Randy Gradishar finally made it into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
One of the greatest defenders in Denver Broncos history and a vital member of the 1977 Super Bowl team, Gradishar will have a bronze bust in Canton, OH soon.
He was named a Senior Finalist last August and announced as a Hall of Famer last night.
“It’s all because of you, and it’s all because of the ‘Orange Crush’ defense.”
A message to #BroncosCountry from @ProFootballHOF LB Randy Gradishar: pic.twitter.com/NFclg404N2
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) February 9, 2024
From John Elway to Randy Gradishar: Broncos Hall of Famers have multiplied
Rewind to August, 2004, and the Denver Broncos were about to get their first-ever Hall of Famer.
Arguably the greatest Broncos player in team history, John Elway was enshrined, along with Barry Sanders, Bob Brown, and Carl Eller.
That day, 23,000 fans descended upon Canton, Ohio, and 20,000 of them were Denver die-hards. I was among the group, and it felt more like a pregame at Mile High Stadium than being 1,300 miles away.
Broncos backers donned their orange and blue, music was bumping, gameday food was being enjoyed; it was a party. Before the ceremony, I took a stroll inside the Hall of Fame, which is smaller than you may expect.
There were Mike Anderson’s cleats from his 251-yard, record-setting performance his rookie year proudly on display. Shannon Sharpe had a smaller display, too, and each team was represented by their greatest player on a life-size cutout. Elway was Denver’s.
Inside the bronze bust room is a football fan’s mecca. Every great player you’ve ever heard of had their bust proudly on display. YA Tittle, Dick Butkus, Bart Star, Jim Brown, and the faces went on and on. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, there were no Denver players. Only an empty space with the name plate that read John Elway, with the bust waiting on stage with the Duke of Denver.
After exploring the Hall, I wandered around the grounds and all of a sudden, there was excitement. It was like a celebrity had been sighted.
It was none other than Randy Gradishar! Old-school fans of the “Orange Crush” cheered him as he walked through the crowd to the stadium.
That day, Elway stood on the stage and cried. I cried. The whole, damn stadium cried.
And he also stood up there and wondered aloud why he was the first Broncos player to be inducted. Why did it take an all-time great like John Elway for the Broncos to be included in the Hall?
Broncos Country didn’t understand why they were snubbed for so long.
Now, 20 years later, Gradishar will finally get in after being one of those snubbed players.
Gradishar becomes 14th Broncos player in Hall of Fame
The fact that Elway was the first Broncos Hall of Famer in 2004 meant many were overlooked.
Gradishar was one. Floyd Little, Tom Jackson, and Billy Thompson were a few more that deserved to get in.
Luckily, Little did get into the Hall as a senior member, like Gradishar. But Jackson and Thompson are still on the outside looking in.
Gradishar is the first one of the old “Orange Crush” defense that struck fear into the hearts of opponents. He was drafted by Denver in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft, and played his entire 10-year career with the Broncos. The linebacker was a crucial member of the 1977 team as an All-Pro that year.
1977 was a magical ride for the Broncos, who defeated John Madden and the rival Raiders at Mile High Stadium in the AFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, they lost in the team’s first big game, Super Bowl XII, to the Dallas Cowboys.
But Gradishar was still in his prime, earning AP Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 and he was named All-Pro, too. In all, he was a 7-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro (3 Second-Team selections).
He was well-known as a hard-hitting linebacker, racking up a franchise-leading 2,049 tackles, but he also possessed great ball skills. Gradishar picked off 20 passes in his career and recovered 13 fumbles. Plus, he had 19.5 sacks with the Broncos.
From DenverBroncos.com:
“We join all of Broncos Country in congratulating Randy Gradishar on becoming the newest Denver Bronco elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Greg Penner said in a statement. “Without question, Randy is one of the most impactful figures in Broncos history and one of the greatest linebackers of all time. The iconic ‘Orange Crush’ will now finally have its first Hall of Famer, and there could not be a better representative of our first Super Bowl team and this organization than Randy.
Gradishar joins Willie Brown, John Elway, Gary Zimmerman, Floyd Little, Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis, Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey, Pat Bowlen, Steve Atwater, John Lynch, Peyton Manning, and DeMarcus Ware in the Hall of Fame.