KNOW YOUR 1980s DENVER BRONCOS

This week, #49, Dennis Smith.

The Broncos selected Dennis as their first round pick (15th overall) in the 1981 draft, and he went on to become one of the greatest safeties in team history.  Dennis became a starter in his second year and remained an anchor in the Broncos’ secondary until his retirement following the 1994 season.  He developed a reputation as an extremely hard hitter and was feared by all rational offensive players.  He was voted to six pro bowls and four all-pro teams during his career.  Dennis recorded over 1,000 tackles for the team, making him one of the all time team leaders (tackles were not officially or consistently recorded for most of his career).  He also is among the all-time team leaders in interceptions and fumble recoveries, and is behind only to John Elway, Jason Elam, and Tom Jackson in total number of games played for the Broncos.   Dennis was inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 2001. He’s also considered one of the great players in USC history, but I don’t hold that against him.

He played in Super Bowl XXI, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the New York Giants 39-20, Super Bowl XXII, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the Washington Native Americans 42-10, and Super Bowl XXIV, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10.

So what makes Dennis Smith so awesome?  Like his protege Steve Atwater, Dennis was a fantastic combination of power and speed that recent Broncos teams have sorely lacked.  Dennis also deserves Hall of Fame consideration, but has never seriously gotten it as a safety with low interception numbers playing for an unglamorous western team.  (Yes, I believe there is an East Coast bias in sports journalism.)  Further, he played his entire career with the Broncos and is one of the better options for defensive players to control in Tecmo Super Bowl.

These days, Dennis lives in southern California and owns several properties there.  In lieu of opposing running backs, he attacks the needs of children by donating his time and money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Covenant House.

KNOW YOUR 1980s DENVER BRONCOS

This week, #53, Randy Gradishar.

Drafted in the first round (14th overall) in 1974 by the Broncos, Randy rewarded the team’s high pick by becoming one of the greatest players in franchise history.  Randy became a starting linebacker during his first season with the team and by his second year had made enough of an impact to be named to the Pro Bowl.  By the late 1970s, the Broncos’ defense had become notoriously tough, earning the nickname The Orange Crush.  Randy was one of its most feared defenders, making three straight Pro Bowls from 1977-1979 (he would play in three more in the 1980s, for a total of seven appearances) and earning All Pro honors in 1977 and 1978.  In 1978 he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  Randy continued his stellar play through his the 1983 season, his tenth and final campaign.  He was inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 1989.  He’s also considered one of the greatest players in Ohio State University history, but I don’t hold that against him.

He played in Super Bowl XII, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the Dallas Cowboys 27-10. Note that his Orange Crush defense gave up fewer points than any of the 1980s Super Bowl teams did, by a significant margin.  So, they still lost, of course.  Just by less.

So what makes Randy Gradishar so awesome? I grew up in a Denver Broncos household and my parents were wearing Randy Gradishar warmup shirts on Sundays for years.  So his legacy lived on long past his retirement.  He’s a Hall of Fame-caliber player and has made it as far as being a finalist twice, and even to the final ten, but has not garnered the necessary support to get into the Hall.  Randy is undoubtedly shortchanged by a lack of national recognition.  Linebackers are best remembered by reputation.  Tackles were not kept as an official statistic until 2001, though according to unofficial statistics, Randy remains the all-time NFL leader.  But Randy didn’t have the terrifying demeanor of Jack Lambert, to whom his career often merits comparison.  Further, his team didn’t win Super Bowls like Lambert’s Steelers did.

These days Randy is the Director of Corporate Communications for the Phil Long car dealerships in Colorado.  He has donated his energies to numerous charities and has made several visits to troops overseas.  He seems like a nice dude.

KNOW YOUR 1980s DENVER BRONCOS

This week, #76, Ken Lanier.

Ken Lanier wearing some tall socks and putting a shot at FSU

Ken was a critical member of the Broncos’ revolutionary offensive line of the 1980s.  He was drafted in the 5th round of the 1981 draft and spent all but one of his fourteen years with the team.  He generally played right tackle.  Like Keith Bishop (previously featured on KNOW YOUR 1980s DENVER BRONCOS), Ken was lighter and more athletic than the typical offensive lineman of his day.  He fit in with the club’s approach of eschewing oversized players in favor of more athletic lineman.  Year after year the team had one of the lightest lines in the league.  Their more nimble offensive line specialized in zone blocking techniques (very effective for creating running lanes but not without controversy).  His athleticism had helped him become a two-sport star at Florida State, and his 1979 school shot put record still stands*.

He played in Super Bowl XXI, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the New York Giants 39-20, Super Bowl XXII, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the Washington Native Americans 42-10, and Super Bowl XXIV, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10.

So what makes Ken Lanier so awesome? Longevity and reliability.  Thirteen years as a Bronco, plus from 1982-1992 he missed only five starts.  This continued a trend he’d begun during his college years, where he was known as the Ironman for starting 46 straight games (every single game of his college career).

After retirement from football, Ken embarked on numerous business ventures in the Denver area.  Unfortunately they have not been as successful as his playing career.  A recent Rocky Mountain News profile detailed his declaration of bankruptcy owing to compounding business debts.  Hopefully Ken (and the rest of the economy) will pull through, like a right tackle plowing over an overmatched defensive end.

