Former Miami Dolphins linebacker and Super Bowl champion Mike Kolen spoke on the importance of team in life March 16 as part of the First Men First event at First United Methodist Church in Enterprise.
“I had the privilege to play in three Super Bowls, be a part of two world (championship teams) and be a member of the only perfect-season team in the history of the National Football League,” Kolen said. “By the time I was age 25, I had played in three Super Bowls, won two and had a perfect season in one of them. I felt pretty privileged to be in Miami in those days. We were at the right place at the right time under the leadership of Coach Don Shula and the other coaches there.”
Kolen’s journey to the Super Bowl began when he started to play football in the first grade. He played football at Berry High School in Hoover, and signed a scholarship with Auburn University.
Kolen earned All-SEC honors twice while at Auburn from 1967-69 before he was drafted by Miami in the 12th round.
Kolen moved on to Miami after his Auburn career, found a mentor in Dolphins offensive tackle Norm Evans and began to embrace the team culture Shula fostered.
Kolen adapted the team concept into an acronym — Trust, Enthusiasm, Attitude and Motivation — which he uses to share as an author and a speaker.
“Trust is really the foundation of any team endeavor,” he said. “Trust really is the most sensitive part of any relationship.”
One of the main reasons for the Dolphins’ success — which eventually led to the NFL’s only undefeated season in 1972 — Kolen said was trust. The trust began to build from the first team meeting with Shula, who the reins of the team in 1970 after it won just three games the year before.
“He has the audacity to go to the board and writes two words: ‘World champions,’” Kolen said. “He realized if a group of men was focused on the same common goal and the same common objective, they would have the opportunity to be champions. Then he said, after that, ‘It’s time to go to work.’ That’s exactly what we did.”
Kolen said he lost 10 pounds during practices preparing for the 1970 season, but they turned the franchise around.
“It made all of the difference in the world,” he said. “It gave us the foundation for our championship years.”
Enthusiasm also played a role in Miami’s success, the evidence of which was a 10-4 record in Shula’s first year, another 10 wins in 1971 and an unblemished 14-0 mark with a Super Bowl win the next season.
“When you are enthusiastic about anything in life, you’re going to pour yourself into it,” Kolen said. “It’s going to empower you to accomplish the goals that are set forth. Indeed, that was the case in regard to our experience with Coach Shula in Miami.”
The third ingredient in a successful team, Kolen said, is attitude.
“If we’re going to be champions in any endeavor we’re involved in, we’ve got to have a great attitude,” he said. “I came to the realization I needed to not live a life that wasn’t what it could be. Changing my attitude for the glory of God made all of the difference.”
Kolen said the difference in attitude leads to a change in relationships.
“With all of the responsibilities we have as men, we certainly need to try to emulate the attitude of humility of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. “It will make a huge difference in every relationship we have.”
Motivation is also something Kolen said makes a difference.
“The greatest motivation in the world is not anything other (than) love and respect for God and for mankind,” he said. “Often times during our perfect season, we would have our backs against the wall. It wasn’t our socio-economic backgrounds that brought us together. It wasn’t our educational experience that unified us. It wasn’t the color of our skin that was the same at all. It was we had a love and respect for one another as teammates. That’s what it was about.”
The mutual respect which brought Kolen —who was nicknamed “Captain Crunch” during his days at Auburn — and his teammates on the Miami defense together was a catalyst for the success the team saw during three consecutive Super Bowl runs, which included championship seasons in 1972 and 1973.
“The reason we played so well together as the No-Name defense is because we had a love and respect for one another as teammates,” he said. “If you’re going to experience any championship endeavor — whether it be within this church, within your business, within your family or whatever — there’s got to be that love and respect for one another as teammates.”
Kolen studied business at Auburn and had several business ventures after his NFL career ended in 1977, but said none of his accomplishments compare to what he shares with groups like the one in Enterprise.
“It was a thrill to be a part of two world championships and go to the Super Bowl three years in a row, to experience a perfect season,” he said. “What a thrill it was for a young professional, but there’s nothing like experiencing the love of God and a relationship with Him. There’s nothing like it. There’s no comparison, whatsoever, in all of the world.”
