(2 of 2)
The answer turns to yes, though, when Shula's indomitable class, his never flagging work ethic and his history of success are taken into consideration. He weathered a similar down period with the Dolphins in the late '80s, only to rebuild them into a perennial play-off team. This time around, though, Shula had two things working against him: the ascendancy of new Miami Heat basketball coach Pat Riley, who has turned the N.B.A. team around, and the rabid nature of sports talk radio, which has been feeding the frenzy against Shula and for Johnson. When Shula's resignation was announced during halftime of a Heat game on Thursday night, the fans actually cheered. "After all he's done," said his friend, San Diego general manager Bobby Beathard, "it's amazing the abuse he had to take."
Shula says his successor will be the choice of Huizenga alone, though Shula does recommend that he get the best available coach--even if it's Johnson, who once demoted Shula's son David when he was the Cowboys' offensive coordinator. Still, a new coach will be no guarantee of success. As outspoken linebacker Bryan Cox said on his radio show, "South Florida doesn't know what they're going to miss yet. Next year at this time, they'll be saying, 'We want Shula back.' "
During a conference call on Friday evening, Shula tried to put the best face on his career change. "The hard part will come next September on that first kickoff. I will not be on the sidelines in an N.F.L. game for the first time in 43 years. But this is an opportunity to spend time with my wife and my kids and my grandkids, time I haven't been able to spend with them."
Yet when a reporter prefaced a question by saying, "Congratulations, I guess," Shula dolefully replied, "I guess."