Don Shula’s coaching stock rose significantly when he played a key role in ending another team’s perfect season as an assistant with the Detroit Lions in 1962. At the time, the Green Bay Packers were an NFL powerhouse under Vince Lombardi. During the traditional Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit, the Lions used a defense conceived by Shula to spring a 26-14 upset at Tiger Stadium. That was the only game the Packers lost en route to their second straight NFL championship. Two months later, Shula was hired by the Baltimore Colts as its new head coach.
