WEBVTT - The Audible Ep. 112 | Remembering Don Shula 0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:08.119 The almost back Kimball Camper, John con Jemmy with you 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:10.479 and John. It's it's just been a just been a 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:12.760 tough week for the Dolphin family. It's been a tough 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:16.560 week for Dolphin fans and for football fans around the 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:19.840 around the country with the passing of of Don shul 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:22.840 And uh, you know, I was, I've been I've been 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:26.360 up in Illinois for last week and I woke up, 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:28.560 I woke up to the day and to the news 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:30.680 and John, it was like a gut punch, you know, 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.360 Coach Schulers. We all knew he he was, he was 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:35.680 getting older, We allay knew he was ninety years old, 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:38.239 but well, you know, he's he's one of those figures 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:41.920 in my life and a lot of people's last jar that, um, 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:45.040 you almost felt like he was gonna live forever. Yeah, yeah, 0:00:45.120 --> 0:00:48.199 you're right. You know, you have that iconic feeling when 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:51.360 you talk and you mentioned the name of Don Shula, 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:54.680 and he'll always be remembered as you know, one of 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:58.279 the greatest coaches to ever walk an NFL sideline, one 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:01.800 of the greatest people to ever walk the sideline because 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:05.319 he contributed to the game of football and and made 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:08.880 the molding of men around him so great in the 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:12.360 history of the NFL. And it's just, you know, it's 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:14.400 one of those things, as you said, Bo, when you 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:17.959 saw Coach Schula over the years on the sidelines in 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:20.520 the golf cart, and and you never really took it 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:23.880 for granted that you saw him there because you knew 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:26.960 his his his health wasn't what it was maybe the 0:01:27.040 --> 0:01:30.360 year before, two years before when you saw him, but 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:32.600 you always had that feeling that he was gonna still 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.720 be there forever, and he will be, I mean in 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:38.440 in the minds and memories of of the organization. I mean, 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.360 quite frankly, he's the guy that put the Miami Dolphins 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:43.120 on the map and kept them on the map for 0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:46.000 twenty six years as a as a head coach and 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:49.480 uh and you know better than most being under him 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:54.280 and under under his watchful eye as a player, and 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:56.800 what he meant to all those guys that were around him. 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:58.680 And it's just it's it was a sad day. You 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.400 knew it was coming, but it was a gut punch, 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:04.360 as you put it to to all all South Florida, 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:08.720 to to the NFL in general, the passing of Don Shula. Yeah, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:10.600 you know you you you talk about him being on 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:13.200 the sidelines, you know, coming out and you know, usually 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:14.960 when the weather would get better, you know, he and 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:18.040 Marianne would come back from California and then then he 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:19.760 would be at all the games. And it's one of 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:22.799 the things I really enjoyed about being down on the sidelines. 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.280 John was just sitting there and watching the people come 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:30.000 up to him, the adoration and the respect, and you know, 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:32.880 coaches from the other teams would come jogging over, players 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.480 from the other teams would come jogging over. You know, 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:37.600 if he had any dignitaries that were down there, would 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:39.720 always go to to talk to him and get a 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.760 picture taken with him. And he was always so accommodating 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.280 to everybody. He was in his element. He was in 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:48.080 his element, and and boy, that just the outpouring of 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:50.680 love every and I just I just would sit there 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:53.000 and watch, you know, just watch and watch and watching 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.280 one after another afternoon. He always gave him time and 0:02:56.320 --> 0:03:00.560 always always smiled. And you know, there's our good friend. 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:03.320 Bobby Monica was a long time equipment manager for the Dolphins, 0:03:04.639 --> 0:03:07.280 has a picture of of him, uh, you know, leaning 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:10.200 over to with coach talking to him. In that golf 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:15.160 cart and sitting next to him was Warren Buffett with 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:19.360 Warren Buffett R. Three. What a threesome. Yeah, but so 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.400 Bobby goes, Bobby, Bobby has shown that picture. A lot 0:03:22.400 --> 0:03:24.400 of people goes, oh, there's coach Sholey goes, who's that 0:03:24.480 --> 0:03:30.639 other guy? So I kind of tells you the magnitude 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:34.200 of what she was all about. But um, so I 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:36.960 remember that annoying his humor. He was probably one that 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:41.040 said that, hey, who's the other me and you? Bobby? Yeah, 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:45.040 who is it? There's there's a story. There's a story 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.760 about him with he's with Mary Ann and and they 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:51.840 meet they meet Don Johnson, you know, the right star 0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:56.000 of Miami Vice right, and uh so they're they're talking 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.280 to him and Don she was like, yeah, hey, yeah, 0:03:58.360 --> 0:03:59.960 how you know where he goes? You know, I really 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.440 appreciate the job that you guys are doing here. He 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:04.920 didn't know who the hell he was. He thought he 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:07.160 thought he was a real time, he was a real policeman, 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:13.640 you know us the city. Yeah, exactly, you guys are 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:18.520 doing a great job. One of those go on, keep 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:21.040 doing what you're doing. You know, you know what John 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:23.880 I wanted. I wanted to ask you because you know, 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.920 I had the opportunity that you know, it's hard to 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:29.000 believe I was thinking about this in the day passed, 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.160 you know. Uh, you know, I met Don Shoe in 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:34.800 nineteen seventy six. You know, my first first conversation was 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:36.560 when he went on the phone when he when he 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.760 said that drafted me and and and that was that 0:04:39.839 --> 0:04:42.119 was a thrill of a lifetime for for me because 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:45.080 I had to become a Dolphin fan watching him in 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:48.680 in in seventy one, seventy two, seventy I got graduated 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.000 high school, and seventy two the year they were they 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:53.719 went undefeated. So I you know, I I became a 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.600 fan at that point. So you know, just just hearing 0:04:56.640 --> 0:05:00.680 his voice talking to me was was was was incredible 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:04.160 for me. And I realized I've you know, I've known 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:07.040 him for forty four years, which you know, which which 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.760 what's your forty four years? I'll always treasure. But you know, 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:13.200 I didn't realize it was that long. But you know, 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:16.159 you grew up in South Florida, You grew up down 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.240 here and when Coach Schuler's coaching, you grew up during 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:22.039 those those glory years. And now I just I just 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.520 wanted to kind of get your thoughts on you know 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:27.400 what what you know, what was your what were your impressions, 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.240 your thoughts of of being down in South Florida growing 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:34.279 up watching the Dolphins emergence. Is this this early dynasty, 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:39.799 um and watching coach sul just just just your thoughts. Well, 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.840 it was incredible as a young kid that loves sports 0:05:42.880 --> 0:05:46.760 and loved all sports, I mean, um, just watching the 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:51.160 Miami Dolphins grow. Uh. And I was here, as you said, well, 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:53.560 I was here for for the heyday. I mean my 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.600 parents moved from Youngstown, Ohio, and I was seven years 0:05:56.640 --> 0:06:00.000 old and I think our first year here was seven 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.679 d one, So I mean I arrived and immediately became 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:07.640 a Miami Dolphins fan and just to see the run 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:13.440 of of of excellence and excellence in the a f 0:06:13.520 --> 0:06:16.039 C because no one could come close to the Miami 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:19.280 Dolphins in terms of the teams that you played twice 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:22.600 a year and and and for me, my memories go back. 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:25.160 You know, Monday night football was awesome because you had 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.080 Howard Coastell, and you had Dandy Don, you had Frank 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:31.279 Gifford and you're you're as a kid, you're watching on 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:33.840 your belly, just trying to stay up as late as 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:36.920 you can. But Monday night football wasn't the big deal 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:39.520 for me. It was the half an hour before Monday 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:42.919 night football because that was the Don Shula Show. And 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:45.120 and that was what I tuned in for because I 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:48.160 was going to get the Sea coach Shula talk about 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:51.680 the game, talk to one of his current players that 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:54.320 was maybe the star of the game or whoever he 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.680 was able to bring on that that particular Monday night. 