(Photo by Oilcity.news)
On New Year's Day 2022, the news of the passing of legendary coach Dan Reeves shocked the sports world. He helped shape three franchises into playoff contenders or even Super Bowl teams. Unfortunately, Reeves and his teams couldn't grab the brass ring.
Coming out of Georgia and collegiately out of South Carolina, Dan Reeves was a versatile athlete that could have played baseball if he wanted. He decided to sign with the Dallas Cowboys and play under legendary head coach Tom Landry. Originally, he was a safety. Landry switched him to running back due to depth issues. Also, while at South Carolina, Reeves played quarterback and was on the Gamecock baseball team. Told you he was versatile. Reeves would have a solid career with the Cowboys and was a member of the 1971 Super Bowl championship team. With his playing career winding down, Landry would have Reeves dabble in coaching. After his retirement in 1972, Dan Reeves transitioned to Landry's staff full-time.
During the 1981 season, Reeves became a hot coaching prospect and was hoping for a franchise he could lead. The Denver Broncos came a calling and named him head coach AND vice president. In 1982, the football gods gave Reeves a blessing. Consensus #1 pick, Stanford quarterback John Elway, didn't want to play for the team that held the top selection in the Baltimore Colts. Reeves orchestrated a trade to acquire the rights to Elway in the hopes of a successful era. He was right.
In the first few years, Elway and Reeves meshed well as the Broncos became a force in the AFC. With a tenacious defense and Elway's knack of bringing Denver victory from the jaws of defeat gave them all the confidence in the world. The 1987 AFC Championship was the signature game for the Broncos inside Cleveland Stadium. Down by 7, pinned at their 2-yard line with under six minutes to go, John Elway decided to lead his team back on a masterpiece to tie the game with :37 seconds left in regulation. This would be known in history as "The Drive." Denver won the game in overtime to send them to the Super Bowl for the second time in their history. The Broncos would face another team looking for an identity, the New York Giants. Led by Phil Simms at quarterback and a defensive dynamo in Lawrence Taylor, the Giants had a head coach who wanted to become a legend: Duane Charles Parcells! Or Bill, also known as Big Tuna. Both franchises were looking to win that Lombardi Trophy at the Rose Bowl.
Unfortunately, the Giants came out on top 39-20. The Broncos would have to wait for another season to capture that Super Bowl crown.
Enter the 1988 AFC Championship game. The Broncos once again faced off against the Cleveland Browns, but this time at the friendly confines of Mile High Stadium. This time, Cleveland was driving on its way to tie the game. Then came the Fumble. Earnest Byner tries to score, but Denver defensive back Jeremiah Castille forced him to cough the ball up and it was recovered by the Broncos at the three, thus preserving the victory for the back-to-back AFC Champions. Also, Marty Schottenheimer and the Browns became cursed after this game.
The Denver Broncos were heading into the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year against the Washington Redskins and had momentum in the first quarter. Elway even caught a pass to put the Broncos in good field position as they took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter. If they can hold, Denver would shed last year's heartbreak.
The problem was that Washington decided to score 42 unanswered points for the rest of the game and made Doug Williams into a trailblazer.
After an off year in 1988, the Broncos bounced back to an 11-5 record and an AFC West title. They sneaked past Pittsburgh in the divisional round to face a familiar foe in the Cleveland Browns. This time, no drive or fumble was needed as Denver went to the Super Bowl for the third season out of the last four. Hopefully, THIS is their time to grab the Lombardi Trophy. They get......the traveling dynasty known as the San Francisco 49ers. Oh, boy.
Joe Montana and Jerry Rice proceed to post-pattern the Broncos to death as the Niners drag them down Bourbon Street with a 55-10 shellacking. This is the third loss in the big game in as many years for Dan Reeves. Unfortunately, several teams are on the rise and ready to take over as the top team in the AFC.
1990 was dismal, but '91 was Denver's resurgence as they went 11-5 and bested the Houston Oilers in a classic match. They once again made the AFC Championship game and a squad who everyone thought was going to score in bunches, the Buffalo Bills. In a defensive masterpiece, the Broncos were stung by an interception return for a touchdown from Carlton Bailey as the Bills squeaked by them, 10-7. Yep, the window was closing and changes had to be made heading into the '92 season.
