Bill Belichick Releases Statement On Don Shula: 'The Standard For Consistency And Leadership In The NFL'
BOSTON (CBS) -- On Monday, the NFL's all-time leader in wins for a head coach died. Not long after, the man who ranks second on that list offered his reflections and condolences.
Bill Belichick released a statement shortly after news broke of Don Shula's passing at the age of 90.
"Don Shula is one of the all-time great coaching figures and the standard for consistency and leadership in the NFL," Belichick said. "I was fortunate to grow up in Maryland as a fan of the Baltimore Colts who, under Coach Shula, were one of the outstanding teams of that era. My first connection to Coach Shula was through my father, whose friendship with Coach Shula went back to their days in northeast Ohio."
Belichick, 68, ranks second all time in the Super Bowl era for wins by a head coach with 273. Shula racked up 328 regular-season wins during his 33 years in charge of the Colts (1863-69) and Dolphins (1970-95). George Halas collected 318 regular-season wins during his coaching career, though all but two years of that career came prior to the Super Bowl era.
"I extend my deepest condolences to the Shula family and the Dolphins organization," Belichick said.
