Don Shula’s history intertwined with the Cleveland Browns

Don Shula, one of the all-time great coaches has passed. He’s a former Cleveland Browns player, and arch-nemesis as coach of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins.

Don Shula will always be regarded as one of the great men of pro football, and will be greatly missed by football fans everywhere. Though he will mainly be remembered for his successes with the Miami Dolphins, he’s a former Cleveland Browns defensive back, and a distinguished member of the Paul Brown coaching tree.

Throughout his career, Shula was intimately connected with the city of Cleveland, sometimes a friend and sometimes as a foe — but always with the greatest class and sportsmanship.

A native Ohioan, he attended Harvey High School in Painesville and then John Carroll University in University Heights, where he starred as a halfback as well as a defensive back. That led Paul Brown to select him in the ninth round. He started at defensive back for the Browns, who made it to the Championship game in 1951 and 1952, whereupon he was traded to the Baltimore Colts.

In all his playing career covered seven seasons. After retiring as a player, he took a few gigs as an assistant coach at different colleges, including a year with former Paul Brown assistant Blanton Collier at the University of Kentucky. Collier would eventually become the head coach of the Browns.

Shula became a defensive assistant with the Detroit Lions in 1960 and quickly made a name for himself as a brilliant defensive coach. The Baltimore Colts came calling in 1963 after firing Weeb Ewbank. Shula’s team went 8-6 in his first year, and then won the NFL Western Division championship in 1964.

The NFL Championship game was against his old team, the Cleveland Browns, coached by his former boss, Blanton Collier. The old man took his former pupil to school that day, hammering the Colts 27-0 as the Browns defense held superstar quarterback Johnny Unitas under 100 yards passing, intercepting him twice.

Jim Brown led the Browns attack with 114 rushing yards, and Gary Collins was money three times on Frank Ryan passes in the second half as the game turned into a rout. Paul Warfield was a rookie in that game.

Shula led the Colts to the NFL title in 1968, beating the Browns 34-0 on the strength of a record-setting defense and resurrecting quarterback Earl Morrall who became the NFL MVP. However, his team was crushed by Joe Namath and the New York Jets, 16-7 in Super Bowl III. Ironically, the Jets were coached by Weeb Ewbank, the coach who had been replaced by Shula.

Shula moved to the Miami Dolphins in 1970. Shula and the Dolphins immediately robbed the Browns and Art Modell by trading for future Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield. The Browns wound up with young quarterback Mike Phipps. Everyone remembers that the 1972 Dolphins team went undefeated, but what they don’t remember was that in the playoffs they were outplayed by the Browns–except for five interceptions by quarterback Mike Phipps.

The Dolphins leader in yards from scrimmage was — who else — Paul Warfield. Yet the Browns were driving in Miami territory with under two minutes in the game when Phipps ended it with his fifth interception. The Dolphins quarterback that day was none other than Earl Morrall (subbing for Bob Griese, who was injured), the same guy who dissected the Browns in 1968.

The Warfield deal was the most dastardly deed committed by Shula against the Browns. Modell thought that he was a smart football guy, but Shula took him to the cleaners.

He once considered jumping to the United States Football League (USFL) and the New Jersey Generals, and if he had, his boss would have been Donald Trump.

With the press, Shula was always a good interview, candid, easy to talk to, and interesting.  But on the practice field, he was known to have a temper and would not hesitate to chew out anyone he felt needed it, which was pretty much everyone.  Shula was in the Championship game seven times and was world champion twice with the Dolphins. He has the NFL record for coaching wins with 328.

Condolences to coach Shula’s family, friends, and fans. He will always be loved by football fans and respected by the Browns family, even if we still occasionally cuss him out when we remember the Warfield deal.