Tag: Dan Reeves

DeMarcus Ware among ex-Broncos nominated for 2023 Hall of Fame class

After being snubbed last year, Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion DeMarcus Ware should be a favorite to reach the Hall of Fame this year.

After being snubbed by voters in his first year of eligibility in 2021, Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion DeMarcus Ware has once again been nominated as a modern-era candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Ware is among 11 former Broncos who were nominated this week, the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday. Five players who won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s headline the list: wide receiver Rod Smith, center Tom Nalen, kicker Jason Elam, guard Mark Schlereth and defensive lineman Neil Smith.

Some of those players had longer tenures with the Broncos than Ware, but he is arguably the team’s most accomplished candidate, and he’s probably the most likely to reach the Hall of Fame first.

Denver also had former linebackers Al Wilson and Seth Joyner, wide receiver Wes Welker, defensive lineman Simeon Rice and cornerback Dre’ Bly nominated for the 2023 Hall of Fame class.

Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar was snubbed as a senior candidate this year, as were Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves as coach candidates. Denver hasn’t gotten the love it deserves from Hall of Fame voters historically, but Ware should be a strong candidate for the 2023 class.

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Broncos greats Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves snubbed by Hall of Fame voters

Don Coryell has been chosen over Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves as the coach/contributor finalist for the 2023 class.

Former Denver Broncos coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves have been snubbed by Pro Football Hall of Fame voters once again.

Shanahan and Reeves were both candidates for the 2023 class in the coach/contributor category, but voters instead chose former Cardinals/Chargers coach Don Coryell as the lone finalist.

Shanahan won Super Bowl XXIX as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers before going on to later win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII as a head coach with the Broncos. He is a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame, and elements of the “Shanahan offense” are still seen across the NFL today.

The late Reeves won Super Bowl VI as a player with the Dallas Cowboys and later won Super Bowl XII as an assistant coach in Dallas. He went on to reach four Super Bowls as a head coach in the NFL — three with Denver and one with the Atlanta Falcons. A two-time AP Coach of the Year and a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame, Reeves died in January at age 77.

Randy Gradishar, who anchored the team’s famous “Orange Crush” defense from 1974-1983, was also snubbed by voters as a senior candidate, so his overdue trip to Canton will have to wait at least one more year as well.

Hall of Fame voters will meet in January to determine the complete 2023 class, including 15 modern-era candidates. Broncos Super Bowl 50 champion DeMarcus Ware will likely be among the modern-era finalists.

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Broncos great Randy Gradishar snubbed by Hall of Fame voters once again

Randy Gradishar should already be in the Hall of Fame.

Pro Football Hall of Fame voters named three senior finalists for the 2023 class on Tuesday, and Denver Broncos great Randy Gradishar did not make the cut. Instead, the senior committee named Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley as the three senior finalists.

Gradishar will now have to wait at least another year before getting into Canton, with his already long overdue enshrinement delayed yet again.

Gradishar, 70, played for the Denver Broncos from 1974-1983, anchoring the team’s famous “Orange Crush” defense. Gradishar helped Denver reach the Super Bowl following the 1977 season, and he won Defensive Player of the Year honors one season later.

Gradishar totaled 2,049 tackles in 10 seasons, which still stand as a franchise record. He started 145 straight games, recording 20 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries, before retiring at age 31.

A seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, Gradishar is a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

The Broncos do have two former coaches — Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves — who are finalists for the 2023 Hall of Fame class. That will be announced Aug. 23, and the full 2023 class will be revealed before Super Bowl LVII.

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2 Giants among Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 finalists

Former New York Giants greats, Everson Walls and Dan Reeves, are among the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 finalists.

The New York Giants have two finalists in the running for the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Hall of Fame selection committee chooses between four to eight new members to join the greatest honor in football every year. Currently, the Giants have 18 members in the Hall of Fame which is tied for the third-most of any NFL franchise.

New York will now have the chance to raise that number this summer as Everson Walls and Dan Reeves were named finalists for this years class.

Walls, cornerback, played 13 seasons (1981-1993) in the NFL where he recorded 57 career interceptions. Throughout his career, he played for the Dallas Cowboys, Giants (where he won a Super Bowl), and the Cleveland Browns.

