Bill Belichick releases statement on the passing of Don Shula

Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history, passed away on Monday.

Shula was one of the greatest coaches the league has ever seen. He was known for leading the unbeaten Miami Dolphins to the Super Bowl during the 1972 season. To this day, the Dolphins are the only team in history to finish an entire season undefeated.

Out of his 33 years of being a head coach in the NFL, Shula only had two losing seasons.

DON SHULA, LEGENDARY NFL HEAD COACH, DIES AT 90

He finished his career as a four-time NFL Coach of the Year and holds the record for most wins ever by a head coach with 328. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has the active record with 273 wins.

Belichick released a statement on the passing of the legendary coach.

“Don Shula is one of the all-time great coaching figures and the standard for consistency and leadership in the NFL,” Belichick said. “I was fortunate to grow up in Maryland as a fan of the Baltimore Colts who, under Coach Shula, were one of the outstanding teams of that era.”

Shula got his start coaching with the Baltimore Colts in 1963 when he was just 33. He coached the Colts from 1963 to 1969 before taking over the Dolphins in 1970. With the Colts, Shula was 71-23-4 and led the team to an NFL Championship in 1968.

DON SHULA DIES: TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR LEGENDARY NFL COACH

He coached the Dolphins for 26 seasons, with his final season coming in 1995. He led the Dolphins to five AFC Championships and two Super Bowl victories.

His team with Bob Griese and Larry Csonka became the only one to finish the regular season unbeaten and win the Super Bowl. The Patriots would eventually be the second team to finish the regular season unbeaten but would eventually lose in the Super Bowl.

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“My first connection to Coach Shula was through my father, whose friendship with Coach Shula went back to their days in northeast Ohio,” Belichick said in the statement. “I extend my deepest condolences to the Shula family and the Dolphins organization.”

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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