Didn't he have a son? Coached somewhere...
Don is not fondly thought of in some Alabama circles (mine). Mike his son was our quarterback during my college years (I saw him in church most Sundays since he was a TALL athlete-easy to pick him out in a crowd). And I thank him for coming to UA later as the head coach during our time of need. (Mike Price got fired in May - where you gonna find a head coach and staff THAT time of year?)
All that being said, Mike had four years and things never got off the ground. He had no HC experience previously and after four years things were about the same as year one - there wasn't much progress shown. Don was always quoted in the Sunday paper making excuses for why Alabama/Mike lost the previous day. So as is the way of the world, if you pull the big salary and don't produce, you're fired. Same for me, same for you, same for him.
Well ol' Daddy Don (who had sat in the stands for four years covering for his son) wasn't too happy that his son got shown the door. I guess he figured schools should give more like six or eight years to build up (or let the HC learn what the heck he was supposed to do). Post Mike HC-at-Bama, Don was bitter towards Bama. Too bad.
His Dolphins went undefeated in a year when they played fewer games to win a Super Bowl than the Patriots did a couple years ago (and lost in the SB but were undefeated otherwise). So the whole pop-the-cork-when-the-last-undefeated-NFL-team-goes-down-annually reveals a small man who should be proud of his accomplishments but recognize (and acknowledge) when they get passed (as they were).
So good job Don in the 70s. Not very classy since Mike got fired (late 2006).
His son (Mike) is always welcome in my home and I am grateful for his service to the University of Alabama (as player and HC).
My statement above may not be popular but it is accurate.
Tough beans.
Bama Ed
PS - after we fired Mike Shula we hired some guy from the Dolphins (haha) named Nicholas Lou Saban. And the rest, as they say, is history......