Don Shula

Awards and Accomplishments

Related Biography: Football Coach David Shula

David Shula has followed in his father's footsteps, spending a decade and a half coaching in the National Football League before joining his father in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the family-owned restaurant chain.

He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 28, 1959, the first child of Shula and his first wife, Dorothy, who died of cancer in 1990. After earning his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1981, he spent a year playing for the Baltimore Colts. After his year with the Colts, he turned to coaching, joining the staff of the Miami Dolphins as assistant coach from 1982 until 1989. From Miami, Shula moved to Dallas, where he served as the Cowboys' assistant coach from 1989 until 1991. He was named assistant coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991 and soon thereafter was promoted to head coach, a post he retained until 1996. That year, he left coaching and returned to Miami to serve as president of Shula Enterprises, holding company for the family's chain of steak restaurants. He and wife Leslie Ann have three children, Dan, Chris, and Matt.