Hall of Famer ex-coach Don Shula lambasted Nick Saban on Wednesday for quitting the Miami Dolphins after two years to take a job with Alabama, the Miami Herald and other news organizations reported.

''He has run away from the challenge,'' Shula told the Herald. ''It's unbelievable. There were four or five direct statements that were blatant lies. That tells you a little bit about the guy.

"The guy likes to hear himself talk and then doesn't follow up on what he says.''

Shula is the greatest coach in Dolphins history and one of the greatest in NFL history. He guided the team to the only undefeated record in history, 17-0 in 1972-'73, and Super Bowl victories in 1973 and 1974.

"Saban, in the two years here, was 15-17," Shula told Cox News Service. "So I guess I'm surprised that he's leaving — and surprised that Alabama wanted him."

Shula told WPLG, “I've always been a coach that says, ‘when a game's over, you can't change the score and you move on. You try to learn from a negative experience and from something positive, you try to build on it.

“So Saban has moved on, and the important thing is what the Dolphins do from here on in.”

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