Legendary Miami Dolphins fullback Larry Csonka provides a candid insight into the demanding coaching style of Don Shula, the architect behind the only undefeated NFL season. Csonka reveals the challenges and rewards of playing for the iconic coach, whose relentless pursuit of perfection shaped the team's ultimate success.
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Larry Csonka on Don Shula: "He Was Escapable
The 1972 Miami Dolphins stand alone in NFL history as the only team to complete an undefeated season, capturing the Super Bowl in an unforgettable triumph. At the helm of this extraordinary achievement was legendary coach Don Shula, whose unwavering pursuit of excellence left an enduring mark on the game. Now, Hall of Fame fullback Larry Csonka, a key member of that undefeated squad, offers a firsthand account of the demanding and transformative experience of playing under Shula's watchful eye.
"He was a very demanding, perfection-seeking head coach that would not take no for an answer," Csonka says of Shula. "He decided everything from when you were coming in, to what your weight was, to how you hiccup, to how you put your hand up on the sideline. He let no detail go astray."
Larry Csonka on Don Shula: "He Was Escapable
Initially met with resistance from players unaccustomed to such a stringent approach, Shula's unwavering determination gradually instilled a newfound sense of discipline and purpose within the team. Csonka himself admits that the transition was not always smooth, but as the winning began to accumulate, so too did the acceptance of Shula's relentless focus on the details.
"When we started to win, it became easier to accept his demands, because when you start to win, and you start to win consistently to where you start to have faith in the team, and it starts to develop, it's like a plant growing. Suddenly it starts to relish the sunlight, it starts to reach for it more and more," Csonka explains.
Larry Csonka on Don Shula: "He Was Escapable
The transformation of the Dolphins under Shula's leadership was nothing short of remarkable. In his first season as head coach, the team improved from a league-worst 3-10-1 record to 10-4, laying the foundation for the sustained success that was to follow. By the third year, the Dolphins were on their way to the Super Bowl, ultimately reaching the pinnacle in the 1972 season.
"We were the worst team in the NFL when he got here. In just one year, he started to turn us around. By the third year, we were headed for the Super Bowl," Csonka recalls. "We didn't win it, we lost it, but we went back. We attained perfection because we learned to accept what he was preaching, we denied it at first, argued with it, called each other names. People transferred to other teams, all kinds of things happened."
According to Csonka, the 1972 Dolphins did not set out with the explicit goal of achieving perfection. Instead, they focused on executing the fundamentals, the little things that Shula emphasized with such precision. It was this relentless attention to detail, coupled with Shula's unwavering belief in his players, that ultimately led them to the Promised Land.
"He was tough, but he was also fair," Csonka says of Shula. "He knew how to get the most out of his players, and he always put the team first."
While Shula's coaching style may not align with the more player-centric approach prevalent in today's NFL, Csonka remains convinced that his demanding and detail-oriented methods were essential to the Dolphins' success.
"I don't know if you could even do that today. I don't even know if his type of coaching would even fit in the NFL today," Csonka muses. "It certainly would be a square peg in a round hole. ... When we started to win, it became easier to accept his demands, because when you start to win, and you start to win consistently to where you start to have faith in the team, and it starts to develop, it's like a plant growing. Suddenly it starts to relish the sunlight,
