know, I don't I don't think he don't think Dan. I don't think Danny ever came to the side Ryan and and she Wulda chewed him out for not running the play he he put in. Now if he didn't throw the ball the right way, and he wasn't gonna chew him out. He's said, you might,

you know, you know there was someone open. You know, he might just get him a little uh, you know, critique or something. But again, it's that trust that he had with Danny that any other player in the field does. That he's sitting on the pine and you're not gonna get much opportunity to play. But the trust there that those two, that those two built together, I think, um, what like you said earlier, it made him both better. Yeah, and it made the team better. It gave them a chance.

And I think that that goes to the credit of of coach Schuller being able to adapt to the many different styles of of play that the NFL went through in those twenty six years, being able to go from a run heavy team, a no name defensive type of of of group, to being able in the eighties and early nineties that the Dolphins were known to throw it all over the field, um, and completely change the dynamic and change with the times, and having the personnel to

be able to adapt to those changes and and build your team that way. So you know, I think he was always on the cutting edge of whatever was in vogue in the league at that time to make it the best, or try to make it the best and then adapt quickly or change your philosophy and be able to be that flexible as a head coach to adapt

to the way the league was moving. And I think the Dolphins did that under coachla You know, one of the one of my great memories of of of him, uh during game days was you know, it's funny because you know, I don't think there's anybody the league has been that had got their team more prepared to play a game on Monday through Saturday. Uh, then coach Shula did. Now on Sunday. Sometimes he was a little out of control.

I mean, these referees he would just I mean you you sit there watch him just to take these referees and just chew him up, you know, and you know, and and and guys, would you It would be funny because you you look at you you look at the games, and a lot of times that sideline judge, that side judge is is standing almost right, you know, almost right on the on the sideline. You know, whenever coach was playing, they were out in the numbers. They were standing out

at the numbers. They especially if they made a call that he wasn't happy with. You know, they were getting as far off they were in the huddle and he'd be and you know, and one of his big one of his big foils was jim Tunny who had been there for a long long time, and he was a Jimmy, Jimmy coming over here for some and he'd wave him up. No, no, I ain't comeing. No, no, Jimmy, really did you? And I just gonna get you. No, No, I wave events

these shoes and wear him down. Come on, just come on, Jimmy. I just needed so the guy would wander over there and as soon as he got there, a bob boom, what you know, And when you just sit there and it was it was a spectrum. But but but you know, he had and and it kind of you know, it kind of during the game, like play calling wise, he would kind of get ahead of himself or whatever, and Don Strock was always there to kind of, hey, well, coach,

here's what we talked about in the game. Player Strack was kind of like the interpreter. He was the buffer. They kind of got him back on track and stuff. But the Dynamics were there, but bought on game day. There was no I mean, it was I mean some of the you know, I remember I I and We're playing a boot playing the Buffalo Bills one year and uh and the chop block was still, you know, still active in the league. And I'm rushing on the outside and Joe Cribbs came outside and just came and speared

me right in my thigh. And by the time I got the sideline, my my my leg had blown up about two inches bigger than it should be, and the blood rushing in there. And they immediately started putting on anarchy and I coagulants and I V because they didn't want they didn't want to clot up. And so I was on I V S until Thursday after the game. And and I go on Thursday and see the doctor

and I got cloths. So they had to stick a tube in there sucking out and then they left a like a little tube sticking out so it could dream. So I've got it. So now we play. I know, we got a game on Sunday, and so I'm in the locker room and I got this big wrap on my leg and I got this tube sticking out, there's blood using out of it. And and I couldn't bend my leg. I had shorts on because I couldn't put pants over my leg, and and and I couldn't bend my leg. I couldn't bend my leg in the inch.

