MIAMI – The use of the adjective “winningest” in sports dates at least to the 1930s, when Don Shula was a toddler.
The word came along at the right time as a superlative made for Shula, and described him in headlines after his death Monday at age 90.
Among the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach's many achievements, his NFL record 347 victories with the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins stood out. “The one thing, I think, is the number of wins over the years,” said one of his Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Dan Marino. “To coach for 33 years and do it at a high level like he did it -- you see coaches today and the way they are, they’re amazed by what coach Shula was able to do for so long.” But the title of winningest coach is in jeopardy.