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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