Tag: Orange Crush

Randy Gradishar speaks on the personal significance of 2024 Enshrinement Week

Denver Broncos legend Randy Gradishar is anxiously awaiting his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Denver Bronco and current Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Randy Gradishar recently spoke out about the significance of the 2024 Enshrinement Week on deck in Canton.

“It’s very exciting for sure,” Gradishar told media members in Denver earlier this week. “I’m very nervous and just getting ready from getting there — we’ll be leaving on Wednesday. Once we’re there, they [have] you going 12, 14 hours a day doing all kinds of different things. Getting ready for the game, getting ready for your speech and all those kinds of different things along with trying to say hello to some of your friends and family.

“It’s going to be an exciting time and it’s exciting for me because I’m from the area — born and raised in Warren Champion, Ohio, which is about 40 miles from Akron and Canton. I always passed it when I went down to Ohio State. I always went through Akron and Canton. [I’m] looking forward to that and looking forward to finding out how many more Buckeyes are still there.”

Gradishar hung up his cleats in 1983, and he had a long wait to reach Canton. Fittingly, the number of years he waited to reach the Hall of Fame have a connection to his jersey number.

“I asked the Lord — I said why does it take 35 years for this, and I turned it around and it was ‘53,’ my number,” Gradishar said. “It took 35 years for whatever reason in order for me to be chosen to come into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Prior to his election, Gradishar’s Hall of Fame resume was reminiscent of several current Hall of Famers, such as Chuck Bednarik, Dick Butkus, Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis.

Gradishar is the first member of the famed “Orange Crush” defense of the late 1970s to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Gradishar shared his elation that he was the first member of the unit to be inducted, and the hope that others will follow.

“Finally, the ‘Orange Crush’ is being recognized and I hope through my induction that other guys here in the near future — their names will be coming up and they will be able to have the opportunity to possibly be nominated and come in as a part of that ‘Orange Crush’ defense.”

Gradishar will be presented by fellow Broncos Ring of Famer Tom Jackson.

The Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will take place on Aug. 3.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton recalls the famous ‘Orange Crush’ defense

“You get the right talent, and the right coaching and you end up having something,” Sean Payton said of Joe Collier’s “Orange Crush” squad.

The Denver Broncos elected safety Steve Foley and tight end Riley Odoms to their Ring of Fame last week. Foley and Odoms played during the “Orange Crush” era in Denver, helping the team reach their first Super Bowl in 1977.

Foley played under late defensive coordinator Joe Collier, the mastermind behind the “Orange Crush” squad that produced six Ring of Famers (and a Pro Football Hall of Famer in linebacker Randy Gradishar).

After a practice session last week, current Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about his memories of the team’s “Orange Crush” era.

“There were so many different names,” Payton said. “Back then the one challenge was what you were served television-wise. You didn’t have access like we do today. Depending on where you lived, you might just get the Monday Night Football highlights from Howard Cosell. You didn’t have the ESPN rundown, or Red Zone or pay per view. So there was a stretch where there were eight or 10 defenses that got nicknames. That was one of the early teams that had a nickname.

“I don’t know where they sat relative to the ‘Purple People Eaters.’ There were a handful of teams where defenses got nicknames. Obviously they played out of an Okie front. Collier was so far… When you listen to [Bill] Belichick and [Bill] Parcells and coaches that we know of today talk about his impact as a defensive coach, you get the right talent, and the right coaching and you end up having something.”

Foley, the team’s all-time leaders in interceptions, joins Louis Wright, Tom Jackson, Billy Thompson, Paul Smith and Gradishar as the sixth member of that 1970s defense that Collier put on the map. It’s a well-deserved honor for Foley and the entire “Orange Crush” squad.

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Broncos’ Orange Crush-inspired throwback uniforms are a big hit

The Broncos have unveiled 1977-inspired throwback uniforms and they are absolutely beautiful.

The Denver Broncos unveiled new primary (and alternate) uniforms on Monday that have been met with mixed reviews. There are vocal fans on social media who strongly dislike the new look, but there are also fans who view it as a big improvement on the previous threads.

While there’s not a strong consensus on the primary uniforms, the Orange Crush-inspired throwback look has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from both fans and pundits.

Here’s the club’s description of the new throwback, courtesy of a press release from the team:

Honoring the Orange Crush era and the 1977 season when the Broncos made their first Super Bowl appearance, the throwback closet features the iconic Legacy Blue ‘D’ helmet and orange uniforms adapted to Nike’s current chassis with peak performance fabric.

