Don Shula was born on Jan. 4, 1930, in Grand River, Ohio, and played college football at John Carroll University in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Browns drafted Shula in the ninth round of the 1951 NFL draft, and Shula became one of two rookies on coach Paul Brown’s 1951 Browns team.
In 1953, Shula joined the Baltimore Colts as part of a 15-player trade. He played cornerback for the Colts for four seasons, then the Washington Redskins in 1957.
Overall, Shula played in 73 NFL games as a player. He made 60 starts and finished his career with 20 interceptions.