The 5 best head coaches in the history of the Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have had a storied franchise that includes the winningest head coach in NFL history. Through the years, Miami has often struggled with finding a replacement. While they are hoping that Mike McDaniel can ascend the ranks, where does he currently rank in Miami's history?

From the early days of the Dolphins, coaching has always been something that drove the franchise. The iron jaw of Don Shula permeated through the media and the league itself. Since Shula, Miami has not been able to find a long-term solution; in all, the Dolphins have been through 14 head coaches, including Shula and three interim coaches. With that said, who are the best head coaches in team history for Miami?

Criteria for selection

For the purpose of this ranking, we considered more than wins and losses; we also considered their ability to lead the team. The respect that they garnered from the players is also a key to ranking the coaches in a proper order. In addition, we looked at the longevity of the coach and we also looked at how well they were able to utilize the draft.

When finding a reason to rank one coach above another, we also looked at whether or not that coach was competent in drafting players. Did they draft Hall of Fame players that made an impact? We also took into consideration the legacy they left behind and why that helped or hindered their place on this list.

The five coaches that are selected as the best in Dolphins history are weighted accordingly based on those criteria, and in some cases, we looked at what the coaches themselves did after leaving the Dolphins and what they were able to accomplish. We also considered the front office and how they may have helped or hindered the coach.

The Top 5 head coaches in Miami Dolphins history

5. Mike McDaniel

McDaniel has two seasons as the Dolphins head coach under his belt and already he has made an incredible impact on the team's dynamic. He has given the team an identity that has been lacking for nearly a decade. McDaniel has two playoff games to his name and has yet to coach the team without making the postseason. In terms of wins and losses, McDaniel has already surpassed Cam Cameron, George Wilson, and Nick Saban.

McDaniel will pass Adam Gase, Brian Flores, and Joe Philibin in 2024 needing only five wins to move ahead of Philbin and Flores, and three to move ahead of Gase. A double-digit win total in 2024 will give him 30 wins in his career and that would be one better than Tony Sparano.

4. Tony Sparano

Sparano won 30 games for the Dolphins, but he held the respect of his team as much as any other coach in Dolphins history. Sparano's biggest issues on the field as a coach were not of his own doing but instead, he languished between a power struggle in the front office.

Sparano had to survive the struggles between Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland and their failures to land him a quality quarterback was something Sparano could not overcome. After taking the Dolphins to the playoffs in his first season, he was rewarded with Patrick White being drafted. Miami wasted draft picks under Sparano that he could not recover from on the field as a coach. Eventually, the front office turmoil and an ill-advised courting of Jim Harbaugh by Stephen Ross led to his eventual release and a lot of bad blood.

3. Dave Wannstedt

Dave Wannstedt doesn't get enough credit for what he was able to do. He coached longer than Jimmy Johnson, who talked owner Wayne Huizenga into hiring him. After all these years, Wannstedt is still second only to Shula in wins, is the last head coach to win a playoff game, and coached more games than any coach not named Shula.

If there was a problem for Wannstedt, it was his inability to draft quality players and he was unable to get a grip on the salary cap. When Wannstedt resigned during the Dolphins bye-week in 2004, the Dolphins cap situation was horrible and they had no starting quarterback to replace Jay Fiedler. Miami was a mess on both sides of the ball and had no money to extend contracts or get new free agents.

2. Jimmy Johnson

Johnson to many is overrated as it pertains to his time with the Dolphins. He won nine games less than Wannstedt and left the team after only four seasons. Two things have him bumped ahead of Wannstedt on this list. One, he was incredibly respectful to the team's coaching staff and the team's staff in general off the field. He treated every member of the franchise as if they were the most important part of the team. The second part of his contribution was not one, but two Hall-of-Fame players in Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas.

On the field, Johnson couldn't get out of his own ego at times. His success in Dallas came easy given the players he was able to accumulate in the draft and via trade, but he also didn't have to deal with the salary cap at all. Johnson left Dallas in 1993 and would join the Dolphins in 1996. His inability to swing big trades and sign free agents without concern over contracts was not something he was able to overcome.

1. Don Shula

Shula is not just the best head coach in Miami Dolphins history, he remains the winningest head coach in the NFL. From 1970 to 1995, Shula patrolled the Dolphins sidelines and in the process amassed 257 wins as the Dolphins head coach, 328 regular season wins, and 347 total wins. Shula coached and drafted Hall of Fame players, worked as a leader on the competition committee and kept the integrity of the game in check.

After leaving the game, Shula's records have yet to be broken and only Bill Belichick is in position to do so. Belichick has 302 regular season wins and is only the third NFL head coach to win 300 games. Belichick has 333 total wins including playoffs and that puts him 14 victories behind Shula.

Shula retired with six Super Bowl appearances, including five with the Dolphins and one undefeated season that his players to this day credit him for.

The 5 best head coaches in Miami Dolphins history by wins