Don Shula's pro football career began as a player. A graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Shula was a ninth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1951. As a defensive back, he intercepted 21 passes in his seven-year playing career with the Browns, the Baltimore Colts and the Washington Redskins. He retired after the 1957 season to pursue coaching at the college level, first with the University of Virginia in 1958 and then with the University of Kentucky in 1959. He moved to the Detroit Lions as an assistant coach from 1960 to 1962 and then was tapped as the new coach to replace Weeb Ewbank with the Baltimore Colts in 1963. At 33, he was the youngest head coach in the NFL's modern era.

Shula took the controls in Baltimore and led the Colts to an 8-6 record in his first season. He was extremely successful at Baltimore and had a 71-23-4 record in seven seasons with the club.

After the 1969 season, Joe Robbie, owner of the Miami Dolphins, made a bold move when he traded a first round draft pick for the rights to make Shula his head coach. Don had unparalleled success with Miami in the 1970s. Shula led the Dolphins to two Super Bowl wins and seven playoff appearances in that decade.

In 1972, the Dolphins became the only team in the modern NFL to go undefeated (14-0) in the regular season. They swept the playoffs finishing at 17-0, a mark still unequalled. Shula changed his coaching strategy as his personnel changed. In 1983, shortly after losing Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins, the Dolphins drafted quarterback Dan Marino, and by 1984 they were back in the Super Bowl. Despite consistent success in the regular season, Shula was unable to capture another title in Miami and retired after the 1995 season.

Don Shula set numerous records in his 33 seasons as a head coach. He holds NFL records for regular season wins, total victories, single season win percentage, most games coached and consecutive seasons coached. When the Dolphins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on November 14, 1993, Shula earned his 325th victory as a pro football coach and became the "Winningest Coach in NFL History," a title formerly held by legendary Chicago Bears coach, George Halas. It was no surprise that he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote in his first year of eligibility in 1997. This ultimate honor in football was a crowning moment for the Coach and was presented to him by his sons, Dave and Mike.

Though he is widely known for his gridiron accomplishments, Shula has also remained very active off the field, devoting considerable time and support to many charities. Prior to the passing of his late wife, Dorothy, Coach Shula established the Don Shula Foundation in her honor. The primary objective of the foundation is to raise awareness about breast cancer as well as to raise funds for research in support of finding a cure. To date, the foundation has raised over $1 million to help fund the endowment for this vital research.

Shula has received countless prestigious awards recognizing his charitable service including the 1993 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award, the 1995 Horatio Alger Award, the 1999 Lombardi Award of Excellence, the 2000 Reds Bagnell Award and the 2002 Lombardi Symbol of Caring Award. After assisting with funding for a charity in his alma mater's Department of Philosophy, John Carroll University's athletic complex was named the Don Shula Sports Center in his honor.

A successful businessman as well, Coach Shula owns and operates Shula's Steak House, a national chain of popular restaurants, with his son, Dave. Additionally, the Shula's run a number of other thriving businesses including Don Shula's Hotel, Don Shula's Golf Club, Shula's Steak 2, Shula's on the Beach and Shula's 347.

An enormously popular motivational speaker, Don enjoys sharing the secrets of success he has learned through a lifetime of meeting challenges as a sportsman and as a businessman. His presentation "You Can Inspire Anyone to Be a Winner" expands on the principles of goal-setting, motivation, teamwork and honesty that are the basis of Everyone's a Coach, the highly acclaimed book he co-authored with Ken Blanchard in 1995.