Don Shula Quotes & Sayings

Learn from everyone, copy no one. — Don Shula

I'm just a guy who rolls up his sleeves and goes to work! — Don Shula

My responsibility is leadership, and the minute I get negative, that is going to have an influence on my team. — Don Shula

As a coach, your high standards of performance, attention to detail and - above all - how hard you work set the stage for how your players perform. — Don Shula

And this year is going to be the 25th anniversary of the 17-0 team, the only undefeated season. — Don Shula

I think what coaching is all about, is taking players and analyzing there ability, put them in a position where they can excel within the framework of the team winning. And I hope that I've done that in my 33 years as a head coach. — Don Shula

The thing we found out was, when you get to a Super Bowl, both teams are treated the same, talked about in glowing terms. But when the game is over, only the team that won matters. — Don Shula

Success is not forever and failure isn't fatal. — Don Shula

Leadership implies movement toward something and convictions provide that direction. — Don Shula

What I learned from that loss, and also another loss that I'm going to talk about later, was that when you're there, it's not good enough to be there, when you're there, you better walk away with that ring. — Don Shula

Some clubs want to win so much they'll do anything to get it. Our approach has been just the opposite. We've tried to do things the right way. And the right way is [abiding by] the rules and regulations ... I may not like all of them, but once they are [official], we play by them. — Don Shula

Because, they're only thinking about one team when that game's over. Before the game, they're talking about two football teams. When the game's over, there's only one winner. — Don Shula

The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others. — Don Shula

The problem with most leaders today is they don't stand for anything. Leadership implies movement toward something, and convictions provide that direction. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything — Don Shula

Lots of leaders want to be popular. I never cared about that. I want to be respected. — Don Shula

When you're there, it's not good enough to be there. — Don Shula

I never felt I knew it all. I always felt there's something new to learn, something new to do. — Don Shula

The start is what stops most people. — Don Shula

When you're 0-2 in the Super Bowl, they say unkind things about you. They say, 'He can't win the big one.' And that's the worst thing that can be said about you. — Don Shula

Strive for perfection, but settle for excellence. — Don Shula

And I coached against Mike when he was an assistant with the Bears and they won that football game. — Don Shula

I'm fairly confident that if I died tomorrow, Don would find a way to preserve me until the season was over and he had time for a nice funeral. — Don Shula

The one man team is a complete and total myth. — Don Shula

I can't remember missing a practice because of illness. — Don Shula

If you're going to take gambles, you must have one thing: self-confidence. — Don Shula

I don't know how to lead but by example. — Don Shula

You know it's only 50 miles from Grand River to Canton, but it took me 67 years to travel that distance. — Don Shula

To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours. — Don Shula

And then to end up with a total of 347 wins, averaging 10 regular season wins for 33 years and the best winning percentage, and I'm very proud of this, of any professional team from 1970 to 1996. — Don Shula

Losing a Super Bowl destroys all the good things that happened to get you there. — Don Shula

I have no magic formula. The only way I know to win is through hard work. — Don Shula

Everything that I have done has always been predicated on doing the best that I can with the ability that God has given me, trying to reach as far as I possibly can. And if I fall a little bit short, then I'm still farther ahead than if I hadn't reached at all. — Don Shula

Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck. — Don Shula

I can't control the criticism. It's something you certainly don't appreciate, but by the same token, everybody is entitled to their opinion. — Don Shula

You take on what's right in front of you. You want to do the best you can with the opportunities that you have. — Don Shula

One thing I never want to be accused of is not working. — Don Shula

Success is the peace of mind that comes when you know you have given everything you have to give to the opportunities that life has presented you. — Don Shula

My coaching philosophy? Determine your players talents and give them every weapon to get the most from those talents. — Don Shula

I don't know any other way to lead but by example. — Don Shula

You can't play enough golf or do any of those other things that fill that kind of excitement that coaching gave me in the big games. — Don Shula

I coached against Dave the last couple of years, and I was very proud to be the first time a father ever coached against his son. He beat me for 30 minutes the first time and 59 and a half minutes the second time. — Don Shula

The whole idea is to get an edge. Sometimes it takes just a little extra something to get that edge, but you have to have it. — Don Shula

I always want to do the best that I can with the opportunities that God has given me. The only way that you can possibly do that is to give yourself a chance to go as high as you possibly can. If you don't have the confidence in yourself and you don't have the desire to compete and move ahead, than you start to get stagnant ... If I fall a little bit short, then I'm still farther than if I hadn't reached at all. — Don Shula

It's the start that stops most people. — Don Shula

The ultimate goal is victory. And if you refuse to work as hard as you possibly can toward that aim, or if you do anything that keeps you from achieving that goal, then you are just cheating yourself. — Don Shula

There's nothing wrong with setting goals, but it doesn't mean a thing if you don't pay attention to the day-to-day details. — Don Shula

And my rookie contract, my first rookie contract was for $5,000. — Don Shula

I don't want a player that's content with not playing ... But we wanted to play the guys that got us here. — Don Shula

Failure isn't fatal, and success isn't final. — Don Shula

I'm not going to worry about the critics until some of my peers start saying I'm a softie. — Don Shula

The one thing that I know is that you win with good people. — Don Shula

Anybody that's a Dolphins fan feels they're headed in the right direction. — Don Shula

He wants to be his own man and be recognized for what he's done. He's not asking for anything because of his name. That was a tough situation to go into at Alabama, but he probably wouldn't have been given the job if the situation would have been different. — Don Shula

Peyton Manning is doing things that I think no other quarterback in the history of the league has done at the line of scrimmage ... I just think they are a team right now that's got a real chance to run the table. — Don Shula

You set a goal to be the best and then you work hard every hour of every day, striving to reach that goal. If you allow yourself to settle for anything less than number one, you are cheating yourself. — Don Shula

You try to get the most out of the talent. Make 'em work and let 'em play. — Don Shula

The 347 wins is the thing I'm most proud of. Nobody's even close to it. — Don Shula

You know it's only 50 miles but I've relished every moment of the longer route to get here. Thanks for letting me reflect on those great moments. Thank you. — Don Shula

You try to shut the criticism out, but it's pretty hard to do. You see people on the street, friends, people that you know are in your corner, and they come and tell you how bad they feel, and that's not the kind of conversation you want. I don't want anyone to feel bad for me. — Don Shula