Denver Broncos: 9 players who deserved to win a Super Bowl

Randy Gradishar

Broncos fans who can recall Randy Gradishar’s play on the field know how good he was. He was as good as any defensive player the team has ever had and the fact that he still hasn’t been elected to the Hal of Fame is comical.

As good as the defense was that helped win Super Bowl 50, the Orange Crush defense of the 1970s as the best defense the team ever had. That great unit was led by Gradishar, one of the most complete linebackers of his era.

Chosen in the first round of the 1974 draft, Gradishar spent all 10 years of his career in Denver, retiring following the 1983 season. He was chosen to seven Pro Bowl squads and was named Defensive Player of the Year following the 1978 season.

He was also a helping hand in the Broncos reaching their first Super Bowl. The Broncos lost to the Dallas Cowboys in that game by a score of 27-10. Gradishar was second on the team that day with five tackles.

It was a shame the team lost and an even bigger shame that the Broncos never returned to the big game during Gradishar’s career. He was part of teams that suffered tough playoff losses in three of the next six seasons and two of those losses were quite lopsided.

Perhaps if Gradishar did have a Super Bowl ring, he would be in the Hall of Fame already. There is no way to answer that question for sure, but it would certainly help his resume.

Gradishar posted a terrific career and as a result, deserved and still deserves several things.