22 years ago last week (July 31, 1997 to be exact), Don Shula - by way of Painesville, Ohio, John Carroll University and Miami, Florida - made his way to Canton to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. To date, he is the only former Blue Streak to have his likeness displayed inside the hallowed halls.

As the all-time leader in coaching victories in the National Football League, the only John Carroll representative currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame certainly earned his place. 

The resume is impressive. Shula is the owner of a .665 winning percentage (347-173-6) in his career. He led two different teams to six Super Bowl appearances, claiming two Lombardi Trophies as NFL championships. In 33 season as a head coach, his teams qualified for postseason 19 times.

In 1993, Sports Illustrated named him as their Sportsperson of the Year - the first professional coach to receive the honor.

Shula's path to becoming the winningest coach in NFL history began with a career that almost did not get started at Painesville Harvey High School. The famous story was that Shula had not gone out for football because his mother Mary feared that he would get hurt and because he was sick. However, assistant football coach Don Martin, one of only two coaches at the school for its four sports, spotted Shula in a gym class and asked him why he hadn't gone out. Shula sheepishly replied that he was sick and didn't think the coaches would want him this late.

So Shula forged his mother's signature and was starting within a few weeks. He was the left halfback in the single-wing offense, which means he touched the ball the most and threw most of the passes.

Shula the moved on to John Carroll where he was a running back for the Blue Streaks. Paired with Carl Taseff, the two future Hall of Famers were part of a devastating offensive attack that produced some of the greatest victories in school history. Shula set a JCU mark by averaging 6.6 yards per carry, propelling him as an All-Big Four choice.

He was eventually drafted by the Cleveland Browns and spent seven seasons as a player in the NFL. 

Shula would become a head coach for the first time in 1963 for the Baltimore Colts, and after making one Super Bowl appearance, was hired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 1970. His illustrious career would move him past the legendary George Halas with victory number 325 on November 14, 1993 -- a 19-14 win over Philadelphia. On that day, a practice squad quarterback named Doug Pederson was elevated to start the game for an injured Scott Mitchell and led the Dolphins to the historic win. That same Doug Pederson would lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win in 2018.

John Carroll's very own Don Shula is still the bar which most coaches are measured. In a sports world where longevity, character and a high level of consistent success are rare qualities, Shula's accomplishments remain impactful. 

In his book Everyone's a Coach: Five Business Secrets For High-Performance Coaching, Shula makes the powerful statement: "I don't know any other way to lead but by example."

The example Shula set at both John Carroll and in the NFL is one for the ages.