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:00.680 And that's what I looked for too. I got to 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.359 see Don Shula talk about the game, and you know, 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:06.040 I would study what he said and hear about from 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:08.559 the player, what what his thoughts were on the game. 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:11.280 So those are my memories, going, you know, to the 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:14.600 Orange Bowl and watching you know, the Dolphins never lose, 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:18.120 really they they never really lost a game. Remember him 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:22.480 losing a game at home and and and the heat 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:24.520 and the it was just it was just awesome. I 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:26.800 mean it was awesome for a kid to kind of 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.920 grow up in South Florida knowing that and then getting 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:33.120 to St. Thomas Aquintas and and I was a peer 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.280 of Mike, one of his sons, because he was only 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:38.880 a couple of years younger than me, and he played 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:40.800 for Shaman at high school and I was at St. 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:42.960 Thomas and we got to play them every year, and 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:45.640 Coach Shula would attend that game and he would be 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:48.560 there on a Friday night, and and I knew I 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:50.280 was playing in front of him, and I knew the 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:53.480 pressure that Mike had, you know, growing up as a 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:56.240 son of Don Shula. But I wanted to be, you know, 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.760 the best player on the field, just so I could say, 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:01.640 you know, Coach Shula saw me play, you know, and 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:03.760 I was this little run and he waited around for 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.280 me after the game. You know, it shook my hand 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:08.800 in congratulations and you know, what a good game. And 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:10.320 that's where I first met him. So I had to 0:08:10.320 --> 0:08:15.720 be nineteen eighty one, So it was I was always 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:19.200 an off Coachula because of the coach that he was. 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:21.880 But just that just the little things that you saw 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:24.000 on him. You know that the knew he was a father, 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:27.320 You knew he was a disciplinarian. You knew he always 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.000 contributed to the game, you know, always being on the 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:33.200 on the rules committee. Just all the little things that 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:37.240 that added up, you know, his faith, his family, everything 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.120 that that that's the memories I have as a young 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:43.720 kid growing up into high school and then finally getting 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:47.840 to meet him and watches his legendary career go on. Yeah, 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:50.480 it's it really is a remarkable life when you when 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:52.600 you look back at it, and you know, talk to 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:54.560 so many people over the last couple of days and 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:57.439 interviews and this and that and uh, and the one 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:59.360 thing you get is just you know, you there's a 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:03.440 feeling back whether you know, whether there whether whether guys 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:07.120 played against him, played for him, coached against him, wrote 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:11.440 about him, you know, and and and you know, yeah, 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:14.400 you know there there's there's always that There's always been 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:17.240 that that side of coach Shuler. That's a coach, right 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:19.560 and and and a and a demanding coach and a 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:23.000 demanding individual. And to the point where I think every 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:25.800 player that played for him at some point you hated 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:29.480 the guy. You know, You're just like all great coaches, 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:33.480 all great coaches, haven't that dealing you know, well but 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.320 because but but but you know what I would I 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:38.880 would I would, I would venture to guess you would. 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.560 You would get the same kind of response from anybody 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:45.000 who played for Paul Brown, anyone that paid for Vince Lombardi, 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:52.680 Tom Land Reach, you go down those old yeah, those 0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:55.200 old school guys. It was you know, it was a 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:57.520 different game back then. You're your player, You treated you 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:01.160 players differently then. But but I even those players that 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:03.360 that and you know, at times I felt that same 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.120 way he feel. The guy he's always picking on you. 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:09.200 He's I can't no matter what, no matter what I do, 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:11.840 it's not good enough, you know. And so there is, 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:15.760 but but the respect that that was always always constant 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:19.480 there with him, and uh uh was remarkable and and 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:23.240 and to be able to watch him, you know, get 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.400 done with his career and and you know what I 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.040 really think over the last you know that the last 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:32.720 uh twenty years when he got them coaching and and 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:35.800 I kind of think his legend grew bigger and bigger 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:37.880 and bigger, because you know, the one thing I always 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:40.360 remember about him, he even even in the heyday, even 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:42.760 when you know, I got there in nineteen seventy six 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.479 and there and there were only three years removed from 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:48.080 you know, their their second Super Bowl win, eight years 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:51.120 removed from from the undefeated season, and a lot of 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:55.120 those guys were still were still playing there for him. Yeah, 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:57.480 and he and he was you know he was he 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.120 was Don Scholl, that tough, hard nosed Don Chow. But 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:02.360 you know what, he always made time for people. You 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:06.200 always make time for the ordinary Joe. I mean he 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:10.120 never he was never bigger than anybody. He was never 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.240 you know, I don't know, I don't got time for it, 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:16.280 don't have He would always always make time or or 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:18.920 you know, if you know, if if he couldn't, there 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:21.040 was some he'd tell somebody going, go tell that guy. 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:22.880 Just look, I'm sorry, I can't you know what I mean. 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:26.200 He always he had respect for people around him, even 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:28.920 though he was a guy that everybody wanted to tug 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.000 on his his collar, everyone who wanted to tug in 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:33.160 a jacket and get a word with him, or get 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:35.920 an autograph or get something. And and I always I 0:11:35.960 --> 0:11:39.160 was always because I sit on the bus sometimes and watch, 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:41.920 you know, as he come through, and just you go, man, 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:44.079 that guy just says he's just given everybody time. And 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:46.599 then I think that's kind of let's think what it 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:51.640 enamored him to a to a lot of people out there. Well, 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:53.880 you know, you think about all the things that were 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:57.200 probably on his plate and continued as the as the 0:11:57.240 --> 0:12:01.040 demand of an NFL coach grew, it probably got a 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:05.160 little bit harder for Coachula as as he got into 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.880 his you know, twentieth year as a head coach, because 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:11.440 it was quite different from his fifth or sixth, or 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:14.800 seventh or even tenth year in the league. Because the 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.480 popularity of the game grew, the demands grew of the 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:21.360 of the head coach, the responsibilities grew on a daily basis, 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:24.120 But he was still himself, you know, he was always 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:26.280 he was always the same man. And I think to 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:29.800 your point, that's what made Coachula and his upbringing, you know, 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:33.200 in the Midwest and being a guy, an Ohio guy, 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:36.040 and and growing up there with a big family and 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:39.360 him have himself having a big family and those responsibilities. 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.200 It was amazing the way he was able to balance 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:46.480 that and still I think all through his coaching career, 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:50.840 maybe only having two losing seasons out of all those years, 0:12:51.200 --> 0:12:54.320 which is incredible. Well, you know this, it's funny because 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:56.080 we you know, there's a lot of a lot of 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:59.360 stories out there, but I remember, you know, a lot 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:02.079 a lot of obviously because I had our opportunity to 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:03.800 be around him for ten years as a player and 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:06.640 threw up some downs. And you know, and you talk 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:09.760 about two losing seasons in in in all the years 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:13.319 that he coached, that that's that's remarkable. That's a remarkable. 