ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Three former Broncos’ Hall of Fame dreams are moving to the next step this year.
Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar and former head coaches Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan are among the 24 finalists from the Seniors Committee and Coach/Contributors Committee (12 from each) for consideration to be part of the Class of 2023.
Gradishar, who was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, is seeking his fourth year as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he was a Modern-Era finalist twice and a Senior finalist for the 2020 Centennial Class.
During the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s, Gradishar roamed the field as the heart of the Orange Crush defense that led Denver to its first Super Bowl. He was an instinctive tackling machine, and there was perhaps no better linebacker where it mattered most in that era: at the goal line or in short yardage.
“He had a nose for the ball, could play the run as well as the pass and played angles better than anyone who played the game,” Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Joe DeLamielleure said in 2003. “In short yardage, he made the Broncos the best in that category in the ’70s and ’80s. I could not believe it when he retired in 1983 because he was still at the top of his game, and in my opinion getting even better. I also find it unbelievable that Randy Gradishar is not in the Hall of Fame.”
Reeves, inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 2014, led the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s, pushing the franchise to new heights. Paired with a franchise quarterback in John Elway, the longtime Broncos coach won 117 regular-season and playoff games combined. Only twice during his time in Denver did a team coached by Reeves fail to reach .500.
Overall, Reeves was twice named AP NFL Coach of the Year and won 201 total games. He also led a lengthy playing career prior to his coaching days; he appeared in 100 games for the Cowboys, won two Super Bowls for Dallas (including one as…
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