Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves & Randy Gradishar Named Hall-of-Fame Semi-Finalists for Class of 2023
After decades of seemingly being ignored, the Denver Broncos have Pro Football Hall of Fame momentum. Multiple former Broncos have been elected for enshrinement in Canton over the past half-decade, including a pair of long-suffering snubs from the team's back-to-back World Championship roster in Terrell Davis and Steve Atwater.
On Thursday, the Hall of Fame announced that three Broncos have been named finalists for the 2023 Class: Randy Gradishar (Seniors category), Mike Shanahan, and Dan Reeves (Coach/Contributor).
It's good news for all, but especially Gradishar, who has been a finalist on three separate occasions, only to be snubbed. He was one of the most prolific and productive linebackers of his era, finishing his 10-year NFL career as a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, as well as 1978's Defensive Player of the Year via the Associated Press.
Comparing his resume to the linebackers of his era who have received enshrinement, there's no doubt that Gradishar is one of the Hall of Fame's most egregious snubs. His being named among 24 other seniors for consideration gives the voters a chance to balance the scales of football justice.
As for Shanahan, he's one of only seven head coaches to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Hired by late owner Pat Bowlen in 1995, Shanahan presided over the winningest era of Broncos football, winning Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII before John Elway retired. Shanahan stayed on, marching forward initially with Brian Griese as Elway's successor before signing Jake Plummer in 2003.
In 2005, the Plummer-led Broncos came close to giving Shanahan a chance at a third Super Bowl ring as a head coach, hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. Alas, Plummer produced one of his worst games as a pro and the Broncos simply did not play focused football, losing one of the most heartbreaking playoff games in team history.
Shanahan pivoted, drafting Jay Cutler in the first round the next spring. While that led to the young quarterback earning a Pro Bowl nod under his coach's tutelage in 2008, the Broncos fired Shanahan at season's end after the team backed out of the playoffs.
All in, Shanahan is the team's winningest head coach all-time with 146 overall victories. He won eight playoff games for Denver and retired from coaching following the 2013 season (Washington). He retired with three Super Bowl rings as a coach, two as a head coach, and one as an offensive coordinator (San Francisco).
Reeves' Hall-of-Fame resume is also elite, as he's one of only seven head coaches to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl. Reeves led Denver to three (in four years) back in the 1980s, but could never get over the hump.
As head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Reeves earned another Super Bowl berth in 1998, going against (as fate would have it) the Broncos. Shanahan, one of Reeve's former assistants, emerged victorious in Super Bowl XXXIII.
Reeves passed away in January of this year, so if he makes the Hall-of-Fame cut at some point, he'll have to be enshrined posthumously, just like his former boss Mr. Bowlen.
Could the Broncos see two of their own get enshrined in the 2023 class? One as a Senior and one as a Coach/Contributor? It's possible, but don't hold your breath.
Shanahan will get in eventually. His resume is unimpeachable. The Hall-of-Fame voters have likely just been waiting for his own team to put him in the Ring of Fame first, which the Broncos finally did last fall.
Reeves' case is a little more fraught because he never won a Super Bowl as head coach. For Gradishar, he might not get any more chances at enshrinement so Broncos Country has to come together to create a grassroots upswell that the voters simply cannot ignore.
Here's to hoping.
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