Fort Worth, Texas – Mike Shanahan had them crying.
Mike Shanahan had them laughing.
Mike Shanahan had them cheering.
Saturday, during an afternoon brimming with emotion and drama, in perhaps the toughest week of Mike Shanahan’s personal life, he had them. It completed a week in which the mother of Darrent Williams called the Broncos coach an “inspiration.”
So often in public, Shanahan is guarded but professional. It’s rare when the coach shows his personal side. But at filled-to-capacity Great Commission Baptist Church, Shanahan had a captive audience Saturday. As on the Broncos’ sideline, during the few minutes he was at the front of the church, Shanahan was in charge.
“You could tell all this week that Mike Shanahan loved D- Will,” said Williams’ agent, Jeff Griffin. “He loved that kid.”
Speaking loudly, confidently and with facial expressions ranging from happy to solemn, Shanahan respectfully eulogized Williams, the Broncos cornerback who touched his coach’s heart.
“D-Will, we love you, we miss you,” Shanahan said. “Your spirit will always be with us.”
Williams, 24, was killed in a drive-by shooting early New Year’s Day in downtown Denver. Shanahan and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen led nearly the entire organization on a chartered flight Saturday to the funeral.
Flanked by his wife, Peggy, Shanahan led the Broncos into the church shortly before the start of the 2 1/2-hour service. The Shanahans stood at Williams’ open casket before the funeral.
“I thought it was a great tribute to his life,” Shanahan said after the funeral. “We’re going to miss Darrent very, very much.”
The funeral concluded a draining week for the Denver coach that began with a 3 a.m. telephone call from team vice president of public relations Jim Saccomano on Monday morning.
Shanahan spent much of Monday with Williams’ mother. Rosalind Williams said Monday night that Shanahan gave her strength to carry on with his words. Tuesday, Shanahan nearly broke down in tears while discussing Williams’ life with media members. Wednesday, he spoke at a team memorial in Williams’ honor.
Saturday, the two engaged in a deep embrace at the church.
“This whole week has been very, very tough,” he said.
During the past week and as part of his eulogy, Shanahan spoke of Williams’ toughness. Shanahan loved how the 5-foot-8 Williams played like he was 6 inches taller.
Last month, with the Broncos on a four-game losing streak, Williams let loose with some frustration and expressed concern that some teammates may have “hung it up.”
Shanahan wasn’t upset with Williams. The coach said it was just a young, confident kid being young and confident.
During his eulogy, Shanahan told stories of why the Broncos drafted Williams, mostly because of his big-play ability and toughness. Shanahan, who has said this often since the draft, couldn’t understand why Williams wasn’t a top-10 pick. The Broncos selected the former Oklahoma State star with their first pick of that draft, No. 56 overall, in the second round.
Shanahan told a longer story of how Williams, as a rookie, promised to have a big game at Oakland. He came through, scoring on an 80-yard interception return to help the Broncos beat the Raiders 31-17.
This is the second time as a head coach that Shanahan has had to cope with the death of a player. During training camp in 1989, when Shanahan coached the Los Angeles Raiders, defensive back Stacy Toran was killed in an automobile accident. This time, when not dealing with his players and the team’s arrangements for the trip to Fort Worth, Shanahan spent the first week of his offseason taking calls from well-wishers across the NFL.
Now, with the Broncos having attended Williams’ funeral, it is time for Shanahan to get back to the work that was put off for a week. The Broncos soon will start work on college player evaluations in an attempt to upgrade a 9-7 team that didn’t make it to the playoffs. Perhaps the Broncos will find someone who reminds Shanahan of Williams.
“We all know what Coach Shanahan and the Broncos feel about D-Will,” Williams family spokesman Troy Asmus said. “They love him. They feel the same way we all do. That showed all week.”
Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
