Tag: Steve Atwater

Peyton Manning and Steve Atwater likely to enter Hall of Fame together

Broncos greats Peyton Manning and Steve Atwater will likely enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame together in 2021.

Broncos legendary safety Steve Atwater won’t be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer because of COVID-19.

Instead, the ceremony for the 2020 class will be pushed to 2021. Next year, the Hall of Fame will have two classes enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

That means Denver will likely be represented by two players during Hall of Fame Week (Aug. 5-9) — Atwater and former quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning, who retired after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos in 2016, will become eligible in 2021. He is a lock to be voted in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Atwater and Manning will become the seventh and eighth Denver players to enter the Hall of Fame, joining quarterback John Elway, running back Floyd Little, tight end Shannon Sharpe, offensive lineman Gary Zimmerman, running back Terrell Davis and cornerback Champ Bailey.

Broncos late owner Pat Bowlen was also voted into Canton last year. To view a list of all the Hall of Famers connected to Denver, click here.

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Steve Atwater won’t be enshrined in Hall of Fame until 2021

Broncos legend Steve Atwater won’t be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame until 2021.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday that this year’s Hall of Fame Game has been canceled and the 2020 enshrinement ceremony has been pushed back until 2021 due to COVID-19.

That means former Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater won’t be enshrined in Canton, Ohio until next year. He will likely be joined by former quarterback Peyton Manning, who becomes Hall of Fame eligible in 2021.

The 2020 class will be enshrined alongside the 2021 class on Aug. 5-9.

“The health and safety of our Hall of Famers, fans and volunteers who make Enshrinement Week so special remains our top priority,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president ad CEO David Baker said in a statement.

“The Hall will honor the Centennial Class of 2020 next August, along with what promises to be an equally spectacular Class of 2021, as part of a multi-day celebration of football with an atmosphere that will deliver for fans ‘Twice the Fun in ’21.’”

Fans who bought tickets for the 2020 Hall of Fame Game can either use them in 2021 or apply for a refund.

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Steve Atwater honored to join late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen in Hall of Fame

“He wasn’t just the owner of the team,” Atwater said of Bowlen. “He was a friend, like a mentor and like a father-figure.”

Former Broncos defensive backs Champ Bailey and Steve Atwater — two of late owner Pat Bowlen’s favorite players — reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame in back-to-back years. Bowlen was also voted into the Hall of Fame last year but he died before the induction ceremony.

After he was voted into the Hall of Fame earlier this month, Atwater was asked how special it was to share a place in Canton with Bailey and Bowlen.

“It really means a lot,” a tearful Atwater said on Feb. 6. “Mr. Bowlen was a great man. I learned a lot from him just how he interacted with people and how he never wanted the limelight. He always wanted his guys — he’d always put us up there. When he got it last year, I was hoping that he would make it to the ceremony, but obviously he didn’t.

“I was just thinking about how nice it would have been to be able to hoist him on our shoulders and carry him into the Hall of Fame on our shoulders. He would be, ‘No, put me down. Put me down! I don’t want to get this attention.’ ‘Nope, it’s your day. It’s your day, Mr. B.’ It’s definitely going to be special to have a bust in there next to Mr. Bowlen.”

Bowlen served as the team’s majority owner from 1984-2019. He had a positive influence on Atwater and many other Broncos players.

“He’s a great man that I try to live by some of his principles,” Atwater said. “Like I said, he wasn’t just the owner of the team. He was a friend, like a mentor and like a father-figure wrapped up into one. He was a great guy. It will be an honor.”

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Steve Atwater appreciates Ed Reed’s support for Hall of Fame candidacy

Broncos legend Steve Atwater appreciates the support Ed Reed gave his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Broncos legend Steve Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last week. He should have gotten into Canton years ago but it’s good to see that the voters finally got it right.

Last year, former Ravens safety Ed Reed said he’d rather give his spot in the Hall of Fame to Atwater than get in with Atwater being left out. During a press conference last week, Atwater expressed his gratitude for Reed’s remarks.

“It really meant a lot to know that a player of his caliber — he’s an amazing player — thought that much of me to say something that kind,” Atwater said. “And I told him when I saw him, I was like, ‘You don’t really have to say that.’

“But I really appreciated it because I think some of the voters may have said, ‘Wow we really have to kind of take a look at Steve if a lot of these younger guys say they looked up to him and they want him to be in the Hall of Fame. How can he not be in here and we have a lot of other guys?’”

Atwater played from 1989-1998 and earned eight Pro Bowl nods, winning two Super Bowls. Reed grew up watching him and played in the NFL from 2002-2013, earning nine Pro Bowl selections and winning one Super Bowl.

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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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Dennis Smith will present Steve Atwater at Hall of Fame ceremony

Dennis Smith will serve at Steve Atwater’s presenter during the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Dennis Smith was an established veteran with two Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections when the Broncos drafted Steve Atwater in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft. Smith quickly became a mentor for Atwater and the two safeties became one of the best DB duos in the NFL.

Smith and Atwater combined to record 54 interceptions and 20 sacks during their careers, earning 14 Pro Bowl selections along the way. Both players are now in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

After being voted into to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last week, Atwater revealed during a press conference Thursday that Smith will serve as his presenter in Canton, Ohio next summer.

“Dennis was the guy I had in my mind all along just because when I came into the league, he really spent a lot of time getting me up to speed and sharing things with me as a player that I never would have known,” Atwater said. “How to go about the game, the right mindset to have, and then just watching him play.

“Seeing how fast he played and how fearless he was when he went in to make tackles or make an interception when he covered one on one. He was great in man-to-man coverage, too. He played some slot corner for a while as a 6-3, 205-pound safety. That takes some skills to do that.”

