Dave Hyde: The son of a son of Don Shula stands directly in Dolphins’ path Monday night

Don Shulas first grandson, Dan, was born on Oct.

9, 1983.

A Sunday.

A game day.

Dave Shula, then the Dolphins receivers coach, rushed wife Leslie to the hospital early that Miami morning, watched the birth of their son and asked something new dads rarely do a few antsy hours later: Is it OK if I go to the game? He was congratulated by grandpa in the Orange Bowl locker room, washed the blood from the umbilical cord off his hands and then watched Dan Marino throw for three touchdowns and 322 yards against Buffalo.

It was Marinos first NFL start.

So, really, that day was the birth of two Dans.

See how intertwined the Shulas and Dolphins are? It was no different for the birth of Dave Shulas second son, Chris, who will stand on the opposing sideline Monday night against the Dolphins (2-6) as the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator.

Dave wants to put a disclaimer before telling the story of Chris birth.

Remember, it was a different time, he says.

Leslies due date in Miami was Feb.

2, 1985.

The Dolphins staff was coaching the Pro Bowl game that day in Hawaii.

Guess where Dave was? All the other coaches brought their wives out for a week for fun and festive nights.

Dorothy, Dons wife and Daves mom, stayed home with Leslie just in case Feb.

2 proved an accurate birth date.

So, at night, it was just me and my dad watching practice film of the Pro Bowl, Dave said.

Yes, the Shulas actually worked that meaningless game.

Score was kept, wasnt it? This was the family Chris was waiting to be born into: Don ran such serious practices that week the players staged a mock-mutiny.

Everybody up! was Dons patented, practice-ending shout for players to assemble in a circle for a final word.

Oakland Raiders great Howie Long shouted, Everybody up! early one Pro Bowl practice and all the players went running off the field to enjoy Hawaii.

More importantly, the week passed with no emergency call from Miami.

Chris wasnt born until Feb.

5, Dave says.

But I still hear about that one.

Theyre still Americas First Family of Football, too, even if theyve been out of view for a while.

Theres Don, the NFLs all-time winningest coach.

Theres Dave, an NFL coach and long-time assistant, and his younger brother, Mike, who was Alabamas coach, NFL offensive coordinator and this season an offensive analyst for the University of South Carolina.

Now theres Chris.

He worked up from the bottom like his last name was Smith.

Assistant linebacker coach at Ball State.

Graduate assistant at Indiana.

Defensive coordinator at John Carroll.

His linebackers coach at Miami (Ohio) University, Craig Aukerman, recommended Chris to San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy for an entry-level position in 2015.

He didnt give Chris last name.

McCoy didnt know it until the interview.

Chris became the defensive quality control coach for Chargers.

Three years later his college teammate, Sean McVay, became the Rams coach in 2018.

Chris got another prove-it position: Assistant linebackers coach.

That was the first of six different coaching titles in seven years of moving up the Rams coaching hierarchy.

He was named defensive coordinator this past offseason and inherited a unit in transition with the retirement of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.

If Shula, at 38, is young, so is his defense.

Only one Rams defensive starter is over 27.

Three rookies are expected to start against the Dolphins four, if you count safety and nickelback Kam Kitchens, the third-round pick from the University of Miami.

But look whats developing.

After some early-season growing pains, the Rams defense hasnt given up more than 20 points on their three-game win streak against Las Vegas, Minnesota and Seattle.

Only Philadelphias defense has been better by the metric Expected Points Added than the Rams (4-4) in that stretch.

Now comes the Dolphins.

Its an extremely tough offense to defense as anyone can see, Chris Shula said Friday to the Los Angeles media.

Its the first time coaching against them since Mike (McDaniel) got there.

...

They obviously have elite speed, elite talent, at the skill positions.

As if to show sports are about the moment, and only the moment, Chris talked to the Rams media for 10 minutes on Friday and wasnt asked about his family ties to the Dolphins.

Theyre still there, though.

He was a kid when his father, then the Cincinnati Bengals coach, twice played his fathers Dolphins in games.

He was a St.

Thomas Aquinas High linebacker when his grandfather, by then retired from coaching, came to watch games.

Dave, now retired and living in Jupiter, Fla., appreciates how Dolphins owner Steve Ross has honored his late fathers legacy.

He knows the Dolphins and Shulas will be forever linked.

Hes reminded of it in ways public and personal ways, like when he mistakenly has called his son on Feb.

2 to wish him a happy birthday.

We laugh about it, he says.

Dave still finds himself rooting for the Dolphins many games, too.

Just not this one, he says..

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