It was at this time that Elway and Reeves began having a civil war behind the scenes. It was all due to now former quarterback coach Mike Shanahan and Elway's relationship. It seemed Reeves believed that Elway would undermining him in favor of Shanahan. The Broncos "parted ways" with Shanahan and put Hall of Famer Raymond Berry in as quarterback coach. Then, the Broncos did something that was so outrageous even mentioning it would cause Broncos fans to resort to blows, they selected UCLA QB Tommy Maddox in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft. Even as a teenager still trying to consume how football works thought that this was a head-scratching selection considering they had John "Freaking" Elway! Sure, he was 32 at the time, but he was still capable of carrying the team from ruins. This season would be a precursor to that.
1992 SEASON
So, I'm going to go through five games during this campaign as this was the make-or-break year for someone.
WEEK 5 VS. KANSAS CITY WIN 20-19
Down 19-6 in the underbelly of the fourth quarter, Elway leads Denver back with drives that ended with touchdowns to Mark Jackson and Vance Johnson as John Albert Elway showed the haters that he could still go.
WEEK 7 VS. HOUSTON WIN 27-21
In Week 6, the Broncos were hog-tied by the Skins and once again, trailed the Oilers late in the fourth, but Johnnie Fourth Quarter comes through again with a drive that is capped off by a Reggie Rivers run.
Denver would race to a 7-3 record, but then, John Elway was hurt during a pivotal divisional match-up against the Las Vegas, no, Oakland, try again, Los Angeles Raiders and first-round pick Tommy Maddox would give a glimpse for the future for the Broncos.
WEEK 12 AT LA RAIDERS LOSS 0-24
Maddox wasn't bad numbers wise (18 comp-26 att, 207 yards, 0 TD's, 2 ints), but he is a rookie thrown in the lion's den for a team that needs to continue momentum. This game started an avalanche worth of just back-and-forth performances.
After losing a close game to the one-win Seattle Seahawks, Dan Reeves decided to do something either bold or insane, depending on your viewpoint. His gameplan was to put Tommy Maddox and fellow rookie quarterback Shawn Moore in an alternate role of switching them out after each play. Hopefully, this could turn the tide for Denver. Only one problem, their next opponent is a team who would end up winning the Super Bowl for three of the next four seasons in the Dallas Cowboys.
It seemed to work as Tommy Maddox had three touchdowns already headed towards the middle of the fourth quarter. Maddox decided to throw a lateral to receiver Arthur Marshall, who then threw the ball to a streaking Cedric Tillman for an 81-yard touchdown to give the Broncos the lead. However, Troy Aikman led the Cowboys down the field which ended in an Emmitt Smith touchdown. It would be no Mile High magic this time as Dallas holds on. To add insult to injury, Emmitt's rushing touchdown tied a club record. The guy he shared the record, Dan Reeves.
BRONCOS LOSE 27-31
Elway would return as the Broncos traded a loss to Buffalo and an ugly win with Seattle. Heading into the final week against the Chiefs, this was a must-win. They were 8-7 and their playoff hopes thin as the air in Denver.
WEEK 17 AT KANSAS CITY LOSS 20-42
Apparently, Kansas City remembered that demoralizing loss in Week 5 and decided to run roughshod with a healthy dose of Derrick Thomas and the Chiefs' D.
So, after many years that been a roller coaster, Owner Pat Bowlen had to make a decision on who to keep and who to let go, the quarterback that gave them success or the head coach that gave them success.
Spoiler alert: He chose the coach.
For twelve seasons, Dan Reeves put respectability to the Denver Broncos.
-Five division titles
-Ten seasons of .500 or over
-Three AFC crowns
-Three Super Bowl Appearances
The list 📃 is impressive, however, the losses in the Super Bowl are telling by people. For the 1993 season, Dan Reeves' quest for a championship would have to be somewhere else.
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