Tag: Ring of Fame

Broncos won’t add any players to Ring of Fame in 2023

The Broncos won’t add any players to the Ring of Fame this year, but Super Bowl 50 champ DeMarcus Ware will be honored in Week 2.

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In a somewhat surprising move, the Denver Broncos announced they won’t add a Ring of Fame member in 2023, per Mike Klis. There was no honoree in 2022, either.

Part of the reason is that the team is in the process of a $100 million stadium renovation that has been ongoing during the offseason.

The Broncos will honor Super Bowl 50 champion DeMarcus Ware in Week 2, perhaps somewhat in place of a traditional Ring of Fame ceremony. Despite winning a championship in Denver, Ware is not eligible for the team’s Ring of Fame because he only played with the team for three seasons (the ROF minimum is four years).

The last Bronco to be honored in the Ring of Fame was Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning in 2021. When Klis mentioned the news about the Ring of Fame and announced the new committee, he also spoke of future Ring of Fame candidates. Among the candidates Klis offered were the late Demaryius Thomas, Steve Foley (the franchise leader in interceptions) and former head coach Gary Kubiak.

Denver first debuted the Ring of Fame in 1984, with safety Austin “Goose” Gonsoulin as the first honoree in franchise history. Earlier this week, the Broncos announced the passing of Ring of Fame kicker Jim Turner.

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Legendary Washington defensive lineman Dave Butz dies at 72

Dave Butz is one of the greatest defensive players in franchise history.

Former Washington defensive lineman Dave Butz died Friday. He was 72.

Butz came to Washington in 1975 after spending the first two seasons of his NFL career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Butz would spend the final 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Redskins.

The former No. 5 overall pick in the 1973 NFL draft finished his career with 64 sacks. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion with Washington, first-team All-Pro [1983] and second-team All-Pro [1984]. He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1984. Butz’s most significant individual accomplishment was being named to the 1980s NFL All-Decade team.

Butz is in the Washington Ring of Fame and is also named as one of the “90 greatest” in franchise history.

Two things stood out immediately when seeing Butz: his size [6-foot-8, 295] and his helmet.

Butz played in 216 career NFL games, and considering the position he played, that’s an amazing accomplishment. He only missed four games during his 16-year NFL career. He retired after the 1988 season when he was 38. He was the oldest position player in the NFL at the time of his retirement.

The Washington Commanders released the following statement on social media.

We’re heartbroken over the loss of Washington Legend Dave Butz, a 2x Super Bowl champion and member of our Ring of Fame and 90 Greatest list. Sending our deepest condolences to Dave’s family and friends.

We’ll have more on the life and career of Dave Butz.

 

Remembering Washington great Sean Taylor on his birthday

Remembering the legendary Sean Taylor on what would’ve been his 39th birthday.

Legendary former Washington safety Sean Taylor would have turned 39 years old on April 1.

Every year, April 1 is an important day for Washington football fans. Whether the franchise is called the Redskins, Football Team, or Commanders, one thing all present and former Washington fans can agree on is honoring the star football player who was taken from the world far too soon.

Taylor was shot in his home protecting his family on Nov. 26, 2007, and died one day later.

Through his four seasons in the NFL, Taylor started all 55 games he played in, recording 299 tackles, 12 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and two sacks. Taylor was named to the Pro Bowl twice and was a second-team All-Pro in 2007.

Taylor was named one of the franchise’s 80 greatest players, is in the Ring of Fame and had his No. 21 jersey retired last season. Taylor is one of only three players to have their jerseys officially retired, joining Sammy Baugh and Bobby Mitchell.

The Washington Commanders honored Taylor with tributes from fans and former teammates on Friday. Fans and media members took to Twitter to remember Taylor.

You can head over to commandlegacy.com to submit your favorite Taylor story.

Here are a few of the tributes and remembrances across Twitter Friday.

Broncos will honor Peyton Manning during Sunday’s game vs. Washington

Peyton Manning, the GOAT!

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The Denver Broncos will honor former quarterback Peyton Manning during pregame on Sunday and again at halftime of their contest against the Washington Football Team in Week 8.

First, the team will unveil Manning’s new Ring of Fame pillar at 12:30 p.m. MT (fans are welcomed to attend). Then, at halftime, Manning will will address the stadium after receiving his Ring of Fame ring.

In addition to being honored for his Ring of Fame selection, Manning will also be recognized for being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“He’s just a great guy,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Thursday. “Obviously, everybody knows about his football exploits, but [he’s] a great person. I feel honored to be able to call him a friend.”

Manning played four seasons in Denver from 2012-2015. The Broncos won the AFC West in all four seasons, reaching the Super Bowl twice. Manning retired from the NFL after winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

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Twitter reacts to Mike Shanahan reaching Broncos’ Ring of Fame

Here’s how Twitter reacted when Mike Shanahan was elected to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

The Denver Broncos announced Tuesday that former coach Mike Shanahan has been elected to the team’s Ring of Fame. Here’s a sampling of how Twitter reacted to the news:

As many pundits noted, a Hall of Fame nod might be next for Shanahan.