So I'm standing there outside of his office and his there, his locker room there, and he comes walking out and I said, he goes, how are you doing? I go, I'm not doing so well. He goes, I said, you know, what do you want me to do today? He was, what do you mean? I go, well, do you want me on the you want me the sideline, or do you want me to go up in the press box? Goes all right, I want damn, but I want you to play and walks away. And I'm standing there, you know,

and I can't bend my leg. I could barely up my weight on my way. And I'm thinkuring myself, well, maybe I can play, Maybe I can maybe I can tell my stuff about But you know, I mean, that's kind of the influence he had on you. And you know he he Uh. We had we had a roast for him after after he retired. Uh, And I am see the roast and he called me into his office the day before and said, now tell me about this roast. How it's gonna work. And I said, what we thought.

We'd passed the mic around everybody and let them just tell a story or have say something and then uh. And then he goes, well, who's gonna be there? And I said, well, it's gonna be you know, the players and wives and girlfriends. He says, A meaning gonna be there and said, no, no, no media, just just your former players and and there and they're significant others. And he said, okay, if that's the case, then you can say whatever. You guys can say whatever you want to say.

But he said, but I get the microphone last. And I said, okay, fine, So that's what we did. So we just passed the microphone around and everyone told a little a little something and about the relationship with them for this and and Bob Kuchenberg, the great Bob Kuchenberg, who, by the way, she should be in the Hall of Fame. I just leave that out there to the simmer a little bit. But um, he got up and he said, you know, coach Coach Sula had great tolerance for other

people's pain. Me he always thought you could play when when when when the doctors were telling you you couldn't write right. So so we kind of go around. So finally, you know, give them, give them, like to Coachuler, and he gets and he goes, yeah, you know, I heard what Bob Kuchenberg said. And he said, maybe maybe I was a little tough. Maybe I was a little tough

on my players. Maybe maybe I didn't maybe I expected him to play a little too much when sometimes and he still so he says, he says, I should have I should have I should have known that. He said, he said, my first year as a head coach in Baltimore, think he was thirty three years old, the youngest head coach in the NFL. And he says, uh, my best receiver went down up and that old crappy field up in baltim Municipal Stadium, dirt in field, you know, and

so this guy's laying in the dirt. And Coach Schuley said, you know, at that time, I used to go out and see how my players were when they got hurt. And so he said, when he said, walk down the middle of the fields and guys laying there, and he's in that dirt. He says, I, So look down. He's got a compound fracture was a lower leg. The bone is sticking out of his sock. There's blood is spilling into the dirt and mud and stuff like that. Guys laying there writhing in pain. And so she says. He says,

so I said him and says, can you go? Oh God? And the guy goes and the guy goes, not, Coach, I don't think so. And this is Coach Schultalk, he says. Guy says, no, I don't think so. He so Coach Will says, so I turned around, kicked the dirt and goes, why does this ship always happened to me? And it walks off the field. So he was, he was, he was. He was a different guy with that. But you know what I said, a lot of guys, you know a lot of guys that that that that fought through it.

You know guys that that did you did stuff and that you never thought you could do. You know, you'd scrap it up and and just call out and play. And you know, I remember, I remember I had a really bad sprained ankle one day. He says, can you go? I go, Yeah, I can go, coach, but it's I don't know, he says. He said, well, just look, strop it up, do the best you can and and just you know, just we need you out there. Just just

do the best you can. I go, okay, coach. So you know, I'm playing and all of a sudden, we're playing at Joe Washington. We're playing Baltimore. Joe. They taught we have a toss sweep and I'm playing outside linebacker, and I'm you know, I gotta keep him. I gotta turn him in, you know, I gotta go. I'm trying to. I'm trying to set the edge and get him turned back inside, and I just couldn't. I just couldn't push off, you know. So I'm so I'm starting to get hooked

by the tight end. And finally Joe comes around the corner and I'd go for him as we're right in front of our sideline in yours. But it was a rainy day and so I go to try to trip him up and grab his ankle. Miss stim My head plowed right into the into the into the turf, and I got water and mud and you know how to John, you go down to get that big clump of dirt on the top of the face mask. You can't clump

of dirt. I got muddy water in my mouth, my face, and I'm laying flat and I'm about about a yard from our sidelines, and all I can say I look up and all I can see is a shadow of coach,

Who're going, damn it, make the play. And I was, I was, I was thinking about coach my ankle and all you go, yeah, uh, you're you're in a no win situation, sation, no win situation, no no, but but you know you but you know what's funny, and all those things made you a better player, they you know, And that's what the good ones brought out in in

their teams and their players. They pushed it. They pushed their play years to a point where they didn't even think they could go to And and the player did it out of respect. Whether you felt like it or not, or felt it at the time or not, you did it because you knew that he was doing this for the betterment of the team, not just for you, and not just for him. He then what it was all about.

