Tom Jackson
Ring of Fame LB and member of the Broncos’ Orange Crush defense
“Innately, we kind of all knew, but he drove that home, that if we wanted to be successful, we were going to have to beat the . Again, he was so passionate about the game he would say the kind of things that you’d think might come from a player when it comes how bad he wants to beat them, what he thinks of them. He was fun to be around. He was a good coach, but he had an excellent sense of humor. He could laugh with us, but when it was time to get on people and give them a little kick in the butt, he was able to do that.
“There’s a certain aspect of going to the Super Bowl and having that success in the playoffs that even though we lost the game and lost badly in the Super Bowl, I think there was a legitimacy to that season and that team. And of course some of the building blocks of that go all the way back to the Billy Thompsons and the Lyle Alzados and Paul Smiths and the entire grouping of Broncos that came before us that hadn’t had a chance to be in the playoffs. Everything changes when Pat Bowlen takes over (in 1984), but from that point on (in 1977), I like to think of the Denver Broncos as highly successful. From that moment on, this organization has done nothing but made me proud.”
Steve Foley
Former safety and member of the Broncos’ Orange Crush defense
“You’ve heard it said that most teams assume the leadership qualities of the coach. Red gave us what we needed to really get to the next level. He gave us that fight, that ‘walk out there with a chip on your shoulder’ attitude that we were great. When a coach gives you that and he’s that type of guy, you just follow. I can remember as the (1977) season started to build, we thought we’re as good as anybody that steps on a football field. We’re as good as them. And we played that way.”
Billy Thompson
Ring of Fame defensive back and member of the Broncos’ Orange Crush defense
“What I remember most about him was he was a very, very hard-nosed coach with a lot of passion. He came to us in ’77 and I think it was the exact thing that we needed. We needed his passion to push us to our first . It was one of the most remarkable things and one of the things I’ll never forget about my career and he was responsible for that.”
Joe Ellis
Broncos president and CEO
“You could tell how much the Broncos meant to Red, and he’s meant so much to everyone here. Red was overjoyed to get that phone call in May notifying him of his Ring of Fame selection, and we’re all very saddened that he won’t be able to join us when we honor him in November.”
