Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history, coached the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995, leading the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl titles, including an undefeated season.
Unfortunately, it seems he was pushed out the door before he was ready. The Dolphins parted ways with Shula after the 1995 season.
“It was a very painful day,” former Dolphins wide receiver O.J. McDuffie said on The DA Show. “I think Jimmy [Johnson] was lying in waiting. He was trying to get the position with the Miami Dolphins. You heard him talk about it a lot on TV. He kept bringing it up and poking the bear, trying to say that Coach Shula wasn’t getting it done.”
Johnson ultimately replaced Shula, who passed away Monday at the age of 90.
“I just remember seeing coach, how distraught he was at the end of his career, talking about how quickly they forget about what you’ve done,” said McDuffie, who played for Miami from 1993 to 2001. “A lot of times you see that. It’s a results-oriented business, as we know, but man, they forgot about all that he did for our organization – what he did for South Florida, what he did for sports – really fast. That was agonizing to see coach go out that way.”