You don't you know what? You didn't want to let your team down, But just as importantly, or maybe more important, you didn't want to let him down, you know, because you knew he put here, You knew he poured everything into every game. You know, he knew he was Yeah, he poured everything into every game, and you knew it. And so you know, yeah, I hated when I couldn't play. I just was it would just eat at me because because you felt like you're I didn't even look at him.

I broke my leg one week and when year didn't play for four weeks, I couldn't even look at him. You know, I was embarrassed because I'm you know, because I'm not playing, and and you just felt like you're letting him down. You know the other thing I think about him John as opposed to now. And I don't know when it started in this league. You know, it's you know, the the the new buzzword in in in in football, whether it's culture, it's culture anyway. It's funny.

It's funny how the teams that win the Super Bowl always have great culture, right but you know so, but and to me, it's it's it's it's become it's become cliche. You know, well, and it's an excuse when you don't win, right. And the other thing is the other thing is it's it's all about the process, right, Everything is about the process. You know. I remember when she how about this isn't the culture what the head coach says, it is exactly

exactly and then going to set the culture. Yea. And the the point I'm getting to here with this is that you know, coaches now they don't want to put too much pressure on their players. You know, Oh, you know, it's it's it's it's a process. We're getting there, you know, Jesus, guys, you gotta play. Yeah, but the problem we're moving along with the process, you know. You know, our process was

the first meeting of every preseason, every training camp. The first thing he said was, we're here for one reason. We're here to win a super Bowl, and that is it. Anything other than that is failure. Anything other than that is failure. And so you know, there there's there's been, there's a hesitant, hesitancy now in this league to demand excellence. That's all he demanded. He would, I don't care. I don't give a crap if we went you know, like New England the one year where they went to eleven

and five and and and missed the playoffs. You know, if we went eleven five miss the playoffs, it would have been a miserable year for us, you know, it

would have been a failure. And in fact, you know, I played for him for ten years and never left the season where we did get shoot out the last game, because the only way you leave, the only way you leave that building with with him, was that if you won the super Bowl, because everything else was a fail was was was I don't want to say failure, but but it wasn't up to the expectations of his of his team, and where he set his expectations for himself,

probably exactly. And he wasn't afraid to lay that out there as your goal here, this is our goal. Anything short of it, not interested in it? M hm. And yeah, I'd like to see more teams, I am, you know, lay it out there, more teams, lay it out, expose yourself. Don't worry about that, you know, if you if you if you're afraid of that expectation, you probably shouldn't be

in the room. Yeah, but I think I think that's where the great ones kind of separated, and especially in the culture that that he grew up in because I think that was the norm. I think I think a lot of those great coaches from that era that was the norm of the way they thought, you know, and I think now where you have kind of the well you kind of reason, well, we we didn't. We came in second in the a f C East and that wasn't bad because we were projected fourth. Well, now that

that's not that we want to win. We want to win, not every every we want to and every time you put your every uniform on and your expectation is to win the Super Bowl, no matter if you're projected to win four games or six games or eight games, your goal should be find a way to win that game and then move on and try to find the next one. Yeah, he would treat you know, he would treat preseason games

the same way. You know, if you go back and look if I bet I would venture to guess if you went back and looked at his record in the preseason you know, back when fourteen and you play four games, you have six preseason games, and then you went to sixteen and four, I bet you if you went back and looked at his record in the preseason games, they would have a very impressed winning record, because I don't remember losing many preseason games. And then if your head

you you you heard about it. Just losing creep in. This is not what we're about, right right. He wanted to teach you winning from the moment you stepped into that building. And and no, no matter where there was a practice, a scrimmage, a preseason game, he treated them all the same way and expected the best. And so

I think that's what made him who he is. And like you said, I mean, you listen to look at the you know that the people that he learned from Lombardi and Paul Brown and all these guys that that he spent time with, and um, you know, George Hallis and and all these guys that that built the league. And you know, he's kind of he's kind of like the one of the you know, him and him and Noel and those guys were kind of the the last of that bunch in Landry. You know, you know how

I had a little bit of that. But it's, uh, it's it's you know, it's uh a remarkable life that he had. You look at all the people and someone you know, how much how much you like to win. I remember he used to have a golf tournament every year before the preseason. Uh, and he divide all the media.