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:15.920 And I got there. And when I got there in 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:20.640 nineteen seventy six, I would fortunately, unfortunately blew my knee 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:22.160 out in the first game I played in in the 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:25.000 Orange Bowl preseason games. So I was on the injury 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:27.800 reserve and didn't play my whole rookie year. But I 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:31.160 was there at the game and saw everything. And and 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:32.680 and they think that was one of their that was 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:35.120 one of the That was his first season, first losing season. 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:37.560 I want to say. They went to six and eight, 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:40.880 was a fourteen game schedule, six and eight. And I 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:44.720 remember walking in the locker room after the game, you know, 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:48.559 and and and they've gotten beaten badly by Minnesota. Uh 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:51.120 and in that last game in the Orange Bowl. And 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:53.280 I walked in there, and I didn't know what to expect. 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:55.760 I kind of expected to be like, hey, guys, has 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:57.520 been a tough year. You know, we'll get back into 0:13:57.559 --> 0:14:01.160 the off season. And and I mean my mouth just 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:05.000 dropped open because he's walking around the locker room and 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:08.360 he is just living and he's looking at people right 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:09.880 in the eyes. He said, look, I know some of 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:12.640 you guys gave up on me. And he's walking, he's 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:14.400 looking as he walks his point and he goes, and 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:17.040 I can guarantee you this. You guys aren't gonna be 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.200 on this football team next year. I won't have it. 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.320 I have this kind of attitude I want and I mean, 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:25.160 he went on for twenty minutes, and I'm you know, 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.720 you know, I'm I'm barely on the team at that point. 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:30.680 You know, I was on because the draft, but I 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.120 didn't really play, didn't wasn't And I'm just sitting there going, whoa, 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:36.520 you know, I came from a I came up program 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:38.800 in Sansei State. We're during the middle of practice. We 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:42.360 have pops popsicle plates, hear what I mean. And now 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:46.400 all of a sudden, now, all of the sudden, this 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:54.600 guy you pointing out people. I know you, I know 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.600 you're and I'm going, holy crap, what the hell? What 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:01.760 the hell am I getting myself? You know? But but 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:04.040 you know, but that was his that was his guy. 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.160 That was the guy. He was right, that was him 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.280 and he and he demanded the best there's another another 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.520 time that Joe and I Rosen I always always joke 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.160 about it. We were we were and I think it 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:20.000 was like maybe nineteen eighty seventy nine on what year 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:23.920 was maybe one? We went eight and we had a 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.880 bunch of injuries and we went eight and eight, and 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:28.000 and so we're in the middle of an eight and 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:30.520 eight season and you know, part with and he was 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:32.920 frustrated and he was mad. He was mad all the time, 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.200 and you know, it wasn't a fun year. And and 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.000 so we're watching game film one day and we're watching 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:40.920 a special team. We did special teams. The whole team 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:43.520 would watch special team films, right, and he would, you know, 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:46.360 someone run the projector. But he was always the you know, 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.280 he was always the guy with the pointer, right. And 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:51.280 and so he's going and he's going, and you could 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:53.840 just tell more and more he's just getting more and 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:57.360 more frustrated. We just got beat by the Colts, you know, badly, 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.480 and he's just getting more and more frustrated, more and 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:03.080 more frustrat finally says, turned, damn projector off and he 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:04.880 stands on me. He goes, Damn, I'm sick of this. 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:07.720 Look at this crap up here. He said, I could 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.080 go to Carol City and get twenty two guys and 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:12.640 go eight Nate and this family. What do I need 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:20.000 you guys for which which he probably could have. You know, 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:22.600 it's it's like that old line that the bum Phillips 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:24.920 used to say about him when when bum was at 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.320 the height of his uh his coaching career with the 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:29.720 with the Houston Oilers, we played him a lot. You know, 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:33.240 he had a earl in Dan Pastorini and Robert Brazil 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.240 and then a great football team. But he always said 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:37.960 about Cod they'd asked Hi about coach. Su said, well, 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:39.720 I'll tell you what, He's the best coach I've ever seen. 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:42.560 He can take his and beat urine, and he can 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:45.840 take urine and beat his and and it doesn't tell 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:49.400 and you know, it's it's a country twang. But but 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:51.280 I think there's a lot of truth to that. You know, 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:55.360 his way of doing things, his way of demanding excellence 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:59.640 out of everybody, and not only demanding excellence out of everybody, 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:02.880 but demanding that you did it right. You know that 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:05.240 you didn't fought the rules, that you didn't cheat, that 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.760 you didn't do anything out of order, you know. And 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.080 you know I told the story to um. Uh to 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:14.439 one of these guys the other day, was asking about him. 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:16.439 I said, you know, there was one point, you know, 0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:20.720 he no matter what the rules were, he he was 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:22.879 going to abide by the rules. So back in the 0:17:22.920 --> 0:17:28.320 mid mid mid early eighties, UM the league, the league, 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:32.639 there was a writer in the in in Boston, Christine 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:36.280 Brennan UM. And she was a female sports one of 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:41.000 the first female sports writers in the business. And UH, 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:43.919 at the time, they wouldn't let female females in the 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:46.920 locker room after game. Whether you're a writer or whatever, 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.520 you're no matter what you're credential or not, didn't matter. 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.120 They wouldn't let females in the in the locker room 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:56.600 at least Cochulawin. And then one day he comes in 0:17:56.680 --> 0:18:00.159 on the Monday, UH and says, look, the league is 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:04.399 determined that UM that now that we're supposed to allow 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:08.919 UM credential female reporters in the locker room, they have 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:14.639 the same access now as every other every other credential writer, 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:20.679 TV guy, whatever. So we're gonna we're gonna allow, We're 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:24.119 gonna abide by the rules. We're gonna allow the female 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:28.840 female writers coming in our locker room. But being coach Sula, 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:30.919 he already had a plan. Because here it's how it's 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:34.119 gonna work. We're gonna close the doors for five minutes. 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:36.080 Each one of you is gonna have a terry clothed, 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:40.639 terry terry cloth robe in your locker. Here's what you do. 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:44.359 You come in, you get undressed, you put your robe on, 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:47.840 you walk to the shower, you take your robe off, 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:50.000 you hang it on the hook, You take your shower, 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:52.600 you get out, you draw yourself off, you put your 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:54.960 robe on, you go back to your locker, you put 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:56.760 your underwear on, and then you take your robe off 0:18:56.760 --> 0:18:59.720 and get dressed. So not only did he like adhere 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:02.960 to the rules, he already coached it. He coached you 0:19:03.040 --> 0:19:05.880 through it. He had prepared, He had like he did 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:09.679 for everything else. He had prepared for exactly how he 0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:13.520 wanted it done and what he wanted done. And uh, 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.800 it's so sure enough, and then way sure enough. We 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:19.640 had one guy, Steve told We decided he was gonna 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:23.280 be the funny guy. So he took his robe and 0:19:23.560 --> 0:19:26.240 he cut the bottom half of it off right below 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:30.200 where the belt goes. So just before he let the reporters, 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:32.159 and Steve puts on that half of a robe that 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:36.959 covered everything, everything that didn't need to be covered, everything 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:39.680 that we need to be covered, exposed, and just as 0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:41.080 he is just a good way to open here, he 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.520 goes coach, sure, coach, sure, is this how we're supposed 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:46.639 to wear the roade? And he stands up on the 0:19:46.640 --> 0:19:50.880 bed and everything out there and just kind of broke 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:52.840 things up. But you know, it just kind of tells 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:55.960 about you know, his his you know, his thought of 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:59.920 doing things within the rules, but also being prepared to 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.200 to do what you're supposed to do within the parameter 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:05.200 of those rules. It's just got a little snapshot of 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:07.600 something that most key teams would just say, oh, look 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:09.479 there's gonna be ladies in there, and just make sure 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:11.560 you cover yourself up. You know, you know you have 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:13.960 you got to go a little further than that. That's right. 