Helmet: The Legacy Blue shell pairs with a white facemask and vertical orange stripe. The fan-favorite and iconic Denver ‘D’ logo originally introduced in 1968 will return to the Broncos’ uniform closet rotation for the first time on a Legacy Blue helmet since 1996.

Jersey: The classic orange jersey features oversized white numbers with Legacy Blue trim on the front, back and top of the shoulders. A sleeve stripe sits at the shoulder mirroring the Legacy Blue trim from the numbers.

Pants: The white pants include an orange and Legacy Blue stripe down the length of the pants.

Socks: The socks include orange and Legacy Blue bands that align with the stripes of the jerseys and pants.

The Broncos unveiled the uniform on Monday with a video showing Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar handing off an Orange Crush-era helmet to star cornerback Pat Surtain.

Denver called it a “blast from the past” on social media:

The Broncos can wear alternate/throwback uniforms up to three times per season. It seems safe to say fans in Denver will be excited every time this look is pulled out of the closet.

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Tom Jackson will present Randy Gradishar at Hall of Fame induction

Former Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson will present Randy Gradishar at his Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony in August.

When it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the inductee’s speech itself becomes secondary, after choosing the person who will present them prior to their bust unveiling.

This time around, the “Orange Crush” defensive anchorman, Randy Gradishar, has chosen former Denver Bronco linebacker and Ring of Famer Tom Jackson to present him.

Jackson and Gradishar were Broncos teammates from 1973-1983, and recently, Jackson has become a major voice for Gradishar’s induction.

It has been a special time for former Broncos defensive members. Gradishar received “The Knock” from fellow Hall of Fame defensive star Steve Atwater, who was enshrined in Canton in 2021 (as part of the delayed 2020 class).

Gradishar is the latest, but hopefully not last, Bronco to be inducted into the halls of Canton.

Here are the previous presenters from other Denver Hall of Famers:

  • John Lynch – Jake Lynch, son and Herm Edwards, coach
  • Peyton Manning – Archie Manning, father
  • Steve Atwater – Dennis Smith, Broncos teammate
  • Champ Bailey – Jack Reale, Champ’s agent
  • Pat Bowlen – Steve “Greek” Antonopulos, longtime Broncos trainer
  • Brian Dawkins – Troy Vincent, friend and former teammate
  • Terrell Davis – Neil Schwartz, Terrell’s agent & friend
  • Shannon Sharpe — Sterling Sharpe, Shannon’s brother & former Green Bay Packers wide receiver
  • Floyd Little  — Marc Little, Floyd’s son
  • Gary Zimmerman — Pat Bowlen, Denver Broncos President & CEO
  • John Elway — Jessica Elway, John’s daughter

The 2024 class will be enshrined in Canton on Saturday, Aug. 3.

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Steve Atwater makes the case for more Broncos to reach Hall of Fame

“How could they have not one person in the Pro Football Hall of Fame [from the Orange Crush defense]?” Steve Atwater asked.

After former safety Steve Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last week, the Denver Broncos now have seven players and late owner Pat Bowlen representing them in Canton, Ohio.

For a team that has been to eight Super Bowls, the Broncos seem to be underrepresented in the Hall of Fame. That’s something that Atwater hopes will soon change.

“We have a lot of guys that we need to see go in,” Atwater said during a press conference Thursday. “Randy Gradishar, Karl Mecklenburg, Dennis Smith, John Lynch — hopefully next year — Peyton Manning — hopefully next year — Rod Smith. This franchise has unfortunately been overlooked for many years and fortunately, we’ve gotten some players in in the last several years, but we have to keep it going . . . .

“We still are, I think, very much underrepresented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the history that we’ve had here with the organization, with the winning ways we’ve had, that Orange Crush defense. How could they have not one person in the Pro Football Hall of Fame [from the Orange Crush defense]? To this day I just cannot understand that. Hopefully in the coming years that will be taken care of and we can get some guys in there.”

The most notable members from the Orange Crush defense that are not in Canton are Gradishar and Mecklenburg. Both of them have strong cases for the Hall of Fame, particularly Gradishar.

With several Broncos getting in over the last few years, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before Gradishar makes it himself. The momentum seems to be building, just as it did for Atwater over the last several voting cycles.

Denver should be sending more players to Canton in the coming years.

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