Dolphins to Honor Don Shula with Jersey Patch

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Don Shula, the winningest coach in the history of the National Football League, will be honored this fall by the team he guided to most of those victories.

The Miami Dolphins said Thursday the team’s 2020 game jerseys will include a patch stitched with “SHULA” and the number “347” beneath it.

“Don Shula’s lasting impact on the Miami Dolphins, NFL and South Florida community is immeasurable,” team owner Stephen Ross said. “We are proud to continue honoring his historic life and legacy with a patch that is emblematic of his success on the football field as the winningest coach in our league’s history.”

Shula, who died May 4 at the age of 90, recorded 274 wins in 26 seasons with Miami. He joined the Dolphins in 1970 after seven seasons and 73 victories with the Baltimore Colts.

Coaches and team personnel will wear a pin version of the patch design throughout the year, according to media reports.

Dolphins jerseys have included commemorative patches to mark the team’s 25th and 50th anniversaries, but this form of tribute is a first for an individual.

The team in 2019 added decals to helmets with the initials of Hall of Famers Nick Buoniconti and Jim Langer, who both died last year.

Assuming no change in the start of the NFL regular season schedule, the Dolphins will wear the patch for the first time Sept. 13, against the New England Patriots.