*According to the FSU fan site I found the shot put picture at and my copy of the 1982 Broncos’ Yearbook.  So it seems possible his record may have since been bested.

KNOW YOUR 1980s DENVER BRONCOS

This week, the third in a series of team-leading runners, #26, Bobby Humphrey.

Looking to replace the retiring Tony Dorsett and the aging Sammy Winder, the Broncos selected Bobby in the 1989 Supplemental Draft.  He had two terrific seasons for the Broncos, gaining over 1100 yards both years, making one Pro Bowl, and helping the team reach a Super Bowl.  Denver seemed to have found the star runner they had long sought to complement John Elway, and the future looked bright.  Of course, Bobby knew how important he was to Coach Reeves and the team, so he sadly decided to leverage his value by holding out in an attempt to get a new contract.  Most holdout situations magically resolve around the time that either the brutal training camp schedule ends or the paying schedule of actual games begins.  But Bobby sat out for most of the 1991 season, waiting in vain for the team to accept his demands, while the Broncos stuck to their team policy of not negotiating with holdouts.  Realizing the Broncos were doing well even without him, Bobby relented and returned for the final few games of the season, but did not play a major role for the team.  He was traded to the Miami Dolphins before the following season, where he played only sparingly for a year.

He played in Super Bowl XXIV, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10.  He did his part to earn those 10 points, though, leading the team in both rushing and receiving yards.

So what makes Bobby Humphrey so awesome?  Well, tough call.  His hair, for one thing.  He was also probably the most talented running back the Broncos had during the 1980s (if one considers only the worn-down Broncos version of Tony Dorsett).  But talent only goes so far.  By contrast, Sammy Winder contributed a great deal more to the team’s successes and should be more fondly remembered.  Bobby’s career derailed before he really had a chance to establish himself.  Bobby was a good player that could have had a major role on a powerful team for years.  Instead, his disastrous decision to hold out before he’d really earned his place  pretty much ruined his football career.  He never regained his stride or the respect of team management.  A 2006 Denver Post article called his decision “the most infamous holdout in Broncos history.”  I guess that’s an accomplishment.  Bobby seemed regretful of his actions in the article, noting that it was a decision he made in youth and inexperience that didn’t pan out well, and that he should have handled himself better during the negotiations.

Since leaving the NFL, Bobby has spent time as an Arena League coach and currently works for a concrete dealer in his home state of Alabama.  His son is a notable football prospect that will attend the University of Arkansas starting this fall.

KNOW YOUR 1980s DENVER BRONCOS

This week, the second in a series of team rushing leaders, #33, Tony Dorsett.

As the 1980s Broncos evolved into a perennial contender under the coaching of Dan Reeves, it was clear that they would need a top-tier running back to enable Reeves to not change his lumbering offensive system in any way, despite the presence of John Elway.  Towards this end, for the 1988 season the Broncos traded for aging future Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett.  Tony had spent the first eleven years of his career with the Cowboys, amassing over 12,000 yards rushing, one of the best figures in NFL history.  He had finished among the league’s top ten rushers for eight consecutive years from 1977 through 1985.  But by 1988, Tony was coming off of a couple of uncharacteristically mediocre seasons, and the Cowboys were giving progressively more of the workload to Herschel Walker.  Taking advantage of a fresh start, Tony became Denver’s feature back for the 1988 season, and led the team in rushing, splitting carries with Sammy Winder, who otherwise served as fullback.  However, injuries and advancing age encouraged his retirement after just a single year in Denver.

Tony played in Super Bowl XII, following the 1977 season, in which the Broncos were pummeled by the Dallas Cowboys 27-10.  Fortunately for Tony, he played for the Cowboys at the time.  This pummeling would have prepared Tony for life as a 1980s Denver Bronco, but unfortunately his lone season with the team came in the year sandwiched between the team’s appearances in Super Bowls XXII and XXIV.  He also played in Super Bowl XIII, in which the Cowboys lost to the Steelers.

So what makes Tony Dorsett so awesome?  Well, the obvious reason is that he is without question one of the best running backs ever to play in the NFL.  He remains the league’s 7th all-time leading rusher.  He came into the pros as a much-hyped Heisman trophy winner and lived up to his promise.  A second reason is that his time with the Broncos makes more for an interesting story than a sports achievement: future Hall of Fame player sent packing by original team, who found a temporary place with the Broncos before retiring.  Denver has had few HOF members, and ever fewer who recognize the Broncos as their team. (Uh, Tony does not.)  But his year leading the team in rushing remains part of 1980s Denver Bronco lore.  But the real reason is that Tony successfully changed the pronunciation of his name in mid-career, a rare achievement.  Initially it was read like “DOR-sit”, but at some point he wanted it pronounced “dor-SETT”.  And everyone went along with it!  (Except his mom, per legend.)

These days Tony does charity work and makes occasional celebrity appearances.  Most notably, he hosts the Tony Dorsett Celebrity Golf Classic for McGuire Memorial, a ministry and charitable organization in western Pennsylvania.

Image from SI’s “Legends in the Wrong Uniform” Gallery.