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Denver Broncos top 5 head coaches in franchise history

By Sayre Bedinger

07 Oct 2001: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos observes during the game against the kansas City Chiefs at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos beat the Chiefs 20-6. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/Allsport
07 Oct 2001: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos observes during the game against the kansas City Chiefs at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos beat the Chiefs 20-6. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr/Allsport /
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Denver Broncos, Dan Reeves
DENVER, CO – CIRCA 1988: Head Coach Dan Reeves of the Denver Broncos talks with his quarterback John Elway #7 on the sidelines during an NFL football game circa 1988 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. Reeves was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-92. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Denver Broncos head coach no. 3: Dan Reeves

. . . Dan Reeves. 3. player. 45

1981-1992 (12 seasons)

  • 6 postseason appearances
  • 5 division titles
  • 3 conference championships/Super Bowl appearances
  • 117 regular season wins

For 90s kids like me, Dan Reeves was simply the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl once upon a time.

For a different generation of Denver Broncos fans, Reeves was Mike Shanahan before Mike Shanahan was Mike Shanahan.

For the majority of Reeves’ tenure as head coach of the Denver Broncos, he was the captain of the ship with John Elway as the quarterback.

Reeves came from the Tom Landry coaching tree with the Dallas Cowboys, who beat the Denver Broncos in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance in the 1977-78 season.

So, before the Denver Broncos kicked Reeves’ butt as a member of the Falcons in the final Super Bowl of the 1990s, Reeves was part of kicking their butt in the late 70s as the Dallas Cowboys started becoming a dynasty.

He’d already won another Super Bowl just a handful of years prior to that as a member of the Dallas Cowboys roster, playing the running back position.

As the Denver Broncos head coach, the Broncos were almost like the Colts of my generation. They were outstanding in the regular season, but couldn’t get the job done consistently in the playoffs.

The Broncos averaged almost 10 wins per season with Reeves as the team’s head coach, but that wasn’t enough to get the job done on the biggest stage as they were embarrassed in the three Super Bowl appearances they made in his 12 seasons.

Still, reaching the Super Bowl three times is no small accomplishment and Reeves has been a member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame since 2014.

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