Atwater is the eighth Bronco to enter the Hall of Fame and he hopes that Smith will one day join him. If not for Smith, Atwater might not be Canton-bound himself.

“I just learned so much from him,” Atwater said. “It’s a small way for me to say thank you for how much time he spent getting me up to speed and inspiring me. Just watching him play, it was inspiring.”

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Broncos legend Steve Atwater looks back on famous hit on Christian Okoye

During the 1990 NFL season, Broncos safety Steve Atwater delivered a massive hit on Chiefs running back Christian Okoye.

(via NFL)

After he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, former Broncos safety Steve Atwater was asked about the most famous play of his career: a massive hit on ex-Chiefs running back Christian Okoye on “Monday Night Football” during the 1990 NFL season.

“That story may have to come up a little more now,” Atwater said on Feb. 1. “It was again I think inspired by [former teammate] Dennis Smith. He was my guy, my strong safety. In meetings we’d just look at film and talk about how we were going to attack him. Fortunately, I had the opportunity and it turned out well.

“I’ve been in other games with some guys who probably weren’t as big as Christian Okoye was, but I’d go up and hit them and they got me — they get the best of me. Definitely, the timing was right and I was fortunate I came out on the good side of that.”

Okoye was listed as 253 pounds during his playing days, 33 pounds more than Atwater’s listed weight. That didn’t stop the safety from delivering a massive hit on the running back that would have gone viral in today’s social media age. It was one of the most memorable hits in NFL history.

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Steve Atwater hopes Randy Gradishar will join him in Hall of Fame

Broncos legend Steve Atwater wants to see Randy Gradishar join him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After retired safety Steve Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, he spoke with media members in Miami about his career and who he hopes will join him in Canton.

“I’m hoping Randy Gradishar of course can get in,” Atwater said, via a quote sheet from the Broncos. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are on the slate. Karl [Mecklenburg] probably be in the seniors pool. Of course, Dennis Smith — hopefully in the future we can get more guys in. I think it certainly helps to have more guys in than with fewer.”

Of the three players Atwater mentioned, Gradishar is likely the most notable candidate for the Hall of Fame. He was a “Centennial Slate” finalist this year but was not among the 10 senior players voted into the Hall of Fame.

Gradishar was a key member of the Broncos’ defense from 1974–1983. During that time, Gradishar earned seven Pro Bowl nods and Defensive Player of the Year honors (1978). He helped Denver’s famous “Orange Crush” defense lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl in 1977 and he is a member of the team’s Ring of Fame.

Atwater is right — Gradishar belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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It’s about time Steve Atwater made the Hall of Fame

Steve Atwater wasn’t known for this time with the Jets but still had a long and fruitful career in the defensive backfield.

It took 16 years, but “The Smiling Assassin” will finally grin forever in Canton.

Steve Atwater, the former Broncos and Jets safety, joined the class of 2020 as a Pro Football Hall of Famer 21 years after he retired from the league. Atwater made his hay as one of the hardest hitting safeties of the 1990s, terrifying offenses at the line of scrimmage and stopping even the mightiest of running backs.

Though he only played one nondescript season with the Jets, Atwater rightfully deserved the Hall of Fame induction after 16 years of eligibility and three as a finalist. Atwater retired the year after he signed with the Jets as a free agent in 1999, a season in which he only played 12 games and tallied just 63 total tackles and one forced fumble.

Atwater didn’t bring pain and terror to the Jets defense, but he racked up stats and accolades during his 10-year career with the Broncos. He earned eight Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections, won two Super Bowls and registered 1,000 tackles, 24 interceptions, five sacks, five forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

The Broncos used Atwater the way a lot of big-bodied safeties play now – at the line of scrimmage. There, he crushed running backs and played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ run defense. Two moments encapsulate Atwater’s career: His devastating hit on Chiefs running back Christian Okoye and his dominating performance in Super Bowl XXXII.

Atwater somehow derailed Okoye in Week 2 of the 1990 season, a feat now many could accomplish given Okoye’s 6-foot-1, 260-pound frame. At 6-foot-3, 218 pounds, Atwater proved himself up to the task. Atwater played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ first of two consecutive Super Bowl wins. He terrorized the Green Bay Packers offense in Super Bowl XXXII with six solo tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. 

Once his career concluded in Denver, Atwater joined the Bill Parcells-led Jets in 1999. Atwater played alongside Victor Green in the deep secondary with cornerbacks Marcus Coleman and Aaron Glen on the outside. The Jets went 8-8 in Parcells’ first year in New York and Atwater finished sixth on the team in total tackles with 63.

Atwater paved the way for safeties like Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins and Landon Collins to become staples of the defenses as imposing defensive backs. He won’t be remembered for his time with the Jets, but Atwater’s career as a whole certainly deserved Hall of Fame recognition.

John Elway, Joe Ellis comment on Steve Atwater’s Hall of Fame nod

Broncos legend Steve Atwater is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

Former Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. After news of Atwater’s Hall of Fame nod broke, team president/CEO Joe Ellis released the following statement:

This is a great day for Steve, the Broncos and all our fans. Steve was a dominant safety who changed the game as one of the most-feared players of his generation. With as modest and humble as Steve is, you would never know about all of his Pro Bowls, Super Bowls and many other accolades. He’s just an unbelievable ambassador for our team and league.

We congratulate Steve on his well-deserved election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I also want to thank and recognize Jeff Legwold and the selection committee as well as our fans, who have been so supportive of Steve’s Hall of Fame credentials.

Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway also released a statement:

 

A two-time Super Bowl champion and eight-time Pro Bowler, Atwater is the eighth former Bronco to enter Canton, joining Elway, running back Floyd Little, tight end Shannon Sharpe, offensive lineman Gary Zimmerman, running back Terrell Davis, cornerback Champ Bailey and late club owner Pat Bowlen in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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