You know, no one paid. It was just you know, they put it on in Miami Lakes and and uh, you have the newspaper writers, the TV guys, and then there's some players in this and that plant and Shool always won and something He's always look who he's playing with, he said, it's it's Coach Shula, It's Raymond Floyd, It's Dick Anderson. And it was usually like it was usually like Dudley Hart or somebody. Yeah, you know what I mean.

And was loaded, you know, and I'm playing I'm playing with hal Halbide from the Pomp Post and you know, and uh and I and you know what the and all there if you want, all they gave you was a crappy little like a little plastic dolphin helmet with a light in it. You know. It wasn't like it wasn't like you're playing for anything special, you know. But I'm sure if you were on coach Ule's team and you might have had an off day, you might not

have got invited back to his team. No, no, no, you you might have dumped you off at the turn. You might you might have you would have trade me for the for the golf bro at the curtain. Come on, you gotta gotta finish this thing out. So but anyway, well it's just you know, you you hate to, Yeah, you hate to to lose a guy that's that's been

that special. But it's it's been pretty um, it's been pretty healing over the last few days, just you know, watching the shows and and and remembering what he did and remembering all the things, and you know, and and and know you you remember in a lot of different ways. I remember as a coach, uh, I remember now as a friend. Um, but you know, you're the one thing that that one the one constant there was always with

him was his fan. Was a family man. I mean, he's you know, he's We remember going up to Baltimore where he he had played, he coached for a long time up there, and you know, we would we would pull into the parking lot, John and there would be twenty nuns there, right because because you know, he went

to he went to Mass every day. You know, he took confession every day, you know, I mean, and and so you know, he's his heart was with the Catholic Church and and all that, and so you know there was always priests and always um nuns and stuff around us. And you know, I remember when we were training camp

or at St. Thomas uh BIS Game College. She has changed a couple of days, but you know that a little chapel there, six o'clock in the morning, he would go in for Mass, he would say confession, and then he would come to practice. And remember one day sat him said, coach, you give it a give it a mass every day. So yeah, I go every day six o'clock in the every day, um confession. He goes, yeah, I can confession every day. And I said every day since I see every day since uh so, I said, well,

let me ask you this. When you do confession, you confess the things that you said yesterday? Or do you confess the things you're about to say? And you looked at me with a little you're you're looking here you always had every now and then you had this a little rice smile and kind of when he goes, hey, yeah, I do it for every day. Yeah. Now get to get back and get to get back and get to work with Yeah. Uh you know, sad time, sad time

in our life. But but what a what a what a what a lot of memories, of great memories that they be left well not only for not only for his players, but for the for the community, for the country, for sports in general. Um. You know, I think for all of us that they grew up there, that you guys like you that grew up down there, they've got a chance to be around it. For me, even got a chance to come out and play for him for for ten years and know him for forty some years.

Um uh I, all I know is that my life has been better for for having known and been around Don Shula. Well, it's it's it's unbelievable. It is as sad as it is with the passing of Don Shula. The great uh stories that you hear from guys that were players and acquaintances and guys that were just around an NFL legend and uh such a a guy that really gave everything to the game of football, gave everything

to his family. Um. I think it's great that you're able to put a smile on people's faces when you tell stories of Don Shula, the serious stories, the funny stories, the coaching stories, the friendship stories. Um. I think that that's a that's a true mark of someone that that left his mark in this world and in a profession that he loved, in his sport that he loved, and being around people that he had so much respect for.

