Mike Shanahan, Head Coach
The Denver Broncos have had 16 head coaches in 58 seasons, and Mike Shanahan was in control for nearly a quarter of those seasons. Needless to say, he is the winningest head coach in Broncos history.
Since his firing at the end of the 2008 season, Denver has been unable to retain a head coach for longer than three seasons.
During his tenure in Denver, he oversaw 12 winning seasons in 14 years as the head coach and general manager. He would finish with the highest winning percentage (.646) and most wins (138) in Denver history.
Some would argue that having John Elway contributed to much of his success and longevity but he brought a revolutionary running attack to the table that created seven different 1,000-yard rushers.
Additionally, his offense revitalized the career of Jake Plummer who posted the three best seasons of his career under the tutelage of Mike.
Unfortunately, Coach Shanahan lost some of his magic towards the end of his time in Denver as the Broncos missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The Bowlen family then made the tough decision to take the Denver Broncos in a new direction.
After his firing, Shanahan took a gap year before taking the head coaching position with the Washington Redskins.
Outside of the 2012 seasons with former Heisman winner Robert Griffin taking the league by storm and leading Washington to 10 wins, Shanahan’s tenure in Washington is seen as a major disappointment. His career record in Washington is 24-40.
Since his last NFL job, Shanahan has stayed out of the public eye. His son, however, is now leading the charge in San Francisco after leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl as their offensive coordinator.