Former Broncos Head Coach Dan Reeves Passes Away at 77

The Broncos mourn the loss of one of their most legendary coaches.

Dan Reeves, the former Denver Broncos head coach, passed away Saturday morning at the age of 77, it was announced. Although Reeves has passed on, his legend will endure. 

Reeves elevated the Broncos from being a team who got lucky in 1978, capturing lightning in an Orange Crush bottle, to becoming the class of the AFC in 1980s. Reeves led the Broncos to a franchise-best five division titles (1984, ’86-87, ’89, ’91) and three AFC Championships. 

Although he's often remembered as the coach who couldn't win the big one in Denver, it's important to understand what Reeves was up against. In those days, the NFC was the powerhouse. Parity didn't exist then as it does now. 

Sure, 'any given Sunday' and all that, but in the final analysis, the AFC was outmatched by the NFC as evidenced by 13 straight Super Bowl victories. It wasn't until the Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII that the AFC was able to snap that slump. 

Reeves wasn't the head coach who led Denver to its first Super Bowl victory but in many ways, he laid the foundation. Mike Shanahan was the coach ultimately responsible for the Broncos' triumph in 1997 and '98 but he was a coach groomed by Reeves. 

Reeves hired Shanahan as wide receivers coach in 1984 and after bonding as he did with quarterback John Elway, he was promoted to offensive coordinator the following season. Shanahan's career arc would detour away from the Mile High City for a time, with stops as Oakland's head coach and a run as San Francisco's offensive coordinator, where he earned his first World Championship as a coach. 

When Shanahan returned to Denver as head coach in 1995, he was very much a changed man by virtue of his exposure to how the San Francisco 49ers did things. The poetic justice of Shanahan, only four short years later, going head-to-head vs. Reeves' Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII was sweet. 

Reeves fell to the repeating Broncos in that Super Bowl, as Shanahan's squad was an unstoppable juggernaut. Reeves became one of an elite handful of coaches to appear in four Super Bowls, joining the vaunted likes of Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs, Bud Grant, and Marv Levy. At the time, Reeves became just the third coach to lead multiple NFL teams to a Super Bowl berth. 

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Reeves' ultimate doom in Denver was his frosty relationship with Elway but it wasn't always like that. Just like quarterbacks, coaches in the NFL have a shelf life and Reeves was fired by late owner Pat Bowlen following the 1992 season. 

Reeves compiled a .600 winning percentage as Broncos head coach. In 12 seasons, he only produced two losing campaigns, one of which was the 1982 season that was shortened by a player strike. Reeves became the first coach inducted into Denver's Ring of Fame back in 2014. 

Thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Pam and the Reeves family. Broncos Country lost a legend. May he rest in peace. 

Here's the Broncos' statement on Reeves' passing. 

The Denver Broncos are deeply saddened by the loss of legendary Head Coach Dan Reeves, who passed away this morning at age 77 at home in Atlanta.

“One of the winningest coaches in NFL history, Coach Reeves set the foundation for the Broncos’ decade of dominance in the 1980s and championship tradition for years to come.

“A 2014 Broncos Ring of Fame inductee, Reeves led the Broncos as head coach from 1981-92 and was instrumental in the franchise becoming a perennial contender. With competitiveness, consistency and a style all his own, he guided the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances, five AFC West titles and six playoff berths.

“The only coach to lead an AFC team to three Super Bowls in the 1980s, Reeves captured the AFC Championship three times in a four-year period from 1986-89. He led Denver to appearances in Super Bowl XXI (1986 season), XXII (1987) and XXIV (1989), ushering in a new era of Broncos football on the national stage.

“Reeves coached the Broncos with integrity, character and toughness along with sincere appreciation for his players and coaches. His time with the Broncos was part of a remarkable 39-year career in professional football in which he appeared in the Super Bowl an astonishing nine times as a player or coach.

“Our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to Dan’s wife and high school sweetheart, Pam; his children Dana, Lee and Laura; his grandchildren and great grandchildren; and the entire Reeves family.”

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