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Joe Ellis comments on Broncos adding Mike Shanahan to Ring of Fame

The Broncos elected former coach Mike Shanahan to their Ring of Fame. Here’s a statement from president/CEO Joe Ellis following the news.

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Mike Shanahan has been elected as the 34th member of the Denver Broncos’ Ring of Fame, the team announced Tuesday. Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s, is the third coach to be voted into the Ring of Fame, joining Dan Reeves and Red Miller.

Joe Ellis, the Broncos’ president and CEO, released the following statement after the news broke on Tuesday:

Mike Shanahan is the greatest coach in Denver Broncos history and among the winningest coaches of all-time. He brought an unmatched standard and intensity as head coach, leading this franchise to its first two Super Bowl wins and building the Broncos into perennial contenders. Few coaches have had more of an impact with one organization — as both a head coach and assistant — than Mike Shanahan over the course of his two decades with the Broncos.

We are thrilled that Mike has now been elected to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Although postponing his induction was a difficult decision, he deserves a full celebration in front of all of our fans and distinguished alumni. Along with our fans, we can’t wait to honor Coach Shanahan during our Ring of Fame and alumni weekend in 2021.

Because of COVID-19, Shanahan will not be formally inducted into the Ring of Fame until next year. Shanahan is the all-time leader in franchise wins (138), postseason victories (eight) and Super Bowl wins (two).

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John Lynch is now a seven-time Hall of Fame finalist

Seventh time is a charm, right? For Tampa Bay Buccaneers great John Lynch, it might finally be his year to get that elusive gold jacket. Lynch was drafted as the 82nd overall pick (third round) in 1993 by the Buccaneers out of Stanford. Just a year …

Seventh time is a charm, right? For Tampa Bay Buccaneers great John Lynch, it might finally be his year to get that elusive gold jacket.

Lynch was drafted as the 82nd overall pick (third round) in 1993 by the Buccaneers out of Stanford. Just a year prior, the Florida Marlins also drafted Lynch as a pitcher with the 66th overall pick (second round) but he ultimately chose football as his career going forward, and it’s safe to say that both he and the Bucs are happy he went that route.

Throughout the first three seasons of his career, Lynch was mainly a backup safety, barring injury to the Bucs starters (Marty Carter 1993-94 and Barney Bussey 1995) despite flashing signs of the greatness that has Lynch as a seven-time finalist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In 1995, Lynch earned his first start for the Bucs against the Minnesota Vikings and made a tremendous impact with 11 tackles (six solo), two passes deflected and he picked off Vikings quarterback Warren Moon twice. It wasn’t until coaches Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin implemented the Tampa 2 defense that Lynch would wind up putting the entire league on notice that he was as a mainstay in the starting lineup as the Buccaneers strong safety.

While his numbers may not show the flashy appeal that some fans want to see when it comes to talking about all-time greats, Lynch possessed all of the intangibles that makes players great. Lynch played 11 seasons for the Buccaneers and four with the Denver Broncos.

Since 2017, Lynch has been the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, instilling the same intensity he played with into his team’s players and coaches, and rebuilt a franchise that saw a fall from grace since their 2012 visit to the Super Bowl. The 49ers earned a record of 13-3 this season, good enough for the best record in the NFC and a bye in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.

John Lynch Hall of Fame resume

  • 1059 combined tackles (727 solo, 319 assisted)
  • 16 Forced Fumbles
  • 26 Interceptions
  • 9x Pro Bowler (1997, 1999-2002, 2004-2007)
  • 2x NFL All-Pro First Team (1999 and 2000)
  • 2x NFL All-Pro Second Team (2001 and 2002)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor
  • Denver Broncos Ring of Fame

Buccaneers faithful, and Lynch himself, will find out February 1 if seventh time is the charm for him to join fellow Buccaneers Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Tony Dungy in the NFL Hall of Fame.

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Broncos finally work out Frank Tripucka’s grandson, punter Shane Tripucka

Denver worked out punter Shane Tripucka. He is the grandson of former AFL All-Star Frank Tripucka, a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

It’s about time.

Chris Tripucka, the son of former quarterback Frank Tripucka and father of punter Shane Tripucka, has been calling on the Broncos to give his son a tryout for months. He’s active on Twitter (@TXTrip17) and his request was finally granted this week.

The Broncos worked out Shane Tripucka and two other punters — Trevor Daniel and Ryan Anderson — this week, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Denver has been working out players who are candidates to sign “future contracts” at the end of the season.

Teams can have 90 players on the roster in the offseason and future deals are given out at the end of the season. Those contracts become official when the new league year begins in March. Players who are not on an active roster at the end of the year are eligible to sign future contracts.

Frank Tripucka was the Broncos’ quarterback for their first four seasons in the AFL (1960-63) and he earned AFL All-Star honors in 1960. Tripucka is a member of the team’s Ring of Fame and his No. 18 jersey is retired. Tripucka gave former quarterback Peyton Manning special permission to wear that number during his time in Denver.

Shane, Frank’s grandson, averaged 45.5 yards per punt during his senior year at Texas A&M in 2017. He went to training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 but is yet to punt in a regular-season game in the NFL.

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