4 Broncos Legends Named Semi-Finalists for 2024 Hall-of-Fame Class

It's time for Denver Broncos fans to start pulling for these deserving legends.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame just announced the 2024 nominations for the Senior and Coach/Contributor categories. The Hall of Fame has long ignored deserving Denver Broncos of the past, but that has started to change lately. 

With that in mind, the hot-off-the-press list includes four Broncos legends: Randy Gradishar, Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves, and Alex Gibbs. This is a good start, and fans can only hope that one or more on this list make it to Canton because they were all great and deserve the recognition.

Let's review the resumes of these all-time great Broncos. 

Randy Gradishar

Gradishar is the top candidate to make it into the Hall of Fame. He has been long overlooked, but his resume is more than deserving. He's the top candidate from one of the greatest defenses of all time: the iconic Orange Crush of the 1970s. 

Gradishar was the leader of that team and was a tackling machine. In his 10 seasons, he compiled over 2,000 tackles and is considered the greatest short-yardage/goal-line linebacker ever. Chuck Knox, a competing coach of the era, has made the Hall-of-Fame case for Gradishar. 

"Randy was a great linebacker, and he certainly belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Knox once said. "He was tough, smart, and played every down all out." 

Gradishar was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, received five All-Pro awards, and was invited to the Pro Bowl seven times. All in only 10 seasons in the NFL. He is the most deserving candidate on the ballot, and it would be an incredible tragedy if, once again, he's not selected this year. 

Congratulations to Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves, Randy Gradishar and Alex Gibbs on being named semifinalists for the @ProFootballHOF Class of 2024 as part of the Coaches/Contributors and Seniors categories! 👏 pic.twitter.com/0iJEsFDFeY

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) July 12, 2023

Mike Shanahan

Shanahan is one of the winningest head coaches of all time and also one of the few to win back-to-back Super Bowls. He did more than just win; he brought innovation to the NFL with the implementation of the zone blocking scheme along with expanding on Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense. 

In the late 1990s, the Broncos were the most formidable team in the league, and the '98 squad is considered by many one of the best ever. When you compare Shanahan's resume to Bill Cowher, another coach already in Canton, it's something of a surprise to know that the Broncos' former head coach is still on the outside looking in. 

Shanahan squared off with Cowher many times, notching two Super Bowl wins (and back-to-back at that) to Cowher's one. There should be significantly more buzz about Shanahan's candidacy for enshrinement this season, and he has a good shot of getting that gold jacket.

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Dan Reeves

It isn't all about Xs and Ox when thinking about the greatest head coaches of all time. The late Reeves was an incredible leader and had an eye for coaching talent. 

Reeves put together some great coaching staffs and was able to coach all involved in a way that his strategy unfolded on the field to great impact. He coached the Broncos to three Super Bowls berths and turned around a terrible Atlanta Falcons franchise, getting them to their first Super Bowl. 

In all, Reeves appeared in nine Super Bowls as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. That's an astounding amount of success.

It's time to dismiss the notion that Reeves is undeserving of the Hall because he never won a Super Bowl as a head coach. Many coaches who never won a Super Bowl are enshrined in Canton, and some have a much less impressive resume than Reeves.

Alex Gibbs

Gibbs is a surprise nomination but not undeserving. Although Shanahan is largely credited with the creation of the zone blocking scheme, the late Gibbs was the godfather of the scheme that revolutionized the Broncos' rushing attack back in the '90s and is now a mainstay in today's game. 

Under Gibbs' tutelage, the Broncos produced one of the greatest offensive lines of all time and got Terrell Davis to the 2,000-yard club and ultimately into the Hall of Fame. Gibbs' scheme also helped the Broncos win back-to-back championships in large part due to the use of his philosophy of quick, undersized linemen who were incredible technicians. 

As a Wildcard team, the Broncos slayed the giant in 1997 when nobody gave them a chance against the Green Bay Packers and their heavyweight defensive line, winning the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy. Gibbs' innovations have had a lasting impact on the NFL, and as a contributor, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Hopefully, the voters will realize the impact these greats had on the game of football and how great they were at their respective jobs. It's high time that deserving Broncos get their gold jacket, starting with Gradishar.

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