During his time with the Cowboys, Walls earned a PFWA All-Rookie Team honor, three First-Team All-Pro honors, four Pro Bowl trips, and an NFL record three seasons leading the league in interceptions.

This outstanding play combined with his help in the Giants’ second Super Bowl victory has cemented Walls as one of the better cornerbacks in NFL history.

Reeves was a player, assistant coach, and head coach in the NFL from 1965 to 2003. He sadly passed away in January of 2022 but is survived by his three children, six grandchildren, and his outstanding career in pro football.

Similar to Walls, Reeves began his career in the NFL with the Cowboys as a running back. There he set two franchise records at the time: most all-purpose touchdowns in a season (16), and most scrimmage touchdowns in a game (four).

After eight seasons in the NFL, Reeves retired to become an assistant coach for the Cowboys. He finished his playing career with 3,683 scrimmage yards, 40 touchdowns, and a Super Bowl VI championship.

Reeves spent time as an assistant coach for Dallas from 1972 to 1980 (while taking the 1973 season off) where he would also win another Super Bowl. He then went on to become the youngest head coach in the NFL in 1981 when he would take the position of vice president and head coach of the Denver Broncos. There he earned a record of 110-73-1 making six playoffs and two Super Bowl trips which earned him a nomination to the Broncos Ring of Fame.

Reeves would then go on to coach the Giants from 1993-1996 where he won Coach of the Year in 1993. He would finish his coaching stint with the Giants with a 31-33 record with one playoff appearance.

Reeves would finish out his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons from 1997-2003 where he won the 1998 NFL Coach of the Year award and the 1999 George Halas Award while making two playoff appearances including one Super Bowl.

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3 former Broncos named finalists for 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Congrats to Broncos greats Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves and Randy Gradishar for being named finalists for the 2023 Hall of Fame class!

A trio of Denver Broncos greats are now one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves have been named among 12 finalists for the 2023 class in the coach category. Former linebacker Randy Gradishar has also been named a finalist among the 12 senior candidates.

The late Reeves won a Super Bowl as a player with the Dallas Cowboys and then won a second title as an assistant coach with Dallas. He later went on to reach four more Super Bowls as a head coach, including three appearances with the Broncos.

Shanahan won a title as an assitant with the San Francisco 49ers before going on to win a pair of Super Bowls as a head coach with Denver in the 1990s. Elements of his offense are still seen across the NFL today.

Gradishar anchored the Broncos’ famous “Orange Crush” defense in the 1970s, earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1978. A seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, Gradishar helped Denver reach the Super Bowl in 1977 and he’s now a member of the team’s Ring of Fame.

Up to three finalists from the senior pool will be chosen on Aug. 16, followed by one coach or contributor being chosen on Aug. 23. The full 2023 Hall of Fame class will be announced before the Super Bowl next year.

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Washington Super Bowl Coach stands alone

As Sean McVay and Zac Taylor look to win their first Super Bowl Sunday, we shall never forget Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

How is it that one coach stands out in contrast to all Super Bowl champion coaches?

Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with Bart Starr as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback. Don Shula and Miami won two with Bob Griese. Tom Landry steered Dallas to two Super Bowl trophies with Roger Staubach at the helm. Chuck Noll and the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s with Terry Bradshaw behind center.

Tom Flores and the Raiders won two with Jim Plunkett as the leader of the offense. Bill Walsh was the head coach with Joe Montana the field general for three Super Bowl crowns for the 49ers. The 49ers won two more with head coach George Seifert coaching and Montana and Steve Young as signal-callers.

Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer both coached the Cowboys to Super Bowl rings with Troy Aikman taking the snaps from center. Denver’s Mike Shanahan as head coach and John Elway in the pocket for the Broncos won it all twice.

Tom Coughlin’s NY Giants took the crown twice with Eli Manning the on-field general. Last but certainly not least, New England’s Bill Belichick won six rings with Tom Brady as the quarterback.

Seifert is the only one above to win a second Super Bowl with a second quarterback (Montana and Young).

There is also Marv Levy and the Bills who went to multiple Super Bowls with Jim Kelly under center — and lost. Likewise, Dan Reeves led Elway and the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances — they also lost all three.

Yet, there is one other coach to win more than multiple Super Bowls with more than one quarterback, Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs not only won more than one Super Bowl with more than one quarterback, he accomplished the feat three times!

