Fav unknown Broncos

[BlitzingDog]

ya know the guys people never remember?

Vance Johnson is my fav all time but even he doesn't count in this. I am talking about the guys like Darius Johnson, Tony Veland, John Grandby, Arthur Marshall, Cedric Tillman, Tony Kimbrough, Le-Lo Lang, Shawn Moore, Greg Lewis, Derrick Clark, Alton Montgomery, Darren Drozdov.

Heck not even Derek Russell or Allen Aldridge count in this game. ;)

[elsid13]

Orson Mobley,, When I was kid, family went to American Bowl in London, Biggest man on the field.

[Northman]

i liked Arthur Marshall, thought he was a pretty decent WR.

[Atlas]

I always liked Clarence Kay. He had some off field problems but I loved the way he played. How physical he was and how he always stuck up for his team mates. Plus he hated the Faiders and was always scrapping with those bastards.

[-Slap-]

Randy Hilliard, without a doubt. The guy stuck around the NFL without any discernable football skills for nine years. He played four years in Denver, his final game was the most important in franchise history. He wasn't big, he wasn't fast. He couldn't cover a baby with a blanket. He recorded three of his five career interceptions as a Bronco. He never scored a touchdown or even recovered a fumble.

He nearly died on the field in the final moments Super Bowl XXXII when Steve Atwater went T-27 and decided to terminate all life forms in the immediate vicinity. Most of us remember that play, but my favorite Randy Hilliard moment came earlier in that game when he beat the piss out of Roid Ranger Travis Jervey at mid field on a punt return. Along with Eddie Mac's demolition of Brian Williams on that crackback and Atwiter's ongoing hunter/killer mission, the Broncos showed the Packers that they were they to kick ass that Sunday and kick ass they did.

Here's to you, Randy Hilliard. You made good, Scrubby. Flash that Ring with pride.

[-Slap-]

I always liked Clarence Kay. He had some off field problems but I loved the way he played. How physical he was and how he always stuck up for his team mates. Plus he hated the Faiders and was always scrapping with those bastards.

He spat on Rod Martin as a rookie. That permanently earned him a special place in my heart.

[Spider]

Tony Lilly ...... will never forget the hit he laid on Seahawks Running back Curt Warner ...

Larry Canada was another RB for the Broncos back in the late 70's

[Atlas]

Tony Lilly ...... will never forget the hit he laid on Seahawks Running back Curt Warner ...

Larry Canada was another RB for the Broncos back in the late 70's

I hated Lilly. I got tired of seeing the back of his jersey as he hopelessly chased an opponent to the endzone.

[Spider]

I hated Lilly. I got tired of seeing the back of his jersey as he hopelessly chased an opponent to the endzone.
LOL , yeah that was a Problem more often then not .....But damn that hit was huge , I rank it up there with Dennis smiths Hit on Dave Casper , and Thurman Thomas , Karl Mecklinburgs Hit on Marcus Allen , