VIDEO: Remembering When Don Shula and Donald Trump Butted Heads During USFL Days
Donald Trump had countless business ventures throughout his life before becoming president. One of his most notable failures came in the USFL, when he was owner of the New Jersey Generals, spent big, and eventually torpedoed the entire league. Trump tried to lure Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula to lead the Generals back in the day, and went on television claiming a deal was almost done, but the coach wanted an apartment in Manhattan as part of the deal. Well, that ticked off Shula, and the deal never happened. Ladies and gentlemen, a moment in history!
This tells you so much. A. Shula had never committed to the USFL; B. But Shula was seriously considering it; C. As soon as Shula saw @realdonaldtrump's TV interview—he decided to stay with Miami. He was horribly turned off by the bullshit, the exaggerating, the fake swag. #maga pic.twitter.com/yrwwlKV1Y2
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) May 5, 2020
This is an early example of Trump saying wild stuff during a television appearance, going public with something in an effort to persuade another party, and...not succeeding.
All he had to do was stay quiet about Shula, and he may have landed a Hall of Fame coach in the new league. Instead, he totally blew the deal and embarrassed himself in the process.
"Back before Donald Trump failed to buy the Buffalo Bills, he helped run the USFL into the ground. Before Donald Trump helped run the USFL into the ground, he tried to lure Don Shula away from the Miami Dolphins."https://t.co/qtIzhR7qw5
— The Big Lead (@thebiglead) May 5, 2020
Shula, who passed away Monday, stayed with the Dolphins until 1995. Meanwhile, Trump helped lead the demise of the USFL that ended with the league folding before the start of the 1986 season.
Landing Shula could have added some real star power to the league and potentially caused other NFL coaches to make the jump. One ill-fated television appearance may have altered the history of professional football forver.