Gibbs led Washington to Super Bowl trophies with Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien winning Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI.

Starr, Griese, Staubach, Bradshaw, Montana, Young, Aikman and Elway are already in the Hall of Fame. Without question Brady will be in the HOF and Eli Manning a 2-time SB MVP is likely to be elected to the HOF. Only Jim Plunkett is likely to not make the HOF.

By contrast, Theismann was only an All-Pro once (1983), and Williams and Rypien were never All-Pro. Rypien had a great year only in 1991. Williams though never even a pro-bowler, was a veteran leader and had huge moments like the playoff win at Chicago (1987) and a nearly perfect 2nd quarter in Super Bowl XXII, earning the MVP.

Joe Gibbs is distinctive among Super Bowl coaches with multiple wins, doing so with three non-Hall of Fame quarterbacks.  Hats off to Coach Joe, who is remarkably now age 81. The Washington franchise and fans were certainly blessed to have enjoyed Joe Jackson Gibbs as head coach.

John Elway calls for late coach Dan Reeves to get Hall of Fame nod

“What he’s been able to do — taking two different teams to four Super Bowls and going to nine Super Bowls overall — is incredible,” John Elway said of Dan Reeves.

Following the death of former NFL coach Dan Reeves on Saturday, Denver Broncos president of football operations John Elway released the following statement on his Twitter page:

The football world lost a heckuva coach and man today in Dan Reeves.

Dan was a winner. I owe a lot to him — he was instrumental in my career and growth as a quarterback. We were able to win a lot of football games together, going to three Super Bowls and competing every single year at a high level.

With Dan, you knew you were going to be in every game. You always had a chance with him on your sideline. As the head coach, Dan was tough but fair. I respected him for that. We may not have always seen eye to eye, but the bottom line is we won a lot of games together. Looking back, what I appreciate about Dan is how he gradually brought me along to help me reach my potential.

When you look at all Dan did in this league with all the success, all the Super Bowls and all the wins, I don’t think there is any question he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What he’s been able to do — taking two different teams to four Super Bowls and going to nine Super Bowls overall — is incredible. That speaks for just how far-reaching his impact was throughout this league not only as a coach but also what he did as a player.

My heart goes out to Pam, their kids and the entire Reeves family. I am grateful for Dan and know that his legacy in this game will continue to live on.

Reeves’ nine Super Bowl appearances trail only Bill Belichick (12) and Tom Brady (10) in NFL history. A two-time AP Coach of the Year and a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame, Reeves is the only head coach who reached four Super Bowls not yet in the Hall of Fame.

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Dan Reeves ‘set the foundation for the Broncos’ decade of dominance’

“One of the winningest coaches in NFL history, Coach Reeves set the foundation for the Broncos’ decade of dominance in the 1980s and championship tradition for years to come.”

After former NFL coach Dan Reeves died on Saturday at age 77, the Denver Broncos released the following statement.

The Denver Broncos are deeply saddened by the loss of legendary Head Coach Dan Reeves, who passed away this morning at age 77 at home in Atlanta.

One of the winningest coaches in NFL history, Coach Reeves set the foundation for the Broncos’ decade of dominance in the 1980s and championship tradition for years to come.

A 2014 Broncos Ring of Fame inductee, Reeves led the Broncos as head coach from 1981-92 and was instrumental in the franchise becoming a perennial contender. With competitiveness, consistency and a style all his own, he guided the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances, five AFC West titles and six playoff berths.

The only coach to lead an AFC team to three Super Bowls in the 1980s, Reeves captured the AFC Championship three times in a four-year period from 1986-89. He led Denver to appearances in Super Bowl XXI (1986 season), XXII (1987) and XXIV (1989), ushering in a new era of Broncos football on the national stage.

Reeves coached the Broncos with integrity, character and toughness along with sincere appreciation for his players and coaches. His time with the Broncos was part of a remarkable 39-year career in professional football in which he appeared in the Super Bowl an astonishing nine times as a player or coach.

Our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to Dan’s wife and high school sweetheart, Pam; his children Dana, Lee and Laura; his grandchildren and great grandchildren; and the entire Reeves family.

Reeves’ nine Super Bowl appearances are the third-most in NFL history, trailing only Bill Belichick (12) and Tom Brady (10). The late coach will be honored by the Broncos during their season finale on Saturday.

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