After battling with the competitiveness that was the hallmark of his NFL coaching career, former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger died Friday night at age 58 after a nearly year-long fight against a rare form of cancer.
Heimerdinger was the wide receivers coach on Mike Shanahan’s staff when the Broncos won NFL championships in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Heimerdinger was on the Denver staff a total of seven seasons, from 1995-99 and from 2006-07.
In a statement issued Saturday, Heimerdinger’s wife, Kathie, said: “It is with a heavy heart, but a trust in God, that we say goodbye to our beloved Dinger, who lost his courageous battle with cancer. Mike approached cancer with the same vigor and tenacity that he approached any football game — to win. Even in the final minutes, he never gave up. That was our Dinger.”
“We lost a very special person and my best friend,” Shan-ahan, a college roommate of Heimerdinger’s at Eastern Illinois, said in a statement.
Heimerdinger was diagnosed in November 2010. He began chemotherapy five days later and searched virtually every avenue for treatment in the months since. He coached through the 2010 season before being let go by the Tennessee Titans in February after head coach Jeff Fisher had departed. Saturday, Fisher called Heimerdinger “a tough guy to the end, no surprise to those who knew him. . . . We lost a great one.”
Before starting his NFL coaching career with the Broncos in 1995, Heimerdinger was Air Force’s receivers coach in 1981. He also coached at Florida, North Texas State, Cal State Fullerton, Rice and Duke.
Heimerdinger spoke to John Elway, the Broncos’ executive vice president of football operations, as recently as last Sunday. Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos, strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten and linebackers coach Richard Smith visited Heimerdinger last weekend, the day before the Broncos played the Titans in Nashville.
“Sorry to hear of Mike Hei- merdinger’s passing,” Jake Plummer said in a statement. “Good coach, loved the game and loved his family. My condolences to them.”
Besides his wife, Heimerding- er is survived by his parents, son Brian and daughter Alicia.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
