Shula, 82, was hired by Miami in 1970. Two years later, his 17-0 Dolphins registered the NFL's only undefeated season in the Super Bowl era.
"I am not going to hedge: Shula, when he came to us, was possessed,'' Csonka says. "He had been to a Super Bowl and been beaten (by the New York Jets in Super Bowl III). He was possessed to get back.
"You want to know why we had an undefeated season? It is walking around in a size 10 1/2 shoe named Don Shula. I'm tired of everybody saying this, that and the other thing. Fact of the matter was we went undefeated because we had a driving force named Don Shula.
"I will be very honest with you -- there were times when I wanted to kill Don Shula with my bare hands. When he first got there and was driving us, some days I just hated him. But when success came, I knew it was because of him.''