I think that's that's the mark of a of a true of a true man living out his life and really giving everything he had on on a daily basis. And and for the Miami Dolphins in this organization to be to be to be associated with a man like Don Shula that put the Miami Dolphins franchise on the map of the NFL and be proud to be associated

I am. I'm proud to be associated with the Miami Dolphins organization because of Don Shula and the way he lived his life and what he gave to to not only the the organization but the community of South Florida. And when he gave to the NFL. It's a tremendous honor that we were able to speak, uh speak some funny stories, speak some truth, uh, be able to keep keep going that legacy of what Don Shula meant to

to to the world. Yeah, he touched a lot of players, certainly, and and we gotta uh we we got some some of the players and some of their thoughts on just what what them. First of all, I just wanna, you know, say, um, it's a sad day. Um My prayers and condolences go out to Mary Anne Schula family, Michael David um just really good people. And it's a it's a sad day for coach h But a lot of great memories. Beautiful man,

great person. Um. Yes, my first memory Dave was um coming there, coming from Mini camp, coming from Mini camp. First time I met him walking his office. Uh. And the funny part was before the draft, I never talked to Coach Sula or the scouts or anything because I didn't think they thought I was gonna be available for

them to draft me. So the first time I really talked to Coachula besides just on the phone draft day saying hey, Hi, you would you like to be a Dolphin, was in his office coming into Mini camp, and UM, I remember it was a little intimidating because you know, the first time you're meeting the head coach, a guy

that was so successful. UM. But I do remember what he told me was I want you to come in good shape, be prepared, to be prepared to uh, prepare yourself this summer as if you're gonna come in and be the starter. And he made an impact on me right away that way, like he's he believed in me. He is like, I believe in you. I want you to work that way so you can come in and compete and actually feel like you're gonna compete to be the starting quarterback. And uh, that just gave me a

lot of confidence right off the bat. So, um, that

was my first meeting actually with coach. Yeah, you know, it was already established when I got there, but um, the thing that sticks out to me is that he was very disciplined coach, Um, very intelligent, always preached the mental aspect of the game, not making metal mistakes, not doing things to beat yourselves, and um, I guess it just gave me an understanding of coming from college to the professional level of how much difference there isn't much

difference most of the time in between the talent level that's on you know, the opposing team. So any little edge and get and and being metally prepared and not making mental mistakes and penalties and stuff like that was a huge thing that he's stressed from day one and it was a little things. And I think that's definitely what stands out when you're asking that question. Coach Shula demanded so much from us. And there was a game in Cleveland that was his home home state as you know,

um where Monday night football game, my rookie year. I was playing hurt all the time. And I got through the whole game and right before the end, Uh went into the X ray room, got diagnosed, had just a terrible continue Usian in my arm, and I went back to after the game, after our defeat, I went back to Coach Shula with the doctor and he, uh, he just was so frustrated. Took out a little bit of

that frustration on me. Uh. Coming from Wisconsin, I didn't swear I heard a lot of it in sports, but Shula had probably the frustration in them that day and shared it with me. Um. But it bothered me. So you know, it not only motivated you, um, but it

would also challenge you. And later that week, Bob bomb howerd it was my locker roommate, and uh, he would encourage me to just chill out, but I had I had to get it off my chest, and I went into Coach Schuler's office that that week and just shared with him that I had never wanted to be sworn at again. And uh, you know, the story goes beyond that, but needless to say, coach respected my wishes. Uh and uh, you know he's he's certainly had ways of communicating to you.

Didn't have to be in a form of a swear word, but he would definitely rile you up and get you prepared. One of the things I'll never forget. And uh and we all have moments of this, but in my life, that moment and lasted eight years, and he demanded the most out of his players, and many of his players couldn't deal with that, including myself at times. Um. But

what happened was we performed beyond our wildest imagination. And when a player can look in the mirror and say that wasn't me, but somebody's expectation of my performance, that overcame my own limitations. I mean, that is an amazing aspect of a great coach. Um. And it's not easy during the moment, but in retrospect, every player that played for Coach Shula looks back and says, he got me to do more out of my body. Out of my performance than I could have ever done on my own.

