A look at Miami Dolphins curses

Aug 3, 2013; Canton, OH, USA; Miami Dolphins former coach Don Shula at the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The curse of Don Shula

There was a time that the Miami Dolphins got all the breaks. Don Shula chaired the leagues competition committee and let’s face it, the Dolphins got away with a few calls over his career. Shula is one of the very few coaches in the NFL to ever have not one but two Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Bob Griese led his team through the 70’s and early 80’s while Marino finished out Shula’s career. In the middle of it all, Shula had David Woodley and Don Strock. He had Earl Morrall in 1972.

Don Shula is the winningest head coach in NFL history and he is so far ahead of even Bill Belichick that it would take the Patriots head coach some 12 years averaging 11 wins a season to reach him. What exactly did Shula sell for his success? Hmmm? Did Don Shula’s legacy come with a price? What deal did he make for his success?

Perhaps it’s not Shula’s legacy that led to this teams “curse”. Perhaps it was the way he was let go.

Shula was summarily cast aside for the popular Jimmy Johnson. Since Shula left the Dolphins, Miami has only sniffed the playoffs a few times. Johnson exited after a 62-7 thumping by in-state rival Jacksonville. Since Shula “retired”, the Dolphins have had, including interim head coaches, nine head coaches in the last 20 years. Three interim head coaches have made their way onto the field and one head coach, Cam Cameron only lasted one season.

Next: Dan Marino cursed this team