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:17.160 He had every detail covered and that's what you could 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:20.120 count on with, you know, a Hall of fame, a legend, 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:23.879 really an NFL legend as a head coach, and he 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:27.160 was just a guy that that was always prepared and 0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:28.960 and nothing really you know, he was gonna get the 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:31.720 best out of his guys. Yeah, and he was gonna 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:34.679 be demanding doing it, but you respected that. You know, 0:20:34.800 --> 0:20:36.919 as years went on, you kind of respect that and 0:20:36.960 --> 0:20:39.320 you kind of figured out that was probably the best 0:20:39.320 --> 0:20:42.560 way of going about it. Yeah, he's uh, he was 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:45.760 a really remarkable guy. And uh, they'll be missing and 0:20:45.800 --> 0:20:48.360 I'm sure you know that. Uh, I know the family's 0:20:48.400 --> 0:20:51.480 got a you know, a service set up for him, 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.640 that a private service. But I'm sure that somewhere down 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:57.000 the road and we get through all this pandemic and 0:20:57.440 --> 0:20:59.320 things get a little bit back to more back to normal, 0:20:59.359 --> 0:21:03.479 they'll they'll be a memorial for him that uh, they 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:05.320 will all be able to attend and and and really 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:07.399 kind of send them off in the way that he 0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:10.320 deserves to be sent off. Yeah, and you know, and 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:12.360 you know the Miami Dolphins will do that. And I'm 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:14.600 just wondering, bo, I know it has it's it's so 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:18.720 early on, but I know there'll be ah some type 0:21:18.760 --> 0:21:24.080 of sticker or patch either jersey. I would I would 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:27.720 love to see what, you know, what the Bears did 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:31.760 for George Hallis and have those initials always on jersey 0:21:31.960 --> 0:21:34.080 in terms of on the sleeve. That that would be 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:38.880 kind of really Uh, paying tribute to Don Shula because 0:21:38.880 --> 0:21:42.160 he meant so much and built so much of this organization. 0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:44.280 When you think of the Miami Dolphins, that would be 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:48.800 a fitting in my opinion, of fitting tribute to him. Yeah, John, 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:50.920 your your close friend with Dan Marino. You've been around 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:53.399 him a lot, you know, and and and you know 0:21:53.440 --> 0:21:57.120 it's it's hard to mention Coach Schula without mentioning Dan Marino, uh, 0:21:57.240 --> 0:22:00.280 in their relationship. And uh, and you know Danny, you know, 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:03.159 Dani know Dan Danny, Danny absolutely adored the guy. I 0:22:03.200 --> 0:22:06.119 mean he still I mean still doesn't. Uh. You know, 0:22:06.160 --> 0:22:08.240 we always always kind of give Danny the business. And yeah, 0:22:08.240 --> 0:22:10.199 when you were the quarterback, and you know, he can 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:11.920 kind of give play kind of you kind of put 0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:15.600 kid gloves on with you while put the boxing gloves 0:22:15.680 --> 0:22:18.720 on with us. And then they're, oh, no, no, I 0:22:18.800 --> 0:22:20.760 got my share of it. But but I know you've 0:22:20.760 --> 0:22:23.280 talked to Danny and and and uh, I know it 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:25.399 hit him a hard way, hit him as hard as 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.439 it did all the rest of us. But I know, 0:22:28.520 --> 0:22:30.840 just your thoughts about being around Danny and his relationship 0:22:31.440 --> 0:22:33.960 with Coach. We both as a player, and and like 0:22:34.080 --> 0:22:36.760 I think, like all of us. Our relationship with him 0:22:36.960 --> 0:22:42.080 post playing UH became a very very very special relationship. Well, 0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:44.320 I think all of you guys, you take a look 0:22:44.359 --> 0:22:47.920 at all of the players that that coach Shula had 0:22:47.960 --> 0:22:51.439 an influence on, and I think you know when you 0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:54.680 you mentioned it earlier about going through it while you're 0:22:54.720 --> 0:22:56.560 going through it as a player who was a heck 0:22:56.600 --> 0:23:00.320 of a lot different than developing a true friend chip 0:23:00.400 --> 0:23:04.520 and relationship and as a friend and as a confidant 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:06.760 and as a guy that you'd want to go back 0:23:06.760 --> 0:23:10.240 and share those memories with post your playing days, was 0:23:10.280 --> 0:23:14.560 completely different. And I think that that goes to be 0:23:14.680 --> 0:23:16.760 said and be true of of all the players that 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:19.959 he influenced, and especially maybe a guy like Dan Marino, 0:23:20.080 --> 0:23:23.639 because as you said, it was probably more of a 0:23:23.720 --> 0:23:26.960 sparring session when coach Sula went to up to Dan 0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:30.439 and had some suggestions compared to a full out brawl 0:23:30.800 --> 0:23:33.200 when he went to a linebacker as yourself, or a 0:23:33.760 --> 0:23:37.320 defensive tackle or an offensive lineman when he wanted to 0:23:37.359 --> 0:23:41.320 get his point across. And I think daily Danny truly 0:23:41.440 --> 0:23:46.720 respected UH Coachula because of that attitude that he brought 0:23:46.800 --> 0:23:50.480 every day and that that demanding nature and the way 0:23:50.480 --> 0:23:54.760 that he was able to I don't know, cultivated relationship 0:23:54.840 --> 0:23:57.959 where it was gonna make both of them successful. And 0:23:58.000 --> 0:24:01.320 for for a team to have success, in my opinion, 0:24:01.680 --> 0:24:05.280 you have to have that head coach quarterback relationship be 0:24:05.480 --> 0:24:10.080 as firm and trust worthy as possible. And I think 0:24:10.119 --> 0:24:12.200 that's what it was, and that's why the Dolphins had 0:24:12.240 --> 0:24:15.840 so much success and so much winning, no matter if 0:24:15.880 --> 0:24:19.159 it was Dan Reno, which obviously coach and quarterback won 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:22.000 a hell of a lot of games. But remember Coachula 0:24:22.040 --> 0:24:25.399 brought five different quarterbacks to a Super Bowl appearance and 0:24:25.480 --> 0:24:29.520 that's never happened. It might never happen again. Um, So 0:24:29.760 --> 0:24:32.280 you know that relationship with Dan was quite special. He 0:24:32.320 --> 0:24:35.639 made him a better player, a better person. Uh And 0:24:35.800 --> 0:24:37.919 and I think it went back and forth because I 0:24:37.920 --> 0:24:40.919 think coach Shula probably learned a lot from Dan and 0:24:41.119 --> 0:24:45.440 is his confidence, his cockiness, his his air about him 0:24:45.520 --> 0:24:47.199 was able to go. You know, I can let this 0:24:47.240 --> 0:24:51.080 guy go. I can get my point of cross, but 0:24:51.520 --> 0:24:53.920 at a certain point I gotta let Dan v Dan 0:24:54.000 --> 0:24:55.960 and let him take the reins. And I think Coachula 0:24:56.080 --> 0:24:58.959 was smart enough to do that. So as a player 0:24:59.240 --> 0:25:02.720 and coach, it was great. And I think post player 0:25:02.840 --> 0:25:05.960 coach relationship, I think that friendship really grew as as 0:25:05.960 --> 0:25:07.960 it did for you and Larri Zanca and Larry Little 0:25:07.960 --> 0:25:10.600 and all those guys that played for him. Yeah, you know, 0:25:10.920 --> 0:25:12.600 as you were talking about that and that, the thought 0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:14.840 came on mind that you know, when I first came 0:25:14.880 --> 0:25:18.920 in the I stuck out probably on a peer four 0:25:18.960 --> 0:25:22.320 of the last years of Bob Greasy, you know, and 0:25:22.320 --> 0:25:24.560 and that then Grease, you know, you know, one of 0:25:24.560 --> 0:25:26.639 the things that made Bob and I know people people 0:25:26.720 --> 0:25:29.600 question Hall of Fame and this and that because some 0:25:29.640 --> 0:25:32.560 of his passing numbers weren't his as gaudy as as 0:25:32.600 --> 0:25:35.000 some of those other people out there. But you know 0:25:35.040 --> 0:25:38.359 what part of what made him great and and and 0:25:38.400 --> 0:25:41.360 allowed Bob to be that guy is a coach who 0:25:41.480 --> 0:25:44.720 trusted him. Boy called his own place. Bob's always called 0:25:44.720 --> 0:25:47.320 his own place, you know, and and and and you 0:25:47.359 --> 0:25:50.000 know and you always It's funny because one of the 0:25:50.000 --> 0:25:53.000 great stories I've heard from from Bobby, he tells a 0:25:53.040 --> 0:25:55.840 story about when they're playing the Cowboys in the Super Bowl, 0:25:56.760 --> 0:25:58.679 and you know, Bob's calling the plays, and Bob I 0:25:58.720 --> 0:26:01.199 always called the plays. He said, you come sure. You know, 0:26:01.320 --> 0:26:03.520 he was always wanting to call plays. He always wanted 0:26:03.520 --> 0:26:06.040 to inject the play, you know, along the way. And 0:26:06.040 --> 0:26:07.800 he said, no, look, I got it, I'm calling the plays. 0:26:07.880 --> 0:26:10.520 I'll take care of myself. But Coach will trusting him 0:26:10.840 --> 0:26:13.280 because he knew what kind of a quarterback Bob was. 0:26:14.000 --> 0:26:16.800 And and that's the only guy that I ever saw 0:26:17.400 --> 0:26:20.200 him turn the reins over to. You know, I played 0:26:20.240 --> 0:26:22.520 when Nick Bonacani was on the defensive side for a 0:26:22.640 --> 0:26:24.960 year and and and even Nick kind of was you know, 0:26:25.400 --> 0:26:27.200 you know, had to had to stay within the boundaries 0:26:27.920 --> 0:26:30.040 of what was going on. But but Bob, you know, 0:26:30.160 --> 0:26:32.840 had free run of that offense. And and that's why 0:26:32.920 --> 0:26:35.639 that offense worked the way it did well. Now along 0:26:35.760 --> 0:26:38.359 comes Danny, you know. And then after Bob, you know, 0:26:38.440 --> 0:26:41.040 he had done Strock, he had David Woodley and then 0:26:41.240 --> 0:26:42.840 and and by the way, we go go to a 0:26:42.880 --> 0:26:46.280 Super Bowl with with Strock and Woodley. Uh, and then 0:26:46.359 --> 0:26:49.119 Danny comes in the next year. And and Danny, I 0:26:49.200 --> 0:26:51.080 think his first year when he got into starts but 0:26:51.160 --> 0:26:53.560 he always said, okay, yeah, okay, here's the play that's 0:26:53.560 --> 0:26:55.879 to play. But but it didn't. It took Danny probably 0:26:56.840 --> 0:27:00.520 uh into his second year as a starter. It started 0:27:00.600 --> 0:27:03.640 midway through that his first year, and then the next 0:27:03.760 --> 0:27:05.800 year we really had that big year, and I believe 0:27:05.800 --> 0:27:09.600 it was en four. It was a year, big year. 0:27:10.960 --> 0:27:13.840 And and at that point, you know, Danny became a 0:27:13.920 --> 0:27:16.440 guy that would you know, you know, Coachward send to 0:27:16.520 --> 0:27:18.479 play in and Danny would like, no, no brush out. 0:27:18.520 --> 0:27:20.600 He sending a running play and no, no, guys, we're 0:27:20.600 --> 0:27:22.280 gonna throw you know, you know, Danny wanted to throw 0:27:22.320 --> 0:27:26.639 the ball every down. Yes, and so now you've got 0:27:26.720 --> 0:27:30.879 a quarterback that you're calling the place for him. But 0:27:31.040 --> 0:27:33.520 the play that's being once the ball snapped to play, 0:27:33.600 --> 0:27:39.120 that's being being gone being executed, isn't the play you called, right, 0:27:40.320 --> 0:27:43.680 But then he throws a touchdown. So so you come 0:27:43.680 --> 0:27:45.040 off the side of the field. Well we didn't go 0:27:45.080 --> 0:27:48.280 well yeah, coach, but but you you could see with 0:27:48.359 --> 0:27:53.119 Coach Sula, he became the trust Danny and and and 0:27:53.440 --> 0:27:56.400 allowed that. You know, you know, I don't I don't 0:27:56.440 --> 0:27:58.560 think he don't think Dan. I don't think Danny ever 0:27:58.760 --> 0:28:02.040 came to the side Ryan and and she Wulda chewed 0:28:02.080 --> 0:28:05.280 him out for not running the play he he put in. 0:28:05.359 --> 0:28:06.919 Now if he didn't throw the ball the right way, 0:28:06.920 --> 0:28:08.520 and he wasn't gonna chew him out. He's said, you might, 0:28:08.760 --> 0:28:10.200 you know, you know there was someone open. You know, 0:28:10.240 --> 0:28:12.119 he might just get him a little uh, you know, 0:28:12.240 --> 0:28:16.560 critique or something. But again, it's that trust that he 0:28:16.760 --> 0:28:20.960 had with Danny that any other player in the field does. 0:28:21.040 --> 0:28:23.359 That he's sitting on the pine and you're not gonna 0:28:23.359 --> 0:28:25.680 get much opportunity to play. But the trust there that 0:28:25.840 --> 0:28:29.920 those two, that those two built together, I think, um, 0:28:31.160 --> 0:28:35.160 what like you said earlier, it made him both better. Yeah, 0:28:35.240 --> 0:28:38.000 and it made the team better. It gave them a chance. 