And a mentor, a coach, a great leader can take a team of people like that and make him great. And that's what he did yarine and year out for those years he played, he coached, for the for the Miami Dolphins, and beyond. Quite honestly, he lives in every one of our dreams and sometimes nightmares to this that I think his uh great marks come in the world of football with the integrity that he showed for the game.

Not just the fact that he was a driven coach and and concentrated on winning and was willing to make the sacrifices and pay the price to win and take you along with him, but he was also had a sense of humor about things, so there it was. It was a balance. He was driven, and his legacy comes down to the fact that he proved that by being the winningest coach in the history of the league. Now

during that time, the pinnacle of his career. If you asked me about the one moment that perhaps most personifies that great career that he had, I would say it was the the undefeated season. I would say that the perfect season was the diamond if you will in the rough that that he honed out as an exemplary movement moment that where everything that he had learned how to sacrifice and work and put together and and orchestrate came

together and worked and we went undefeated. In the game that led to that was the loss to the Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl six. After that game, we're all in the locker room, and he threw everyone else up, with the coaches and the players, and he said, this moment is a moment we're going to learn from. This is You've got to remember how you feel right now after just getting your ass kicked in the Super Bowl. You gotta remember that because next year, we're going to

open up. In five or six months, we're gonna get together back at camp and we're gonna open up, and we are going to rededicate ourselves every week to the task at hand, not look forward to the playoffs, or look forward to a winning season, look forward to any of that. We're going to concentrate one week at a time, one game at a time, and we're gonna go every game with the intent of winning every game. He said that on on the on the more closing moments after

losing a Super Bowl. He dictated what was going to happen the next year with that undefeated season, and I think that was the pinnacle of his career. If there was one point that he would pull out to judge the entire career by, that would be the high point I think is that undefeated season, because what happened was the very essence of what he had alluded to. We went one game at a time and it was close,

and anyone play could have changed things. I know, I don't argue the point that it's just a hair separates perfection from losing one game. Different people at different times step forward and made the difference. But that's what a team's all about. The essence of that seventy two team is what the entire world of sports is about. That that incorporates teamwork in an effort. It was all the people pulling together and playing better than what any individual

could play on their own. That's what it's about, and it takes a great coach to bring that out of players, and I think that was the pinnacle of his success. When I first saw him, I remember the first listen to some of the questions, and I remember my first occasion I hearing about coach Schilla coming to the Dolphins.

It was with on Channel four, one of the back then he was being interviewed and and he was saying, I like, yeah, I like I like a lot of what I was seeing with this Dolphins team has got a young, good, good young quarterback. But Greasy, I think he scrambles too much. I like to get him to stay in the pocket more. And I couldn't wait until I saw Coach Shula because he evidently he even wasn't was watching too much of our film because there was

no pocket for Greasy to stay in. You know, the first three years I was was down here, I did a lot of scrambling, and so he and I had the discussion. And sometimes I still have to remind him, uh to this day. You know, he was a boss back then. Um, but as years go by, we become friends and we're kind of like equals. Umm. Not not like he was the boss and I was the underling and that's the way it was back then. But um no, it's we've you know, I lost I lost a good friend,

I lost a great friend. He um. Um, you know, we spent a lot of time together at lunch, and his favorite place to have lunch was Golf Stream Park, and and some of the other buddies that would go Hank Hank gold Goldberg before he moved out to um um Las Vegas, was was our handicapper and and I always tell the story that she would be sitting at the end of the table like like he didn't know, he didn't know horses from the hole in the ground. So he looked at Hank and he say, innk, what

do you like in the second race? And Hank would say, I studied this for him last night, and I got up again this morning and I looked at it for another twenty five minutes. I looked at here and I liked the number seven one three, And Sulla looked down at the bottom of his program and it was seven three one, and he would look at Hank as hell, Hank, that's the chalk. I don't want chalk, chalk, chalk, chalk chalk. So that's that's But we had a great time, uh

