Miami Dolphins Honor Legendary Coach Don Shula With Jersey Patch
MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) -- The Miami Dolphins will honor legendary football coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula by wearing a jersey patch during the 2020 season.
The patch will feature Shula's name and "347" to signify his all-time career wins, the most in NFL history. Dolphins coaches and team personnel will also wear a pin with the patch design throughout the year. The team will wear the patch for the first time in the regular season against the New England Patriots on Sept. 13.
"Don Shula's lasting impact on the Miami Dolphins, NFL and South Florida community is immeasurable," said Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross. "We are proud to continue honoring his historic life and legacy with a patch that is emblematic of his success on the football field as the winningest coach in our league's history."
Don Shula coached the Dolphins for 26 years, and led them to five Super Bowl appearances, and back to back Super Bowl championships in 1972 and 1973.
His 1972 team recorded the only perfect season in NFL history.
This will be the first time in the Dolphins' 54 seasons that a patch will be worn to honor an individual.
In 2019, the team wore special helmet decals with the initials of Hall of Fame alumni who passed away, including linebacker Nick Buoniconti and center Jim Langer. The team had previously worn helmet stickers with their uniform numbers to honor the memories of active Dolphins players who had passed away, including running back David Overstreet (1984) and linebacker Larry Gordon (1983). The Dolphins wore a black armband on their jerseys with the initials "JR" in 1990 to honor the passing of team founder Joe Robbie.
Shula died May 4 at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife, the former Mary Anne Stephens. At the time of his passing, their family together included eight children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
