When you read about football on the news and you look for more than just the NFL game scores, it’s usually when something big happens such as a buzz-worthy swap, like Tom Brady leaving the Patriots or an epic Super Bowl performance. I’m looking at you, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. However, when former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula died on May 4, 2024, at the age of 90, it was the sports legend who made the news.
“Whether training greatness is judged in championships, one-off moments, or a full body of work, Don Shula met the criteria,” according to the New York Post, noting that “he won a record 347 NFL games for the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins for 33 seasons and presided over the only undefeated season in the league.”
“Don Shula is one of the greatest training figures of all time and the standard of consistency and leadership in the NFL,” said Bill Belichick, a coach who has won the Super Bowl six times, in a statement after Shula’s passing.
Thanks to Shula’s proven skill and ability in sports, in addition to being highly respected, he was also very well.
Don Shula was one of the richest coaches in the game
Rhona Wise / Getty ImagesDon Shula “lived an incomparable football life,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement after the sports icon’s death in May 2024 (via the NFL website). As the Chairman of the NFL Competition Committee, he was a remarkable teacher and mentor who for decades inspired excellence and exemplified integrity.”
That admirable experience on the field translated into a stellar record that CBS Sports explains putting him among the game’s “great coaches” and earned him an equally impressive salary, which is why he was a millionaire.
At the time of Shula’s death, he was worth around $30 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. This fortune saw him ranked 11th on the website’s Top 50 Richest Coaches list, second only to other formidable soccer figures such as Bill Belichick (#10) and Jimmy Johnson (#7), as well as leaders of college-level like Mike Krzyzewski (#8) and Nick Saban (#4), and NBA’s Phil Jackson (#1).
While Shula was obviously the competitive type of person who was used to coming out on top, he was probably satisfied with everything he had earned throughout his career.
