Denver Broncos: Mike Shanahan deserves an even bigger honor
More than a decade after leaving the Denver Broncos as the team’s head coach, Mike Shanahan will be recognized by the organization.
It was announced that the Broncos will honor Mike Shanahan by placing him in the team’s Ring of Fame. The ceremony will take place during the 2021 season and Shanahan will join Red Miller and Dan Reeves as the only coaches in team history on the list.
But in the case of Shanahan, an even bigger honor should be considered.
From the time he took over the job prior to the 1995 season, it seemed clear the Broncos found the right guy for the job.
After going 8-8 in year one, Shanahan put the Broncos in a position for great success, having the team win 39 out of 48 regular-season games over the course of the next three seasons. He won the Super Bowl in two of those years.
Shanahan’s time in Denver did not come without a struggle. He was in charge of the team’s personnel at one point and his plate definitely seemed a bit full. The team chose to move in another direction following the 2008 season.
But by that time, Shanahan had more than made his mark. He is easily the best coach in Broncos history, but he’s also more than that.
Shanahan currently ranks in a tie for 14th in league history with 170 career wins. Of the 13 coaches who won more games, seven are already members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and two of the others — Bill Belichick and Andy Reid — are basically locks to get in.
In addition, Shanahan is one of just 13 coaches to win multiple Super Bowls and from that list, all but two have been chosen for the Hall of Fame.
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Furthermore, of all the coaches that have led their teams to back-to-back Super Bowl victories, all of them are in the Hall of Fame except for one — Belichick. Since he is considered by many to be the greatest coach of all time, that would leave Shanahan as the only guy not in there.
Yes, Shanahan should be in the Hall of Fame.
Not only was he a fabulous coach for the Broncos, but he was also one of the league’s great offensive minds when he was a coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. While running the front office was not his forte, the man could coach X’s and O’s.
It is great to see that the Broncos are going to put Shanahan in their Ring of Fame. That is the least they can do to say thank you. But the entire league needs to honor him for the contributions he made to the game.
Shanahan is truly one of the better coaches the league has ever seen.
Is Shanahan a Hall of Famer?
Here is a look at the coach’s resume:
170 career wins- Tied for 14th in league history
8-6 career postseason record
Back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1997-98
Won 46 games from 1996-98, the most in NFL history during a three-year period
Helped the 49ers to a victory in Super Bowl XXIX as team’s offensive coordinator
Handed Belichick and Tom Brady their first playoff lost together in 2005