0:28:38.080 --> 0:28:40.320 And I think that that goes to the credit of 0:28:40.480 --> 0:28:44.040 of coach Schuller being able to adapt to the many 0:28:44.280 --> 0:28:47.840 different styles of of play that the NFL went through 0:28:47.880 --> 0:28:50.480 in those twenty six years, being able to go from 0:28:50.520 --> 0:28:54.320 a run heavy team, a no name defensive type of 0:28:54.720 --> 0:28:57.600 of of group, to being able in the eighties and 0:28:57.720 --> 0:29:00.920 early nineties that the Dolphins were known to throw it 0:29:00.960 --> 0:29:05.160 all over the field, um, and completely change the dynamic 0:29:05.440 --> 0:29:08.840 and change with the times, and having the personnel to 0:29:08.960 --> 0:29:12.480 be able to adapt to those changes and and build 0:29:12.520 --> 0:29:15.760 your team that way. So you know, I think he 0:29:15.920 --> 0:29:19.560 was always on the cutting edge of whatever was in 0:29:19.760 --> 0:29:22.360 vogue in the league at that time to make it 0:29:22.480 --> 0:29:24.840 the best, or try to make it the best and 0:29:24.920 --> 0:29:28.800 then adapt quickly or change your philosophy and be able 0:29:28.840 --> 0:29:32.040 to be that flexible as a head coach to adapt 0:29:32.120 --> 0:29:34.280 to the way the league was moving. And I think 0:29:34.320 --> 0:29:37.400 the Dolphins did that under coachla You know, one of 0:29:37.440 --> 0:29:39.640 the one of my great memories of of of him, 0:29:40.360 --> 0:29:43.840 uh during game days was you know, it's funny because 0:29:43.960 --> 0:29:46.120 you know, I don't think there's anybody the league has 0:29:46.160 --> 0:29:48.760 been that had got their team more prepared to play 0:29:48.800 --> 0:29:53.959 a game on Monday through Saturday. Uh, then coach Shula did. 0:29:54.080 --> 0:29:56.520 Now on Sunday. Sometimes he was a little out of control. 0:29:57.120 --> 0:29:59.040 I mean, these referees he would just I mean you 0:29:59.440 --> 0:30:01.640 you sit there watch him just to take these referees 0:30:01.680 --> 0:30:04.120 and just chew him up, you know, and you know, 0:30:04.320 --> 0:30:06.720 and and and guys, would you It would be funny 0:30:06.720 --> 0:30:09.080 because you you look at you you look at the games, 0:30:09.120 --> 0:30:11.560 and a lot of times that sideline judge, that side 0:30:11.640 --> 0:30:14.680 judge is is standing almost right, you know, almost right 0:30:14.760 --> 0:30:18.320 on the on the sideline. You know, whenever coach was playing, 0:30:18.360 --> 0:30:19.880 they were out in the numbers. They were standing out 0:30:19.920 --> 0:30:25.480 at the numbers. They especially if they made a call 0:30:25.600 --> 0:30:28.480 that he wasn't happy with. You know, they were getting 0:30:28.560 --> 0:30:33.800 as far off they were in the huddle and he'd 0:30:33.840 --> 0:30:35.800 be and you know, and one of his big one 0:30:35.840 --> 0:30:37.840 of his big foils was jim Tunny who had been 0:30:37.880 --> 0:30:40.840 there for a long long time, and he was a Jimmy, 0:30:40.880 --> 0:30:43.440 Jimmy coming over here for some and he'd wave him up. No, no, 0:30:43.600 --> 0:30:45.760 I ain't comeing. No, no, Jimmy, really did you? And 0:30:45.800 --> 0:30:48.600 I just gonna get you. No, No, I wave events 0:30:48.720 --> 0:30:50.720 these shoes and wear him down. Come on, just come on, Jimmy. 0:30:50.720 --> 0:30:54.080 I just needed so the guy would wander over there 0:30:54.080 --> 0:30:55.800 and as soon as he got there, a bob boom, 0:30:56.480 --> 0:30:59.760 what you know, And when you just sit there and 0:31:00.320 --> 0:31:03.120 it was it was a spectrum. But but but you know, 0:31:03.320 --> 0:31:06.880 he had and and it kind of you know, it 0:31:07.000 --> 0:31:09.400 kind of during the game, like play calling wise, he 0:31:09.480 --> 0:31:11.640 would kind of get ahead of himself or whatever, and 0:31:12.200 --> 0:31:14.520 Don Strock was always there to kind of, hey, well, coach, 0:31:14.720 --> 0:31:17.400 here's what we talked about in the game. Player Strack 0:31:17.520 --> 0:31:21.000 was kind of like the interpreter. He was the buffer. 0:31:21.040 --> 0:31:23.080 They kind of got him back on track and stuff. 0:31:23.120 --> 0:31:25.920 But the Dynamics were there, but bought on game day. 0:31:26.000 --> 0:31:28.280 There was no I mean, it was I mean some 0:31:28.400 --> 0:31:33.600 of the you know, I remember I I and We're 0:31:33.600 --> 0:31:36.360 playing a boot playing the Buffalo Bills one year and 0:31:36.680 --> 0:31:38.840 uh and the chop block was still, you know, still 0:31:39.000 --> 0:31:41.560 active in the league. And I'm rushing on the outside 0:31:41.600 --> 0:31:44.640 and Joe Cribbs came outside and just came and speared 0:31:44.720 --> 0:31:47.240 me right in my thigh. And by the time I 0:31:47.280 --> 0:31:49.800 got the sideline, my my my leg had blown up 0:31:49.840 --> 0:31:52.520 about two inches bigger than it should be, and the 0:31:52.680 --> 0:31:55.560 blood rushing in there. And they immediately started putting on 0:31:55.640 --> 0:31:58.320 anarchy and I coagulants and I V because they didn't 0:31:58.320 --> 0:32:01.320 want they didn't want to clot up. And so I 0:32:01.440 --> 0:32:04.280 was on I V S until Thursday after the game. 0:32:04.400 --> 0:32:07.680 And and I go on Thursday and see the doctor 0:32:07.760 --> 0:32:10.000 and I got cloths. So they had to stick a 0:32:10.080 --> 0:32:12.160 tube in there sucking out and then they left a 0:32:13.000 --> 0:32:16.360 like a little tube sticking out so it could dream. 0:32:16.840 --> 0:32:18.400 So I've got it. So now we play. I know, 0:32:18.440 --> 0:32:20.720 we got a game on Sunday, and so I'm in 0:32:20.760 --> 0:32:23.080 the locker room and I got this big wrap on 0:32:23.200 --> 0:32:25.240 my leg and I got this tube sticking out, there's 0:32:25.280 --> 0:32:28.080 blood using out of it. And and I couldn't bend 0:32:28.120 --> 0:32:29.840 my leg. I had shorts on because I couldn't put 0:32:29.880 --> 0:32:32.720 pants over my leg, and and and I couldn't bend 0:32:32.760 --> 0:32:34.440 my leg. I couldn't bend my leg in the inch. 0:32:35.400 --> 0:32:37.960 So I'm standing there outside of his office and his there, 0:32:38.040 --> 0:32:40.520 his locker room there, and he comes walking out and 0:32:40.560 --> 0:32:41.840 I said, he goes, how are you doing? I go, 0:32:42.040 --> 0:32:44.320 I'm not doing so well. He goes, I said, you know, 0:32:44.400 --> 0:32:45.960 what do you want me to do today? He was, 0:32:46.000 --> 0:32:47.080 what do you mean? I go, well, do you want 0:32:47.120 --> 0:32:49.040 me on the you want me the sideline, or do 0:32:49.080 --> 0:32:50.440 you want me to go up in the press box? 0:32:50.520 --> 0:32:52.120 Goes all right, I want damn, but I want you 0:32:52.200 --> 0:32:57.840 to play and walks away. And I'm standing there, you know, 0:32:58.120 --> 0:33:00.120 and I can't bend my leg. I could barely up 0:33:00.160 --> 0:33:03.040 my weight on my way. And I'm thinkuring myself, well, 0:33:03.080 --> 0:33:06.040 maybe I can play, Maybe I can maybe I can 0:33:06.080 --> 0:33:08.320 tell my stuff about But you know, I mean, that's 0:33:08.400 --> 0:33:10.960 kind of the influence he had on you. And you 0:33:11.000 --> 0:33:12.800 know he he Uh. We had we had a roast 0:33:12.880 --> 0:33:17.480 for him after after he retired. Uh, And I am 0:33:17.560 --> 0:33:19.800 see the roast and he called me into his office 0:33:19.880 --> 0:33:22.480 the day before and said, now tell me about this roast. 0:33:22.520 --> 0:33:25.040 How it's gonna work. And I said, what we thought. 0:33:25.040 --> 0:33:27.560 We'd passed the mic around everybody and let them just 0:33:27.800 --> 0:33:30.560 tell a story or have say something and then uh. 0:33:31.160 --> 0:33:32.680 And then he goes, well, who's gonna be there? And 0:33:32.720 --> 0:33:34.240 I said, well, it's gonna be you know, the players 0:33:34.360 --> 0:33:37.240 and wives and girlfriends. He says, A meaning gonna be 0:33:37.320 --> 0:33:40.479 there and said, no, no, no media, just just your 0:33:40.520 --> 0:33:44.560 former players and and there and they're significant others. And 0:33:44.680 --> 0:33:46.959 he said, okay, if that's the case, then you can 0:33:47.000 --> 0:33:49.000 say whatever. You guys can say whatever you want to say. 0:33:49.680 --> 0:33:54.200 But he said, but I get the microphone last. And 0:33:54.280 --> 0:33:56.400 I said, okay, fine, So that's what we did. So 0:33:56.480 --> 0:33:58.920 we just passed the microphone around and everyone told a 0:33:58.960 --> 0:34:01.440 little a little something and about the relationship with them 0:34:02.080 --> 0:34:04.840 for this and and Bob Kuchenberg, the great Bob Kuchenberg, who, 0:34:04.840 --> 0:34:06.080 by the way, she should be in the Hall of Fame. 0:34:06.560 --> 0:34:08.279 I just leave that out there to the simmer a 0:34:08.320 --> 0:34:11.200 little bit. But um, he got up and he said, 0:34:11.239 --> 0:34:13.960 you know, coach Coach Sula had great tolerance for other 0:34:14.040 --> 0:34:22.439 people's pain. Me he always thought you could play when 0:34:22.880 --> 0:34:25.160 when when when the doctors were telling you you couldn't 0:34:25.239 --> 0:34:28.320 write right. So so we kind of go around. So finally, 0:34:28.360 --> 0:34:32.279 you know, give them, give them, like to Coachuler, and 0:34:32.360 --> 0:34:34.160 he gets and he goes, yeah, you know, I heard 0:34:34.200 --> 0:34:36.680 what Bob Kuchenberg said. And he said, maybe maybe I 0:34:36.800 --> 0:34:38.600 was a little tough. Maybe I was a little tough 0:34:38.680 --> 0:34:41.480 on my players. Maybe maybe I didn't maybe I expected 0:34:41.560 --> 0:34:43.719 him to play a little too much when sometimes and 0:34:43.760 --> 0:34:45.719 he still so he says, he says, I should have 0:34:45.840 --> 0:34:47.560 I should have I should have known that. He said, 0:34:47.880 --> 0:34:50.040 he said, my first year as a head coach in Baltimore, 0:34:50.080 --> 0:34:52.520 think he was thirty three years old, the youngest head 0:34:52.560 --> 0:34:56.279 coach in the NFL. And he says, uh, my best 0:34:56.320 --> 0:34:59.440 receiver went down up and that old crappy field up 0:34:59.440 --> 0:35:04.560 in baltim Municipal Stadium, dirt in field, you know, and 0:35:05.040 --> 0:35:08.000 so this guy's laying in the dirt. And Coach Schuley said, 0:35:08.040 --> 0:35:09.480 you know, at that time, I used to go out 0:35:09.520 --> 0:35:11.319 and see how my players were when they got hurt. 0:35:11.880 --> 0:35:13.320 And so he said, when he said, walk down the 0:35:13.360 --> 0:35:14.920 middle of the fields and guys laying there, and he's 0:35:14.920 --> 0:35:17.640 in that dirt. He says, I, So look down. He's 0:35:17.640 --> 0:35:20.600 got a compound fracture was a lower leg. The bone 0:35:20.719 --> 0:35:23.720 is sticking out of his sock. There's blood is spilling 0:35:23.760 --> 0:35:26.560 into the dirt and mud and stuff like that. Guys 0:35:26.640 --> 0:35:29.759 laying there writhing in pain. And so she says. He says, 0:35:29.760 --> 0:35:32.960 so I said him and says, can you go? Oh God? 0:35:35.239 --> 0:35:38.160 And the guy goes and the guy goes, not, Coach, 0:35:38.280 --> 0:35:40.960 I don't think so. And this is Coach Schultalk, he says. 0:35:41.320 --> 0:35:42.960 Guy says, no, I don't think so. He so Coach 0:35:43.000 --> 0:35:45.080 Will says, so I turned around, kicked the dirt and goes, 0:35:45.120 --> 0:35:52.960 why does this ship always happened to me? And it 0:35:53.120 --> 0:35:56.759 walks off the field. So he was, he was, he was. 0:35:56.920 --> 0:35:58.680 He was a different guy with that. But you know 0:35:58.719 --> 0:36:00.920 what I said, a lot of guys, you know a 0:36:01.000 --> 0:36:03.000 lot of guys that that that that fought through it. 0:36:03.160 --> 0:36:05.120 You know guys that that did you did stuff and 0:36:05.760 --> 0:36:07.759 that you never thought you could do. You know, you'd 0:36:07.840 --> 0:36:10.160 scrap it up and and just call out and play. 0:36:10.239 --> 0:36:14.000 And you know, I remember, I remember I had a 0:36:14.080 --> 0:36:16.239 really bad sprained ankle one day. He says, can you go? 0:36:16.360 --> 0:36:18.239 I go, Yeah, I can go, coach, but it's I 0:36:18.280 --> 0:36:20.640 don't know, he says. He said, well, just look, strop 0:36:20.719 --> 0:36:23.759 it up, do the best you can and and just 0:36:23.920 --> 0:36:25.520 you know, just we need you out there. Just just 0:36:25.880 --> 0:36:28.719 do the best you can. I go, okay, coach. So 0:36:29.000 --> 0:36:30.640 you know, I'm playing and all of a sudden, we're 0:36:30.640 --> 0:36:33.640 playing at Joe Washington. We're playing Baltimore. Joe. They taught 0:36:33.719 --> 0:36:36.120 we have a toss sweep and I'm playing outside linebacker, 0:36:36.719 --> 0:36:38.279 and I'm you know, I gotta keep him. I gotta 0:36:38.280 --> 0:36:40.600 turn him in, you know, I gotta go. I'm