Another timely podcast upon the passing of Don Shula, 90.

Players watch prison inmate Mark Henderson at work in the Snowplow Game.

The football world was rocked Monday morning with the news that one of its true coaching legends, Don Shula, died at the age of 90.

The former coach of the Baltimore Colts and the Miami Dolphins certainly earned his status as one of the best coaches in NFL history. But here in New England, Shula will always be remembered (unfortunately so) for his life-long pique over the events of Dec. 12, 1982, at Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro -- the infamous "Snowplow Game."

Don Shula, one of the NFL's coaching legends.

In a nutshell, the game that day between the Patriots and Dolphins had been played under miserable winter conditions, and was still scoreless with 4:45 left to play when the Patriots were about to attempt a 33-yard field goal. Kicker John Smith tried feverishly to kick away the snow and frozen slush that had accumulated on the artificial turf, but suddenly, Coach Ron Meyer frantically waved to the operator of the snow-sweeping John Deere tractor to go out on the field and clear away the snow where Smith would be kicking.

The operator of the tractor was a fellow named Mark Henderson -- a native of North Attleboro who was serving time in MCI-Norfolk for a relatively minor offense, minor enough for him to qualify for the work-release program that had him in the stadium's grounds crew on football Sundays. So, obviously, he dutifully followed Meyer's orders and went out to sweep the field -- following a yard line at first, then making a sweeping curve to the spot where Matt Cavanaugh would be holding the ball for Smith's attempt.

Shula, of course, was livid. He couldn't believe his eyes, that a stadium sweeper would be sent out onto the field to give the home team an advantage he thought was unfair. But in the confusion and incredulousness of the moment, the John Deere swept away the snow and ice without interruption and Smith kicked the 33-yard field goal that stood as the only points of the game.

There were 25,761 hardy souls in the stands that day, but if you ask around, more than 200,000 claim to have been in attendance. And the hometown audience didn't get to see the game live on NBC because of the blackout rule of the time. But much of the nation saw the moment on their TV screens, and NBC even televised the post-game interviews held in the north end zone as reporters clustered around the flustered Henderson and peppered him with questions.

Mark Henderson takes the fateful turn on Dec. 12, 1982.

I was one of those individuals, front-and-center. After all, Henderson was from my newspaper's readership area. And I had no idea I was about to be semi-famous until I glanced toward the opposite end zone, where the old stadium's video scoreboard was, and I realized that NBC's feed (which was being shown on the scoreboard) was carrying the questioning live. Indeed, within a few days, I heard from old college friends in the Chicago area that they had seen me asking questions of the prisoner on the tractor.

That very tractor, by the way, is on display inside the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium.

In the days that followed, Shula raged against the snowplow moment to anyone that would listen. He went to Commissioner Pete Rozelle and demanded that the result of the game be voided because of the unfair advantage that Henderson's sweep gave the Patriots. Rozelle did not overturn the result, and thus for the rest of his life, Shula never let go of his anger over the event -- even when it should have become just a humorous flyspeck in the ocean.

The funny thing? To this day, Smith claims the sweep did not give him an advantage. The left-footed kicker has claimed steadfastly that the path Henderson took with the John Deere sweeper threw more snow and ice into his approach to the ball, which he had tried to clear before Meyer waved Henderson onto the field. The spot where Cavanaugh put down the ball was clear, but Smith still had to navigate his way through a slippery mess to get the kick off.

Shula will still be remembered more for his many victories, including two Super Bowl wins, and of course, the Perfect Season. He also owned some pretty good steakhouses. But here in New England, Shula will always have a place in Patriot Lore for his role in one of the most entertaining moments of the Pre-Dynastic Era.

All that being said, my most recent episode of The Owner's Box includes timely comments from broadcaster Ed Berliner, who worked for a Miami TV station during Shula's heyday. Berliner and I spoke before Shula's death, but he describes the important role that covering Shula played in a budding career as a sports broadcaster -- and the fact that there was a softer side to Shula off the field that endeared him so much to South Florida. Click on the play button below and you'll hear it when we start talking about the appearance of Bill Belichick's dog during the recent NFL Draft.