Athlon Sports released their poll this past week of the top-25 best coaches in NFL history and, to the surprise of no one, Miami’s Don Shula made the list. Shula was named the third-best coach, regardless of era.
Also to the surprise of no one, no other Dolphins coach made the list.
New England’s Bill Belichick was named the best coach in league history, edging out Shula along with Green Bay’s Vince Lombardi.
Championships seemed to be the difference, as Belichick (6) and Lombardi (5, although only two Super Bowls) brought home much more hardware than Shula did during his career.
But Shula still owns the title of the NFL’s winningest coach of all-time, his 328 career wins are ten more than the next closest, Chicago’s George Halas. Belichick sits third with 261 wins.
The Patriots’ domination of the AFC East may continue for another year, but the Dolphins still have that one measure of history on their side.