trying to. 0:36:41.280 --> 0:36:43.160 I'm trying to set the edge and get him turned 0:36:43.160 --> 0:36:46.440 back inside, and I just couldn't. I just couldn't push off, 0:36:46.560 --> 0:36:48.399 you know. So I'm so I'm starting to get hooked 0:36:48.440 --> 0:36:50.920 by the tight end. And finally Joe comes around the 0:36:50.960 --> 0:36:52.719 corner and I'd go for him as we're right in 0:36:52.760 --> 0:36:55.000 front of our sideline in yours. But it was a 0:36:55.120 --> 0:36:57.839 rainy day and so I go to try to trip 0:36:57.920 --> 0:37:01.319 him up and grab his ankle. Miss stim My head 0:37:01.400 --> 0:37:03.759 plowed right into the into the into the turf, and 0:37:04.160 --> 0:37:07.000 I got water and mud and you know how to John, 0:37:07.040 --> 0:37:08.560 you go down to get that big clump of dirt 0:37:08.640 --> 0:37:12.680 on the top of the face mask. You can't clump 0:37:12.800 --> 0:37:16.680 of dirt. I got muddy water in my mouth, my face, 0:37:17.000 --> 0:37:20.239 and I'm laying flat and I'm about about a yard 0:37:20.360 --> 0:37:22.560 from our sidelines, and all I can say I look 0:37:22.680 --> 0:37:25.040 up and all I can see is a shadow of coach, 0:37:25.080 --> 0:37:31.360 Who're going, damn it, make the play. And I was, 0:37:31.440 --> 0:37:33.600 I was, I was thinking about coach my ankle and 0:37:33.680 --> 0:37:41.680 all you go, yeah, uh, you're you're in a no 0:37:41.840 --> 0:37:47.120 win situation, sation, no win situation, no no, but but 0:37:47.280 --> 0:37:49.600 you know you but you know what's funny, and all 0:37:49.640 --> 0:37:52.600 those things made you a better player, they you know, 0:37:53.280 --> 0:37:55.360 And that's what the good ones brought out in in 0:37:55.520 --> 0:37:59.520 their teams and their players. They pushed it. They pushed 0:37:59.560 --> 0:38:02.239 their play years to a point where they didn't even 0:38:02.280 --> 0:38:04.880 think they could go to And and the player did 0:38:04.960 --> 0:38:08.360 it out of respect. Whether you felt like it or not, 0:38:08.760 --> 0:38:11.160 or felt it at the time or not, you did 0:38:11.239 --> 0:38:14.239 it because you knew that he was doing this for 0:38:14.320 --> 0:38:16.600 the betterment of the team, not just for you, and 0:38:16.719 --> 0:38:21.040 not just for him. He then what it was all about. 0:38:21.880 --> 0:38:23.520 You don't you know what? You didn't want to let 0:38:23.600 --> 0:38:26.960 your team down, But just as importantly, or maybe more important, 0:38:27.000 --> 0:38:30.279 you didn't want to let him down, you know, because 0:38:30.320 --> 0:38:32.200 you knew he put here, You knew he poured everything 0:38:32.280 --> 0:38:36.120 into every game. You know, he knew he was Yeah, 0:38:36.239 --> 0:38:38.360 he poured everything into every game, and you knew it. 0:38:38.480 --> 0:38:41.440 And so you know, yeah, I hated when I couldn't play. 0:38:41.480 --> 0:38:44.120 I just was it would just eat at me because 0:38:44.239 --> 0:38:47.080 because you felt like you're I didn't even look at him. 0:38:47.080 --> 0:38:48.919 I broke my leg one week and when year didn't 0:38:48.920 --> 0:38:51.080 play for four weeks, I couldn't even look at him. 0:38:51.719 --> 0:38:53.439 You know, I was embarrassed because I'm you know, because 0:38:53.440 --> 0:38:55.680 I'm not playing, and and you just felt like you're 0:38:55.719 --> 0:38:58.719 letting him down. You know the other thing I think 0:38:58.760 --> 0:39:02.600 about him John as opposed to now. And I don't 0:39:02.640 --> 0:39:05.879 know when it started in this league. You know, it's 0:39:05.960 --> 0:39:08.640 you know, the the the new buzzword in in in 0:39:08.920 --> 0:39:13.520 in football, whether it's culture, it's culture anyway. It's funny. 0:39:13.600 --> 0:39:15.239 It's funny how the teams that win the Super Bowl 0:39:15.280 --> 0:39:19.640 always have great culture, right but you know so, but 0:39:19.800 --> 0:39:23.560 and to me, it's it's it's it's become it's become cliche. 0:39:24.200 --> 0:39:28.239 You know, well, and it's an excuse when you don't win, right. 0:39:28.880 --> 0:39:31.719 And the other thing is the other thing is it's 0:39:31.760 --> 0:39:35.520 it's all about the process, right, Everything is about the process. 0:39:36.400 --> 0:39:39.799 You know. I remember when she how about this isn't 0:39:39.840 --> 0:39:43.120 the culture what the head coach says, it is exactly 0:39:43.520 --> 0:39:48.320 exactly and then going to set the culture. Yea. And 0:39:48.480 --> 0:39:52.640 the the point I'm getting to here with this is 0:39:52.719 --> 0:39:54.680 that you know, coaches now they don't want to put 0:39:54.680 --> 0:39:57.880 too much pressure on their players. You know, Oh, you know, 0:39:57.920 --> 0:40:00.799 it's it's it's it's a process. We're getting there, you know, Jesus, guys, 0:40:00.800 --> 0:40:02.839 you gotta play. Yeah, but the problem we're moving along 0:40:02.920 --> 0:40:05.640 with the process, you know. You know, our process was 0:40:07.040 --> 0:40:11.279 the first meeting of every preseason, every training camp. The 0:40:11.400 --> 0:40:14.000 first thing he said was, we're here for one reason. 0:40:14.400 --> 0:40:16.840 We're here to win a super Bowl, and that is it. 0:40:17.239 --> 0:40:21.080 Anything other than that is failure. Anything other than that 0:40:21.239 --> 0:40:24.640 is failure. And so you know, there there's there's been, 0:40:24.719 --> 0:40:31.040 there's a hesitant, hesitancy now in this league to demand excellence. 0:40:32.120 --> 0:40:34.520 That's all he demanded. He would, I don't care. I 0:40:34.560 --> 0:40:37.200 don't give a crap if we went you know, like 0:40:37.560 --> 0:40:39.560 New England the one year where they went to eleven 0:40:39.640 --> 0:40:42.680 and five and and and missed the playoffs. You know, 0:40:43.239 --> 0:40:45.359 if we went eleven five miss the playoffs, it would 0:40:45.360 --> 0:40:47.680 have been a miserable year for us, you know, it 0:40:47.719 --> 0:40:50.200 would have been a failure. And in fact, you know, 0:40:50.239 --> 0:40:52.239 I played for him for ten years and never left 0:40:52.280 --> 0:40:54.919 the season where we did get shoot out the last game, 0:40:55.719 --> 0:40:57.480 because the only way you leave, the only way you 0:40:57.560 --> 0:41:00.880 leave that building with with him, was that if you 0:41:00.960 --> 0:41:04.239 won the super Bowl, because everything else was a fail 0:41:04.400 --> 0:41:06.960 was was was I don't want to say failure, but 0:41:07.200 --> 0:41:11.120 but it wasn't up to the expectations of his of 0:41:11.360 --> 0:41:14.480 his team, and where he set his expectations for himself, 0:41:14.760 --> 0:41:18.560 probably exactly. And he wasn't afraid to lay that out 0:41:18.640 --> 0:41:22.760 there as your goal here, this is our goal. Anything 0:41:22.840 --> 0:41:27.000 short of it, not interested in it? M hm. And yeah, 0:41:27.040 --> 0:41:29.840 I'd like to see more teams, I am, you know, 0:41:32.200 --> 0:41:35.520 lay it out there, more teams, lay it out, expose yourself. 0:41:35.840 --> 0:41:38.440 Don't worry about that, you know, if you if you 0:41:38.600 --> 0:41:42.080 if you're afraid of that expectation, you probably shouldn't be 0:41:42.360 --> 0:41:46.439 in the room. Yeah, but I think I think that's 0:41:46.480 --> 0:41:49.759 where the great ones kind of separated, and especially in 0:41:49.840 --> 0:41:53.480 the culture that that he grew up in because I 0:41:53.600 --> 0:41:55.920 think that was the norm. I think I think a 0:41:56.040 --> 0:41:59.120 lot of those great coaches from that era that was 0:41:59.239 --> 0:42:02.080 the norm of the way they thought, you know, and 0:42:02.239 --> 0:42:05.560 I think now where you have kind of the well 0:42:06.440 --> 0:42:09.359 you kind of reason, well, we we didn't. We came 0:42:09.400 --> 0:42:11.400 in second in the a f C East and that 0:42:11.560 --> 0:42:14.680 wasn't bad because we were projected fourth. Well, now that 0:42:14.880 --> 0:42:17.680 that's not that we want to win. We want to win, 0:42:17.800 --> 0:42:20.200 not every every we want to and every time you 0:42:20.560 --> 0:42:24.200 put your every uniform on and your expectation is to 0:42:24.280 --> 0:42:26.640 win the Super Bowl, no matter if you're projected to 0:42:26.760 --> 0:42:29.600 win four games or six games or eight games, your 0:42:29.640 --> 0:42:31.640 goal should be find a way to win that game 0:42:31.680 --> 0:42:34.160 and then move on and try to find the next one. Yeah, 0:42:34.200 --> 0:42:36.160 he would treat you know, he would treat preseason games 0:42:36.200 --> 0:42:38.320 the same way. You know, if you go back and 0:42:38.400 --> 0:42:40.239 look if I bet I would venture to guess if 0:42:40.239 --> 0:42:42.759 you went back and looked at his record in the 0:42:42.840 --> 0:42:46.520 preseason you know, back when fourteen and you play four games, 0:42:46.520 --> 0:42:48.880 you have six preseason games, and then you went to 0:42:48.960 --> 0:42:51.600 sixteen and four, I bet you if you went back 0:42:51.680 --> 0:42:54.920 and looked at his record in the preseason games, they 0:42:54.960 --> 0:42:57.759 would have a very impressed winning record, because I don't 0:42:57.800 --> 0:43:00.399 remember losing many preseason games. And then if your head 0:43:01.040 --> 0:43:06.400 you you you heard about it. Just losing creep in. 0:43:06.600 --> 0:43:09.200 This is not what we're about, right right. He wanted 0:43:09.239 --> 0:43:12.000 to teach you winning from the moment you stepped into 0:43:12.040 --> 0:43:15.239 that building. And and no, no matter where there was 0:43:15.239 --> 0:43:19.040 a practice, a scrimmage, a preseason game, he treated them 0:43:19.040 --> 0:43:22.239 all the same way and expected the best. And so 0:43:22.960 --> 0:43:26.480 I think that's what made him who he is. And 0:43:26.560 --> 0:43:28.000 like you said, I mean, you listen to look at 0:43:28.000 --> 0:43:29.719 the you know that the people that he learned from 0:43:29.800 --> 0:43:33.239 Lombardi and Paul Brown and all these guys that that 0:43:33.360 --> 0:43:37.080 he spent time with, and um, you know, George Hallis 0:43:37.239 --> 0:43:39.760 and and all these guys that that built the league. 0:43:39.800 --> 0:43:41.880 And you know, he's kind of he's kind of like 0:43:41.960 --> 0:43:44.160 the one of the you know, him and him and 0:43:44.280 --> 0:43:47.319 Noel and those guys were kind of the the last 0:43:47.360 --> 0:43:52.920 of that bunch in Landry. You know, you know how 0:43:52.960 --> 0:43:57.600 I had a little bit of that. But it's, uh, 0:43:58.400 --> 0:44:01.360 it's it's you know, it's uh a remarkable life that 0:44:01.440 --> 0:44:05.719 he had. You look at all the people and someone 0:44:05.760 --> 0:44:07.600 you know, how much how much you like to win. 0:44:07.680 --> 0:44:09.960 I remember he used to have a golf tournament every 0:44:10.080 --> 0:44:13.440 year before the preseason. Uh, and he divide all the media. 0:44:13.640 --> 0:44:16.080 You know, no one paid. It was just you know, 0:44:16.239 --> 0:44:20.239 they put it on in Miami Lakes and and uh, 0:44:20.760 --> 0:44:23.080 you have the newspaper writers, the TV guys, and then 0:44:23.080 --> 0:44:25.800 there's some players in this and that plant and Shool 0:44:25.840 --> 0:44:31.520 always won and something He's always look who he's playing with, 0:44:31.600 --> 0:44:35.120 he said, it's it's Coach Shula, It's Raymond Floyd, It's 0:44:35.200 --> 0:44:38.120 Dick Anderson. And it was usually like it was usually 0:44:38.120 --> 0:44:41.200 like Dudley Hart or somebody. Yeah, you know what I mean. 0:44:43.480 --> 0:44:50.760 And was loaded, you know, and I'm playing I'm playing 0:44:50.840 --> 0:44:53.759 with hal Halbide from the Pomp Post and you know, 0:44:53.920 --> 0:45:00.120 and uh and I and you know what the and 0:45:00.200 --> 0:45:01.800 all there if you want, all they gave you was 0:45:01.840 --> 0:45:05.120 a crappy little like a little plastic dolphin helmet with 0:45:05.160 --> 0:45:07.400 a light in it. You know. It wasn't like it 0:45:07.600 --> 0:45:10.239 wasn't like you're playing for anything special, you know. But 0:45:11.160 --> 0:45:13.160 I'm sure if you were on coach Ule's team and 0:45:13.160 --> 0:45:14.640 you might have had an off day, you might not 0:45:14.719 --> 0:45:17.040 have got invited back to his team. No, no, no, 0:45:17.280 --> 0:45:18.839 you you might have dumped you off at the turn. 0:45:19.719 --> 0:45:22.400 You might you might have you would have trade me 0:45:22.480 --> 0:45:25.400 for the for the golf bro at the curtain. Come on, 0:45:25.440 --> 0:45:28.720 you gotta gotta finish this thing out. So but anyway, 0:45:28.840 --> 0:45:32.439 well it's just you know, you you hate to, Yeah, 0:45:32.600 --> 0:45:35.600 you hate to to lose a guy that's that's been 0:45:35.640 --> 0:45:40.200 that special. But it's it's been pretty um, it's been 0:45:40.280 --> 0:45:43.040 pretty healing over the last few days, just you know, 0:45:43.080 --> 0:45:45.680 watching the shows and and and remembering what he did 0:45:45.800 --> 0:45:48.840 and remembering all the things, and you know, and and 0:45:49.239 --> 0:45:51.359 and know you you remember in a lot of different ways. 0:45:51.400 --> 0:45:54.279 I remember as a coach, uh, I remember now as 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:57.680 a friend. Um, but you know, you're the one thing 0:45:57.760 --> 0:46:00.759 that that one the one constant there was always with 0:46:00.840 --> 0:46:02.640 him was his fan. Was a family man. I mean, 0:46:02.800 --> 0:46:05.480 he's you know, he's We remember going up to Baltimore 0:46:05.520 --> 0:46:08.080 where he he had played, he coached for a long 0:46:08.160 --> 0:46:10.879 time up there, and you know, we would we would 0:46:10.920 --> 0:46:13.920 pull into the parking lot, John and there would be 0:46:14.640 --> 0:46:18.239 twenty nuns there, right because because you know, he went 0:46:18.280 --> 0:46:21.279 to he went to Mass every day. You know, he 0:46:22.040 --> 0:46:25.480 took confession every day, you know, I mean, and and 0:46:25.640 --> 0:46:30.000 so you know, he's his heart was with the Catholic 0:46:30.120 --> 0:46:32.839 Church and and all that, and so you know there 0:46:32.920 --> 0:46:36.839 was always priests and always um nuns and stuff around us. 0:46:36.880 --> 0:46:39.799 And you know, I remember when we were training camp 0:46:39.960 --> 0:46:43.960 or at St. Thomas uh BIS Game College. She has 0:46:44.040 --> 0:46:45.480 changed a couple of days, but you know that a 0:46:45.600 --> 0:46:49.120 little chapel there, six o'clock in the morning, he would 0:46:49.120 --> 0:46:52.480 go in for Mass, he would say confession, and then 0:46:52.520 --> 0:46:55.479 he would come to practice. And remember one day sat 0:46:55.560 --> 0:46:57.120 him said, coach, you give it a give it a 0:46:57.160 --> 0:46:59.440 mass every day. So yeah, I go every day six 0:46:59.440 --> 0:47:02.680 o'clock in the every day, um confession. He goes, yeah, 0:47:02.719 --> 0:47:05.279 I can confession every day. And I said every day 0:47:05.320 --> 0:47:07.399 since I see every day since uh so, I said, well, 0:47:08.040 --> 0:47:09.600 let me ask you this. When you do confession, you 0:47:09.680 --> 0:47:12.600 confess the things that you said yesterday? Or do you 0:47:12.760 --> 0:47:17.919 confess the things you're about to say? And you looked 0:47:17.920 --> 0:47:19.279 at me with a little you're you're looking here you 0:47:19.320 --> 0:47:20.960 always had every now and then you had this a 0:47:21.040 --> 0:47:23.319 little rice smile and kind of when he goes, hey, yeah, 0:47:23.520 --> 0:47:28.360 I do it for every day. Yeah. Now get to 0:47:28.400 --> 0:47:30.120 get back and get to get back and get to 0:47:30.200 --> 0:47:35.040 work with Yeah. Uh you know, sad time, sad time 0:47:35.080 --> 0:47:37.600 in our life. But but what a what a what 0:47:37.719 --> 0:47:39.480 a what a lot of memories, of great memories that 0:47:39.760 --> 0:47:42.000 they be left well not only for not only for 0:47:42.080 --> 0:47:46.120 his players, but for the for the community, for the country, 0:47:46.320 --> 0:47:50.480 for sports in general. Um. You know, I think for 0:47:50.560 --> 0:47:52.040 all of us that they grew up there, that you 0:47:52.080 --> 0:47:53.799 guys like you that grew up down there, they've got 0:47:53.840 --> 0:47:55.200 a chance to be around it. For me, even got 0:47:55.239 --> 0:47:57.640 a chance to come out and play for him for 0:47:57.840 --> 0:47:59.879 for ten years and know him for forty some years. 0:48:00.680 --> 0:48:04.160 Um uh I, all I know is that my life 0:48:04.160 --> 0:48:06.560 has been better for for having known and been around 0:48:06.600 --> 0:48:10.799 Don Shula. Well, it's it's it's unbelievable. It is as 0:48:10.840 --> 0:48:13.640 sad as it is with the passing of Don Shula. 0:48:14.320 --> 0:48:17.600 The great uh stories that you hear from guys that 0:48:17.800 --> 0:48:22.480 were players and acquaintances and guys that were just around 0:48:22.840 --> 0:48:27.080 an NFL legend and uh such a a guy that 0:48:27.600 --> 0:48:31.400 really gave everything to the game of football, gave everything 0:48:31.480 --> 0:48:34.399 to his family. Um. I think it's great that you're 0:48:34.440 --> 0:48:37.560 able to put a smile on people's faces when you 0:48:37.680 --> 0:48:42.240 tell stories of Don Shula, the serious stories, the funny stories, 0:48:42.320 --> 0:48:46.360 the coaching stories, the friendship stories. Um. I think that 0:48:46.640 --> 0:48:49.160 that's a that's a true mark of someone that that 0:48:49.360 --> 0:48:53.000 left his mark in this world and in a profession 0:48:53.080 --> 0:48:54.880 that he loved, in his sport that he loved, and 0:48:54.960 --> 0:48:58.080 being around people that he had so much respect for. 0:48:58.880 --> 0:49:00.920 I think that's that's the mark of a of a 0:49:01.000 --> 0:49:04.400 true of a true man living out his life and 0:49:04.760 --> 0:49:07.960 really giving everything he had on on a daily basis. 0:49:08.080 --> 0:49:11.960 And and for the Miami Dolphins in this organization to 0:49:12.120 --> 0:49:15.040 be to be to be associated with a man like 0:49:15.200 --> 0:49:18.480 Don Shula that put the Miami Dolphins franchise on the 0:49:18.560 --> 0:49:21.640 map of the NFL and be proud to be associated 0:49:22.000 --> 0:49:24.279 I am. I'm proud to be associated with the Miami 0:49:24.360 --> 0:49:28.759 Dolphins organization because of Don Shula and the way he 0:49:28.840 --> 0:49:31.279 lived his life and what he gave to to not 0:49:31.440 --> 0:49:34.760 only the the organization but the community of South Florida. 0:49:34.800 --> 0:49:37.520 And when he gave to the NFL. It's a tremendous 0:49:37.600 --> 0:49:41.480 honor that we were able to speak, uh speak some 0:49:41.600 --> 0:49:46.399 funny stories, speak some truth, uh, be able to keep 0:49:46.680 --> 0:49:50.040 keep going that legacy of what Don Shula meant to 0:49:50.520 --> 0:49:54.720 to to the world. Yeah, he touched a lot of players, certainly, 0:49:54.760 --> 0:49:57.440 and and we gotta uh we we got some some 0:49:57.520 --> 0:50:00.040 of the players and some of their thoughts on just 0:50:00.200 --> 0:50:05.520 what what them. First of all, I just wanna, you know, say, um, 0:50:05.760 --> 0:50:10.200 it's a sad day. Um My prayers and condolences go 0:50:10.320 --> 0:50:16.040 out to Mary Anne Schula family, Michael David um just 0:50:16.760 --> 0:50:18.759 really good people. And it's a it's a sad day 0:50:18.960 --> 0:50:23.920 for coach h But a lot of great memories. Beautiful man, 0:50:24.960 --> 0:50:30.480 great person. Um. Yes, my first memory Dave was um 0:50:30.920 --> 0:50:33.919 coming there, coming from Mini camp, coming from Mini camp. 0:50:34.080 --> 0:50:38.000 First time I met him walking his office. Uh. And 0:50:38.080 --> 0:50:40.959 the funny part was before the draft, I never talked 0:50:41.000 --> 0:50:43.360 to Coach Sula or the scouts or anything because I 0:50:43.400 --> 0:50:46.440 didn't think they thought I was gonna be available for 0:50:46.680 --> 0:50:50.279 them to draft me. So the first time I really 0:50:50.400 --> 0:50:53.480 talked to Coachula besides just on the phone draft day 0:50:53.560 --> 0:50:55.520 saying hey, Hi, you would you like to be a Dolphin, 0:50:56.320 --> 0:50:59.799 was in his office coming into Mini camp, and UM, 0:51:00.200 --> 0:51:03.680 I remember it was a little intimidating because you know, 0:51:03.800 --> 0:51:06.200 the first time you're meeting the head coach, a guy 0:51:06.360 --> 0:51:10.640 that was so successful. UM. But I do remember what 0:51:10.800 --> 0:51:12.840 he told me was I want you to come in 0:51:13.000 --> 0:51:18.720 good shape, be prepared, to be prepared to uh, prepare 0:51:18.760 --> 0:51:21.800 yourself this summer as if you're gonna come in and 0:51:21.840 --> 0:51:24.120 be the starter. And he made an impact on me 0:51:24.280 --> 0:51:26.640 right away that way, like he's he believed in me. 0:51:26.719 --> 0:51:28.680 He is like, I believe in you. I want you 0:51:28.760 --> 0:51:30.600 to work that way so you can come in and 0:51:30.680 --> 0:51:34.080 compete and actually feel like you're gonna compete to be 0:51:34.160 --> 0:51:37.160 the starting quarterback. And uh, that just gave me a 0:51:37.239 --> 0:51:40.640 lot of confidence right off the bat. So, um, that 0:51:40.880 --> 0:51:45.440 was my first meeting actually with coach. Yeah, you know, 0:51:45.800 --> 0:51:48.680 it was already established when I got there, but um, 0:51:48.760 --> 0:51:51.520 the thing that sticks out to me is that he 0:51:51.719 --> 0:51:58.840 was very disciplined coach, Um, very intelligent, always preached the 0:51:58.880 --> 0:52:01.520 mental aspect of the game, not making metal mistakes, not 0:52:02.280 --> 0:52:05.000 doing things to beat yourselves, and um, I guess it 0:52:05.120 --> 0:52:08.640 just gave me an understanding of coming from college to 0:52:08.880 --> 0:52:14.279 the professional level of how much difference there isn't much 0:52:14.360 --> 0:52:18.319 difference most of the time in between the talent level 0:52:18.840 --> 0:52:22.640 that's on you know, the opposing team. So any little 0:52:22.760 --> 0:52:25.759 edge and get and and being metally prepared and not 0:52:25.880 --> 0:52:29.400 making mental mistakes and penalties and stuff like that was 0:52:29.600 --> 0:52:32.320 a huge thing that he's stressed from day one and 0:52:32.400 --> 0:52:34.320 it was a little things. And I think that's definitely 0:52:34.360 --> 0:52:38.440 what stands out when you're asking that question. Coach Shula 0:52:38.560 --> 0:52:40.919 demanded so much from us. And there was a game 0:52:40.960 --> 0:52:43.920 in Cleveland that was his home home state as you know, 0:52:44.320 --> 0:52:49.320 um where Monday night football game, my rookie year. I 0:52:49.520 --> 0:52:51.960 was playing hurt all the time. And I got through 0:52:52.000 --> 0:52:56.080 the whole game and right before the end, Uh went 0:52:56.120 --> 0:52:59.279 into the X ray room, got diagnosed, had just a 0:52:59.400 --> 0:53:02.919 terrible continue Usian in my arm, and I went back 0:53:03.040 --> 0:53:06.839 to after the game, after our defeat, I went back 0:53:06.920 --> 0:53:11.320 to Coach Shula with the doctor and he, uh, he 0:53:11.560 --> 0:53:14.520 just was so frustrated. Took out a little bit of 0:53:14.560 --> 0:53:20.400 that frustration on me. Uh. Coming from Wisconsin, I didn't 0:53:20.440 --> 0:53:23.560 swear I heard a lot of it in sports, but 0:53:24.200 --> 0:53:27.120 Shula had probably the frustration in them that day and 0:53:27.239 --> 0:53:30.040 shared it with me. Um. But it bothered me. So 0:53:31.520 --> 0:53:35.279 you know, it not only motivated you, um, but it 0:53:35.320 --> 0:53:40.319 would also challenge you. And later that week, Bob bomb 0:53:40.400 --> 0:53:44.000 howerd it was my locker roommate, and uh, he would 0:53:44.080 --> 0:53:47.279 encourage me to just chill out, but I had I 0:53:47.400 --> 0:53:49.040 had to get it off my chest, and I went 0:53:49.080 --> 0:53:52.880 into Coach Schuler's office that that week and just shared 0:53:52.920 --> 0:53:55.040 with him that I had never wanted to be sworn 0:53:55.120 --> 0:54:00.480 at again. And uh, you know, the story goes beyond that, 0:54:00.680 --> 0:54:07.560 but needless to say, coach respected my wishes. Uh and uh, 0:54:08.320 --> 0:54:11.239 you know he's he's certainly had ways of communicating to you. 0:54:11.480 --> 0:54:13.279 Didn't have to be in a form of a swear word, 0:54:13.360 --> 0:54:16.720 but he would definitely rile you up and get you prepared. 0:54:16.800 --> 0:54:19.920 One of the things I'll never forget. And uh and 0:54:20.480 --> 0:54:23.520 we all have moments of this, but in my life, 0:54:24.280 --> 0:54:28.480 that moment and lasted eight years, and he demanded the 0:54:28.600 --> 0:54:32.240 most out of his players, and many of his players 0:54:33.000 --> 0:54:36.719 couldn't deal with that, including myself at times. Um. But 0:54:36.920 --> 0:54:42.640 what happened was we performed beyond our wildest imagination. And 0:54:42.800 --> 0:54:44.799 when a player can look in the mirror and say 0:54:44.920 --> 0:54:49.320 that wasn't me, but somebody's expectation of my performance, that 0:54:49.600 --> 0:54:54.560 overcame my own limitations. I mean, that is an amazing 0:54:54.680 --> 0:54:58.520 aspect of a great coach. Um. And it's not easy 0:54:58.680 --> 0:55:02.280 during the moment, but in retrospect, every player that played 0:55:02.320 --> 0:55:04.759 for Coach Shula looks back and says, he got me 0:55:04.880 --> 0:55:07.960 to do more out of my body. Out of my 0:55:08.160 --> 0:55:11.919 performance than I could have ever done on my own. 0:55:12.800 --> 0:55:17.200 And a mentor, a coach, a great leader can take 0:55:17.239 --> 0:55:20.640 a team of people like that and make him great. 