As we come to the close of another NFL season following Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, we take a look back at some of the best Denver Broncos who never won a Super Bowl.
1
Randy Gradishar
As a member of the 1977 “Orange Crush” team — the first squad to make the Super Bowl in franchise history — Gradishar had only one chance to win the Big Game. Unfortunately, Gradishar’s Broncos went up against Roger Staubach and Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XII. Denver lost the game 21-10, however, this was such a momentous occasion in franchise history, that the city threw the team a parade when they returned.
2
Dan Reeves
Reeves took the Broncos to three Super Bowls during his tenure. All three Super Bowls were blowouts, against Washington, the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Quarterback John Elway and Reeves disagreed on philosophy near the end of Reeves’ career in Denver, and the two exchanged verbal barbs before they faced each other in Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, when Reeves was a coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Elway and the Broncos completed back-to-back championship seasons with a 34-19 drubbing of the Falcons that year.
3
Champ Bailey
Champ Bailey is arguably the greatest cornerback in franchise history and one of the best in NFL history. He was an influential leader of the defense in Denver. Bailey’s two best chances at a title as a Bronco came in 2005 and in 2013. In 2005, Denver came just short of reaching the Super Bowl, losing to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship. In 2013, Bailey and the Broncos were on the losing end of a 43-8 blowout against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
4
Floyd Little
Little is another Pro Football Hall of Famer to have never won the Super Bowl. During Little’s years as the Broncos’ star running back, the team was bad. Little did eventually see a winning season with Denver, but never a playoff berth. The player known as “The Franchise” helped lay the foundation of the Broncos’ winning culture.
5
Red Miller
Coach Red Miller led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Along the way, Denver beat the “Steel Curtain” Pittsburgh Steelers in the midst of their 1970s dominance, and the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs en route to Super Bowl XII. The most memorable moment of Miller’s career as a Bronco was before the 1977 AFC Championship against the Raiders. Quarterback Craig Morton had been thrown around by the Steelers, and was black and blue with bruises. Morton was so hurt that he couldn’t even tie his shoes to play. As the tale goes, in locker room, Morton told Miller that if he tied his shoes, he would go out and win the game. Miller did so and Morton beat Oakland to earn the right to face the Cowboys.
