NFL head coaches Mount Rushmore of the Super Bowl era
By Erik Lambert
Don Shula (Miami Dolphins)
People will immediately jump to this saying Don Shula doesn’t deserve to be on the list. He only won two Super Bowls. Well, strap in because the number of rings wasn’t as big a factor in making this list as one would think. Part of being a great head coach is showing a willingness to change while still being able to find sustained success. Few were better at that than Shula.
First of all, he’s the winningest coach in NFL history. Including the playoffs, he has 347 victories in his career. Not even the mighty Belichick can make that claim. He also had heavy influence in changing the game to what it is today. He was head of the competition committee when the league made their rule changes in 1978 that opened up the passing game.
If that weren’t enough he’s also the brains behind the only undefeated team in history, the 1972 Miami Dolphins. That team won with great defense and power running. Yet he threw that old playbook out in the 1980s, ushering in the air-it-out era with Dan Marino who ended up retiring as the all-time leading passer.