National Football League

Legendary Don Shula, coach of undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins, turns 85

Published Jan. 4, 2015 6:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Don Shula is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Whether he is the greatest can be debated. What can't is that Shula is the only coach to have guided a team to a perfect season.

Shula, who coached the 1972 Miami Dolphins to a 17-0 record and Super Bowl victory, celebrates his 85th birthday on Sunday.

Before going to Miami, Shula was on the other side of history, as his Baltimore Colts became the first NFL franchise to lose a Super Bowl to an AFL team, falling to the Joe Namath-led New York Jets in Super Bowl III.

However, that blemish was one of few on the record of a coach who went 328-156-6 (.678) in 33 seasons.

Shula coached the Colts for seven seasons before moving on to Miami, where he remained for 26 seasons, including back to back Super Bowl championship teams in the '72 and '73 seasons.

He also is the father of current Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula and Dave Shula, who was head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 1992 to 1996.