Hall of Fame coach Don Shula never met quarterback Dan Marino before the Miami Dolphins selected him with the 27th overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft.
With Shula passing away on Monday, Marino took some time to reflect on his former coach. Marino said heading into the draft process, the Dolphins didn't even think they had any shot at him, so they didn't waste their time.
The first time Marino and Shula talked was right after the draft in the coach's office at minicamp:
“My first memory was coming for minicamp,” Marino told reporters on Monday via Pro Football Talk. “First time I met him, I walked into his office and the funny part was before the draft, I never talked to Coach Shula, none of the scouts or anything because I didn’t think they thought I was going to be available for them to draft me. So the first time I really talked to Coach Shula besides on the phone draft day saying, ‘Hey, how’d you like to be a Dolphin?’ was in his office coming to minicamp.
Marino admitted that it was a little intimidating the first time meeting the Hall of Fame coach. According to Marino, Shula's first message to him was to prepare during the offseason like he was going to be the starter:
“He believed in me. He was like, ‘I believe in you. I want you work that way so you can come in and compete and actually feel like you’re going to be the starting quarterback.’ That just gave me a lot of confidence right off the bat. That was my first meeting with Coach Shula.”
Who knows how Marino's career would have been different if he wouldn't have been with Shula in Miami, but there is no doubt the two were quite the combination.
Follow Us
Subscribe