0:55:20.719 --> 0:55:22.840 And that's what he did yarine and year out for 0:55:22.960 --> 0:55:25.640 those years he played, he coached, for the for the 0:55:25.719 --> 0:55:30.319 Miami Dolphins, and beyond. Quite honestly, he lives in every 0:55:30.360 --> 0:55:34.640 one of our dreams and sometimes nightmares to this that 0:55:35.440 --> 0:55:42.160 I think his uh great marks come in the world 0:55:42.200 --> 0:55:45.359 of football with the integrity that he showed for the game. 0:55:46.239 --> 0:55:48.320 Not just the fact that he was a driven coach 0:55:48.400 --> 0:55:52.960 and and concentrated on winning and was willing to make 0:55:53.000 --> 0:55:55.839 the sacrifices and pay the price to win and take 0:55:55.920 --> 0:55:59.680 you along with him, but he was also had a 0:55:59.760 --> 0:56:02.840 sense of humor about things, so there it was. It 0:56:02.960 --> 0:56:06.759 was a balance. He was driven, and his legacy comes 0:56:06.840 --> 0:56:08.879 down to the fact that he proved that by being 0:56:08.960 --> 0:56:11.520 the winningest coach in the history of the league. Now 0:56:11.880 --> 0:56:14.040 during that time, the pinnacle of his career. If you 0:56:14.080 --> 0:56:18.480 asked me about the one moment that perhaps most personifies 0:56:19.480 --> 0:56:22.840 that great career that he had, I would say it 0:56:23.040 --> 0:56:28.239 was the the undefeated season. I would say that the 0:56:28.400 --> 0:56:33.800 perfect season was the diamond if you will in the 0:56:33.960 --> 0:56:38.680 rough that that he honed out as an exemplary movement 0:56:38.760 --> 0:56:45.080 moment that where everything that he had learned how to 0:56:45.239 --> 0:56:50.080 sacrifice and work and put together and and orchestrate came 0:56:50.400 --> 0:56:55.760 together and worked and we went undefeated. In the game 0:56:55.920 --> 0:56:58.880 that led to that was the loss to the Dallas 0:56:58.960 --> 0:57:02.480 Cowboys and Super Bowl six. After that game, we're all 0:57:02.520 --> 0:57:04.600 in the locker room, and he threw everyone else up, 0:57:04.640 --> 0:57:08.080 with the coaches and the players, and he said, this 0:57:08.360 --> 0:57:12.160 moment is a moment we're going to learn from. This 0:57:12.400 --> 0:57:14.799 is You've got to remember how you feel right now 0:57:15.000 --> 0:57:17.360 after just getting your ass kicked in the Super Bowl. 0:57:17.400 --> 0:57:21.360 You gotta remember that because next year, we're going to 0:57:21.480 --> 0:57:23.400 open up. In five or six months, we're gonna get 0:57:23.400 --> 0:57:25.600 together back at camp and we're gonna open up, and 0:57:25.720 --> 0:57:29.640 we are going to rededicate ourselves every week to the 0:57:30.040 --> 0:57:33.920 task at hand, not look forward to the playoffs, or 0:57:33.960 --> 0:57:35.880 look forward to a winning season, look forward to any 0:57:35.920 --> 0:57:39.000 of that. We're going to concentrate one week at a time, 0:57:39.160 --> 0:57:41.160 one game at a time, and we're gonna go every 0:57:41.240 --> 0:57:44.200 game with the intent of winning every game. He said 0:57:44.280 --> 0:57:48.080 that on on the on the more closing moments after 0:57:48.280 --> 0:57:51.000 losing a Super Bowl. He dictated what was going to 0:57:51.120 --> 0:57:54.200 happen the next year with that undefeated season, and I 0:57:54.320 --> 0:57:57.400 think that was the pinnacle of his career. If there 0:57:57.520 --> 0:58:02.320 was one point that he would pull out to judge 0:58:02.400 --> 0:58:04.680 the entire career by, that would be the high point 0:58:04.960 --> 0:58:08.720 I think is that undefeated season, because what happened was 0:58:08.840 --> 0:58:11.280 the very essence of what he had alluded to. We 0:58:11.400 --> 0:58:13.480 went one game at a time and it was close, 0:58:13.640 --> 0:58:15.920 and anyone play could have changed things. I know, I 0:58:15.960 --> 0:58:18.960 don't argue the point that it's just a hair separates 0:58:19.440 --> 0:58:23.960 perfection from losing one game. Different people at different times 0:58:24.000 --> 0:58:26.200 step forward and made the difference. But that's what a 0:58:26.280 --> 0:58:29.920 team's all about. The essence of that seventy two team 0:58:30.880 --> 0:58:34.000 is what the entire world of sports is about. That 0:58:34.240 --> 0:58:38.200 that incorporates teamwork in an effort. It was all the 0:58:38.320 --> 0:58:43.000 people pulling together and playing better than what any individual 0:58:43.080 --> 0:58:45.880 could play on their own. That's what it's about, and 0:58:45.960 --> 0:58:48.080 it takes a great coach to bring that out of players, 0:58:48.160 --> 0:58:50.560 and I think that was the pinnacle of his success. 0:58:51.360 --> 0:58:54.760 When I first saw him, I remember the first listen 0:58:54.840 --> 0:58:57.360 to some of the questions, and I remember my first 0:58:57.720 --> 0:59:03.360 occasion I hearing about coach Schilla coming to the Dolphins. 0:59:04.160 --> 0:59:07.800 It was with on Channel four, one of the back 0:59:07.880 --> 0:59:12.400 then he was being interviewed and and he was saying, 0:59:12.800 --> 0:59:14.680 I like, yeah, I like I like a lot of 0:59:14.760 --> 0:59:17.360 what I was seeing with this Dolphins team has got 0:59:17.440 --> 0:59:20.920 a young, good, good young quarterback. But Greasy, I think 0:59:21.000 --> 0:59:22.880 he scrambles too much. I like to get him to 0:59:22.960 --> 0:59:27.880 stay in the pocket more. And I couldn't wait until 0:59:27.920 --> 0:59:32.560 I saw Coach Shula because he evidently he even wasn't 0:59:32.640 --> 0:59:36.120 was watching too much of our film because there was 0:59:36.280 --> 0:59:39.800 no pocket for Greasy to stay in. You know, the 0:59:39.920 --> 0:59:43.280 first three years I was was down here, I did 0:59:43.360 --> 0:59:47.160 a lot of scrambling, and so he and I had 0:59:47.200 --> 0:59:50.280 the discussion. And sometimes I still have to remind him, 0:59:51.320 --> 0:59:54.320 uh to this day. You know, he was a boss 0:59:54.440 --> 1:00:00.760 back then. Um, but as years go by, we become 1:00:00.920 --> 1:00:07.880 friends and we're kind of like equals. Umm. Not not 1:00:08.120 --> 1:00:10.640 like he was the boss and I was the underling 1:00:10.720 --> 1:00:15.000 and that's the way it was back then. But um no, 1:00:15.280 --> 1:00:18.320 it's we've you know, I lost I lost a good friend, 1:00:18.400 --> 1:00:24.680 I lost a great friend. He um. Um, you know, 1:00:24.760 --> 1:00:28.480 we spent a lot of time together at lunch, and 1:00:28.600 --> 1:00:31.200 his favorite place to have lunch was Golf Stream Park, 1:00:32.200 --> 1:00:35.880 and and some of the other buddies that would go 1:00:36.080 --> 1:00:40.720 Hank Hank gold Goldberg before he moved out to um 1:00:41.920 --> 1:00:48.520 um Las Vegas, was was our handicapper and and I 1:00:48.680 --> 1:00:52.360 always tell the story that she would be sitting at 1:00:52.400 --> 1:00:54.920 the end of the table like like he didn't know, 1:00:55.560 --> 1:00:57.720 he didn't know horses from the hole in the ground. 1:00:58.280 --> 1:01:00.920 So he looked at Hank and he say, innk, what 1:01:01.000 --> 1:01:04.439 do you like in the second race? And Hank would say, 1:01:04.840 --> 1:01:08.120 I studied this for him last night, and I got 1:01:08.200 --> 1:01:10.080 up again this morning and I looked at it for 1:01:10.120 --> 1:01:12.920 another twenty five minutes. I looked at here and I 1:01:13.040 --> 1:01:18.040 liked the number seven one three, And Sulla looked down 1:01:18.040 --> 1:01:21.840 at the bottom of his program and it was seven 1:01:22.040 --> 1:01:25.520 three one, and he would look at Hank as hell, Hank, 1:01:25.880 --> 1:01:29.680 that's the chalk. I don't want chalk, chalk, chalk, chalk chalk. 1:01:31.000 --> 1:01:34.560 So that's that's But we had a great time, uh 1:01:35.040 --> 1:01:38.200 at at having lunch at Gulf Stream Park. I'll give 1:01:38.240 --> 1:01:41.480 you an indication of coach Shula and how I and 1:01:41.720 --> 1:01:43.960 why I feel he always got the most out of 1:01:44.080 --> 1:01:46.880 his players and you know. He was a guy that 1:01:47.600 --> 1:01:49.960 you know drove you, but wouldn't allow you to quit 1:01:50.080 --> 1:01:54.640 on yourselves. I remember one ball game alone where I 1:01:54.800 --> 1:01:57.840 was having some shoulder at your issues. I had pension 1:01:57.880 --> 1:02:00.600 nerve in my neck and um verty soon I end 1:02:00.720 --> 1:02:04.240 up starting to wear a neck brace. But I remember 1:02:04.280 --> 1:02:07.760 a game where we had to have that victory and 1:02:07.880 --> 1:02:10.200 I land on my shoulder and I'm in such pain 1:02:10.360 --> 1:02:14.240 and make the catch. I come off the sideline and 1:02:14.360 --> 1:02:16.800 he looked at me like, and where are you going? 1:02:17.040 --> 1:02:19.760 You know? And I'm like, I'm in so much pain. 1:02:19.880 --> 1:02:21.600 I can't believe what he's saying to me. You know, 1:02:21.760 --> 1:02:24.800 I just got the first down. I got hit my shoulder, hurt, 1:02:25.680 --> 1:02:29.000 um and pain subside. I go back in the ball 1:02:29.080 --> 1:02:31.920 game and and once again we we we need a 1:02:32.000 --> 1:02:34.200 third down. I make the play and I come off 1:02:34.280 --> 1:02:36.080 and I am in so much pain. I don't know 1:02:36.120 --> 1:02:39.880 what to do. Uh, and he is riding me. He's 1:02:40.000 --> 1:02:44.960 ripping me. Long story, short game end is we win. 1:02:45.920 --> 1:02:49.640 The first guy to come to my locker and pat 1:02:49.720 --> 1:02:52.120 me on the back and tell me what a great 1:02:52.200 --> 1:02:53.840 job I didn't way to hang in there. He knew 1:02:53.840 --> 1:02:55.800 it was tough, he knew I can do. It was 1:02:55.880 --> 1:02:59.160 Don Schila, and I always think about things like that 1:02:59.320 --> 1:03:02.200 where he didn't allowed players to quit on themselves or 1:03:02.320 --> 1:03:04.760 the team. You know, he always found a way to 1:03:04.840 --> 1:03:06.920 motivate you to do give a little bit more than 1:03:06.960 --> 1:03:08.880 you thought you had, to become a little bit better 1:03:08.960 --> 1:03:11.280 player you thought you could be. And I think that 1:03:11.600 --> 1:03:14.560 was his his key to success. He got the most 1:03:14.640 --> 1:03:17.840 out of all of his players, and and guys that 1:03:18.000 --> 1:03:19.840 didn't want to be a part of that and didn't 1:03:19.840 --> 1:03:21.520 fit in, he didn't have a problem with getting rid 1:03:21.560 --> 1:03:24.080 of him. And I think that's why we were much 1:03:24.200 --> 1:03:27.720 better teams uh in the seventies and eighties and even 1:03:27.840 --> 1:03:32.160 nineties under his leadership. UM. And then when I when 1:03:32.240 --> 1:03:35.400 I think about what Coach Sheula meant to South Florida. 1:03:36.240 --> 1:03:38.160 You know, and I've been telling this story all day. 1:03:38.800 --> 1:03:42.360 You know, a lot of men come here to play 1:03:43.160 --> 1:03:47.400 for the Miami Dolphins under Coach Sula, most of them 1:03:47.520 --> 1:03:51.280 never left. Most of them eventually decided to stay here, 1:03:51.400 --> 1:03:54.280 reside here, build their homes and their and their second 1:03:54.360 --> 1:03:59.000 businesses UM here in South Florida. And it was because 1:03:59.160 --> 1:04:01.440 Coach sill All always had us out in the community, 1:04:01.480 --> 1:04:04.240 always had us being a part of South Florida. You know, 1:04:04.360 --> 1:04:07.840 in in the seventies, in the eighties, United Way used 1:04:07.840 --> 1:04:10.640 to come in. They had a great partnership with the NFL. 1:04:10.720 --> 1:04:13.160 They used to come in and pitch us to donate 1:04:13.720 --> 1:04:16.520 to the different organizations that a lot of us came from, 1:04:16.720 --> 1:04:18.920 you know, the boys and Girls clubs and etcetera, all 1:04:19.000 --> 1:04:22.760 the charities. And Coach schula was always that guy that 1:04:22.920 --> 1:04:25.760 wrote the first check. You know, he didn't ever ask 1:04:25.840 --> 1:04:28.000 you to do anything that he didn't do himself. We 1:04:28.120 --> 1:04:31.000 ran those gasses, and we all hated those bag on gasses, 1:04:31.320 --> 1:04:33.200 but he ran them with us. He would run two 1:04:33.240 --> 1:04:35.680 out of three. So you know, when you think of 1:04:35.760 --> 1:04:38.680 Coach Schulan, you think of how he drove us. But 1:04:38.800 --> 1:04:42.160 he also made sure we were a intricate part of 1:04:42.280 --> 1:04:45.680 the South Florida communities fabric. And because of that, you 1:04:45.800 --> 1:04:49.240 see so many guys here today that are still here, 1:04:49.320 --> 1:04:52.200 that are still doing well, there are still thriving in 1:04:52.320 --> 1:04:54.680 business and being a part of the South Florida community 1:04:54.720 --> 1:04:56.600 and make it better. And it's all because of Don 1:04:56.720 --> 1:04:59.360 Hula Ali John A lot of uh you know, a 1:04:59.480 --> 1:05:01.880 lot of a lot of thoughts and prayers and wishes 1:05:01.920 --> 1:05:04.360 for coach Schuler, and you know, we certainly wish his 1:05:04.440 --> 1:05:07.360 family the best in these in these tough times, and uh, 1:05:07.440 --> 1:05:09.840 you know, you know we wish the best for the community. 1:05:09.920 --> 1:05:12.440 You know, everyone's kind of healing from this, and um, 1:05:12.680 --> 1:05:15.480 we're just gonna take a long time to you know, 1:05:15.600 --> 1:05:17.520 I know, I know that when this season starts, and 1:05:17.520 --> 1:05:20.200 I'm sure it's gonna start at some point here. Um, 1:05:20.840 --> 1:05:22.720 you know that time mid season when the weather gets 1:05:22.720 --> 1:05:25.120 a little better down here in South Florida. And I'm 1:05:25.200 --> 1:05:27.560 used to sitting on that bench on the sideline and 1:05:28.040 --> 1:05:31.440 on Sunday afternoons and watching him come out there and 1:05:31.560 --> 1:05:34.360 watching everyone just come around and and pay their respects 1:05:34.360 --> 1:05:36.880 to him. I'm gonna miss those moments, and and I'm 1:05:36.920 --> 1:05:39.320 sure that it's gonna it's gonna hit me pretty hard 1:05:39.400 --> 1:05:41.880 at that first game around that time when normally he 1:05:41.920 --> 1:05:46.120 would be there. Um, but it's it's been a it's 1:05:46.160 --> 1:05:49.120 been a great ride. Well, it's it's something I'll certainly 1:05:49.320 --> 1:05:51.800 cherished for for for the rest of my life, as 1:05:51.960 --> 1:05:55.200 as I think a lot of South Florida will. Yeah, 1:05:55.240 --> 1:05:57.400 and I think you do speak for for everyone in 1:05:57.520 --> 1:06:01.640 South Florida. His iconic legacy will endure, you know, just 1:06:01.840 --> 1:06:04.840 the memory of Don Shula associated with the Miami Dolphins, 1:06:04.880 --> 1:06:07.840 a Hall of Fame coach, a guy that gave everything, 1:06:07.960 --> 1:06:12.760 that put his family first. Um, it's just a it's 1:06:12.800 --> 1:06:14.920 an honor for me to be able to say, yeah, 1:06:14.960 --> 1:06:17.200 I knew the man and didn't play for him, but 1:06:17.280 --> 1:06:20.000 I knew the man and was able to create a 1:06:20.080 --> 1:06:23.080 relationship with not only himself, but with Dave and his 1:06:23.160 --> 1:06:26.080 son Mike, and be in the Shula family and through 1:06:26.160 --> 1:06:29.280 the Dolphin organization. It makes me proud to say, yeah, 1:06:29.280 --> 1:06:32.240 I'm a member of the Miami Dolphins organization, an organization 1:06:32.320 --> 1:06:34.840 that really Don Shula put on on the map of 1:06:34.920 --> 1:06:37.560 the NFL. Yeah, I have no doubt about and a 1:06:37.640 --> 1:06:39.720 lot of people feel that way. So I'm gonna wrap 1:06:39.800 --> 1:06:42.760 it up John for John Kijimi, I'm Kimbo Camper. Let's 1:06:42.880 --> 1:06:44.720 keep our thoughts about coach Schuley is a great man, 1:06:45.280 --> 1:06:48.720 great legend and uh and hell will sorely be missed. Well, 1:06:48.720 --> 1:06:50.080 we'll catch up with you guys next week.