Loaded For Bear: Shula Closes in on Halas

Nearly 40 years later, Don Shula can still remember George Halas yelling at him from the sidelines--baiting, taunting, trying to fluster the young cornerback.

Shula then played for the Baltimore Colts. Halas coached the Chicago Bears.

“Halas was using his intimidation tactics,” Shula says with a smile. “He shouted, ‘We’re going to run right by you on the next play!’

“They had a fast receiver by the name of Harlon Hill, who could run by most anybody. I just backed off and made sure that if he caught something, it was in front of me.”

Hill vaguely recalls Halas shouting at Shula that day. Hill also recalls his own frustration.

“I probably could outrun Shula by 10 or 15 yards in a 100-yard dash, but I could never get behind him,” Hill says. “He was so smart. He played with his head more than his body.”

Hill doesn’t remember much success against Shula on that day in the mid-1950s. The taunts fell flat.

Halas had met his match that day, and not for the last time. This season, Shula likely will pass Halas at the top of the NFL list for all-time coaching victories.

Halas ended his 40-year career in 1967 with 324 victories. Shula, who begins his 31st season as a head coach Sunday when the Miami Dolphins play at Indianapolis, has 318 victories.

The Dolphins started last season 6-0. If they repeat that feat, Shula will tie Papa Bear on Oct. 24 at home against the Colts.

“If and when the record is broken, I’d like for it to come in a year when the team has a successful Super Bowl year,” Shula says. “Hopefully this will be the year.”

It’s all but inevitable that Halas’ record will fall this fall; the Dolphins broke training camp with their highest expectations in perhaps a decade.

And even if the season is a bust and Miami fails to win six games, the 63-year-old Shula has another year on his contract and shows no signs of slowing down.

“He’ll never quit,” former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs says. “We’ll carry him out of there, I think.”

No one’s about to suggest that he retire. Along with Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and Dean Smith, Shula may have the most secure high-profile coaching job in sports.

So Shula could remain with the Dolphins for a few years yet. When he made public appearances during the off-season, some swore the coach was getting younger. He looked tan, trim and dapper, thanks to a tailor hired to improve his wardrobe.

Two years ago, following the death of his wife, Shula was rarely seen in public. Now, as a result of a friendship with Mary Anne Stephens, ex-wife of the chairman at Augusta National Golf Club, Shula’s famous jutting jaw shows up on the society page as well as the sports page.

“With Mary Anne, it’s a very enjoyable new relationship in my life,” he says.

But for Shula, the focus remains football. He wants more victories, even though his total is already remarkable in a profession dominated by men who quit or get fired.

Among current coaches, Chuck Knox ranks a distant second to Shula with 184 wins. Sixteen active peers--including his son, David--have a combined total of 270 victories, 48 fewer than Shula.

A new coach would need at least 16 seasons--all undefeated--to reach 300 wins. It’s reasonable to wonder whether anyone will ever approach Shula’s total.

“Not many coaches get the opportunity to start out when they’re young, as I did,” Shula says. “And then there’s so much more job scrutiny now than there was in the early days of my career.

“I was fortunate because I won early and often. There are some good coaches that don’t win early and never get the opportunity to win often.”

So Shula and Halas may remain 1-2 for a long time. They coached against each other nine times, and Shula won five. He has great respect for Halas and enjoyed their brief rivalry--even as a player.

“Once in a pregame warmup, Halas cussed out a receiver who dropped a ball right in front of the Bears’ sideline,” Shula recalls. “And I said, ‘Mr. Halas, didn’t I see you at Mass this morning?’ ”