at at having lunch at Gulf Stream Park. I'll give you an indication of coach Shula and how I and why I feel he always got the most out of his players and you know. He was a guy that you know drove you, but wouldn't allow you to quit on yourselves. I remember one ball game alone where I was having some shoulder at your issues. I had pension nerve in my neck and um verty soon I end

up starting to wear a neck brace. But I remember a game where we had to have that victory and I land on my shoulder and I'm in such pain and make the catch. I come off the sideline and he looked at me like, and where are you going? You know? And I'm like, I'm in so much pain. I can't believe what he's saying to me. You know, I just got the first down. I got hit my shoulder, hurt, um and pain subside. I go back in the ball game and and once again we we we need a

third down. I make the play and I come off and I am in so much pain. I don't know what to do. Uh, and he is riding me. He's ripping me. Long story, short game end is we win. The first guy to come to my locker and pat me on the back and tell me what a great job I didn't way to hang in there. He knew it was tough, he knew I can do. It was Don Schila, and I always think about things like that where he didn't allowed players to quit on themselves or

the team. You know, he always found a way to motivate you to do give a little bit more than you thought you had, to become a little bit better player you thought you could be. And I think that was his his key to success. He got the most out of all of his players, and and guys that didn't want to be a part of that and didn't fit in, he didn't have a problem with getting rid of him. And I think that's why we were much better teams uh in the seventies and eighties and even

nineties under his leadership. UM. And then when I when I think about what Coach Sheula meant to South Florida. You know, and I've been telling this story all day. You know, a lot of men come here to play for the Miami Dolphins under Coach Sula, most of them never left. Most of them eventually decided to stay here, reside here, build their homes and their and their second businesses UM here in South Florida. And it was because Coach sill All always had us out in the community,

always had us being a part of South Florida. You know, in in the seventies, in the eighties, United Way used to come in. They had a great partnership with the NFL. They used to come in and pitch us to donate to the different organizations that a lot of us came from, you know, the boys and Girls clubs and etcetera, all the charities. And Coach schula was always that guy that wrote the first check. You know, he didn't ever ask

you to do anything that he didn't do himself. We ran those gasses, and we all hated those bag on gasses, but he ran them with us. He would run two out of three. So you know, when you think of Coach Schulan, you think of how he drove us. But he also made sure we were a intricate part of

the South Florida communities fabric. And because of that, you see so many guys here today that are still here, that are still doing well, there are still thriving in business and being a part of the South Florida community

and make it better. And it's all because of Don Hula Ali John A lot of uh you know, a lot of a lot of thoughts and prayers and wishes for coach Schuler, and you know, we certainly wish his family the best in these in these tough times, and uh, you know, you know we wish the best for the community. You know, everyone's kind of healing from this, and um, we're just gonna take a long time to you know, I know, I know that when this season starts, and

I'm sure it's gonna start at some point here. Um, you know that time mid season when the weather gets a little better down here in South Florida. And I'm used to sitting on that bench on the sideline and on Sunday afternoons and watching him come out there and watching everyone just come around and and pay their respects to him. I'm gonna miss those moments, and and I'm sure that it's gonna it's gonna hit me pretty hard at that first game around that time when normally he

would be there. Um, but it's it's been a it's been a great ride. Well, it's it's something I'll certainly cherished for for for the rest of my life, as as I think a lot of South Florida will. Yeah, and I think you do speak for for everyone in South Florida. His iconic legacy will endure, you know, just the memory of Don Shula associated with the Miami Dolphins, a Hall of Fame coach, a guy that gave everything,

that put his family first. Um, it's just a it's an honor for me to be able to say, yeah, I knew the man and didn't play for him, but I knew the man and was able to create a relationship with not only himself, but with Dave and his son Mike, and be in the Shula family and through the Dolphin organization. It makes me proud to say, yeah, I'm a member of the Miami Dolphins organization, an organization that really Don Shula put on on the map of the NFL. Yeah, I have no doubt about and a

lot of people feel that way. So I'm gonna wrap it up John for John Kijimi, I'm Kimbo Camper. Let's keep our thoughts about coach Schuley is a great man, great legend and uh and hell will sorely be missed. Well, we'll catch up with you guys next week.