In 1972, Miami was not an especially friendly place for black players. The University of Miami football team had integrated just five years before the Dolphins perfect season. Shula sensed a degree of segregation even in the Miami locker room in his early years in the city. To address this, he rearranged the locker room so that players on the same offensive or defensive units would sit together, rather than let them group by race. He also assigned black and white players to room together during road trips.
