Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson played quarterback for the Dolphins in 1993 under the legendary Don Shula.
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Legendary NFL coach Don Shula was carried off the field in Philadelphia after earning his 325th career win in 1993.
Doug Pederson’s “next man up” philosophy goes back to his playing days in Miami.
In 1993, Pederson was a rookie quarterback learning the position from legendary coach Don Shula. The 6-2 Dolphins headed to Philadelphia (Veterans Stadium, not Lincoln Financial Field) in Week 11 for a heated showdown with the 4-4 Eagles.
Dan Marino was hurt and backup Scott Mitchell left the game early in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. Shula looked down his bench and pointed at Pederson. The wet-behind-the-ears third-stringer was the next man up.
“They made it pretty easy for me. I threw easy passes. I only had to throw it six times,” Pederson recalled in 2019, via MiamiDolphins.com. “I was excited; I led two drives that we kicked field goals on and it was enough to win the game. My throws were easy ones — underneath stuff, high-percentage throws.”
It was Pederson’s first foray into the NFL, a tougher task since he was wearing an away uniform in front of the rowdy Philly faithful. And Shula made it easy for him by relying on his run game. Pederson went 3-of-6 for 34 yards and the Dolphins won the game 19-14.
My rookie season with the Eagles walking out of the tunnel seeing Dan Marino & coach Shula I was looking at greatness.
