DENVER (KDVR) — The careers of some athletes and coaches become so famous that a team’s name can’t be uttered without the thought of them.
- Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
- Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots
- Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees
- Mike Krzyzewski “Coach K” and the Duke Blue Devils
- Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche
For a generation of Denver Broncos fans, the name Mike Shanahan can’t be mentioned without memories flooding back from the team’s first era of dominance.
John Elway was the face of the team, but Shanahan was the brain of the operation.
He took the reins of the Broncos in 1995, going 8-8 in his debut season. What would happen in the next couple of years would cement his status as a legend of Denver football.
In his sophomore season, he was in first place in the AFC West before losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Game. For the next two years after that loss — the NFL became his, with the dynamo Broncos led by Elway.
The team won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998.
Shanahan coached the Broncos for over a decade, leaving in 2008. In 13 years, he had only posted two losing seasons, with an overall record of 138-86, a .616% win rate.
For his entire coaching career, which spanned 20 seasons, he won 178 games with the Los Angeles Raiders, now known as the Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins, now known as the Washington Commanders.
He was the coach with the 19th most regular-season wins in NFL history, until Sunday, when the current Broncos coach Sean Payton overtook him with his 171st victory against the Tennessee Titans.
The two aren’t only close on the all-time wins list — they have a history that nearly aligns with one another. They both played quarterback at Eastern Illinois University, they both have a Super Bowl ring and they both have coached the Broncos.
“There are certain times where you feel age. When I see good friends, they stay the same. When you see your good friends’ children growing up, you feel age. Like you guys have heard me say before, I grew up on [Broncos Ring of Fame Head Coach] Mike Shanahan, going to school at Eastern Illinois. At that time, he was like ‘1A’. The one guy that made it out and made it into the NFL,” said Payton at a press conference when asked about passing his friend on the all-time win list. “Let’s hope I have a chance to win a second Super Bowl like Mike Shanahan.”
If Payton can lead his young Broncos team to the Broncos’ fourth Super Bowl, and Payton’s second, his name will forever be etched in Denver football lore.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
