Friday, Jan. 5 marked the end of an era. Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announced that he will retire from coaching.

After 26 years as the Dolphins' head coach and 33 years as an NFL head coach, the coach with the most wins in the league, 347, will no longer be pacing the sidelines.

Shula has been one of the best coaches in the NFL because of his diversity and his ability to get the most out of players.

As he coached for the Baltimore Colts in the late '60s, the Colts relied on their dominate defense which took them to Super Bowl III.

As Shula coached of the Dolphins in the early '70s, Miami relied on the running game, with Jim Kick, Larry Czonka, and Mercury Morris.

The Dolphins won Super Bowl VII, finishing the only perfect season in NFL history.

And in the mid '80s, the Dolphins went to the passing game with quarterback Dan Marino. Marino has broken every passing record in the NFL.

Shula's downfall was the introduction of the free-agency system that brought too many egos and uninspired players into the Dolphins organization.

But remember Shula for his dedication to the NFL, a sport now noted for fast deals and multimillion dollar salaries. The NFL does not know what it's going to miss.

There will never be another Don Shula.

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Green Bay at Dallas

For the first time in four years, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers will not be playing for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

The last time the Packers and the Cowboys met in the NFC Championship was in 1968. The two teams played in the most legendary game in NFL history, otherwise known as the "Ice Bowl.

The 1968 game was played on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, with a balmy temperature of 40 degrees below zero. The Packers won the game with only a few seconds left when the Packers' quarterback Bart Starr plunged into the end zone on a one-yard quarterback sneak.

For those of you who have ESPN and watch SportsCenter, I guarantee you will see that one play at least 50 or 60 times this week.

MVP Brett Favre and the Packers will finally beat Dallas, advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1968.

Packers 27 Cowboys 24 (Cheeseheads everywhere celebrate)


Indianapolis at Pittsburgh

A funny thing happened to the Kansas City Chiefs on their way to the Super Bowl - the Indianapolis Colts shocked the football world by beating the Chiefs in Kansas City 10-7.

Thanks to Captain Comeback himself (Colt quarterback Jim Harbaugh) the AFC Championship game will be held in Pittsburgh Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills Sunday 40-21. The Steelers, along with wide-out/quarterback/running back/mascot Kordell "Slash" Stewart, will end Indy's Cinderella run.

Steelers 29 Colts 17


Brad Trost is a journalism junior who will burn all his Dolphins clothes if Jimmy Johnson becomes head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season.