How Don Shula Dealt With Latecomers

The NFL world is mourning the loss of legendary coach, Don Shula. However, some choose to remember him for all his best moments and positive memories. NFL correspondent, Jeff Darlington fondly reminisced one particular story revolving around Shula. Back at St. Thomas Aquinas, the college often had more than a hundred players training, as there was no roster cap.

However, one morning, a potential recruit happened to sleep in, and practically lowered his chances. However, he tried to be extremely daring and sneaked onto the field in the middle of practice. To really sell the stunt, the player cut through the woods near the practice area, over a fence and tried to squeeze into the huddle.

Around this time, three offensive downs had taken place, and the player figured that Don Shula was none the wiser. Unfortunately for him, Shula smelt a rat and locked onto the straggler. After three more downs, the guilty man thought that he was home free, but Don Shula elected to strike.

Don Shula busted the player

When he called out the player, he called out, “Hey you! I see you, I saw you and you’re cut, not get off this field right now!”. However, the smart alec tried one last trick and trudged towards the locker rooms. Sadly for the player, Shula wasn’t fooled, “No, no, no! You’re going back the way you came!”

The now humiliated player was forced to climb back over the fence, back through the woods and back home. Suffice to say, he went with his tail between his legs. Of course, this just goes to show that Don Shula is a tough taskmaster and does not tolerate slackers. Sadly, nobody will ever know if that player ever got a second chance. If he did, he would ensure that he never overslept again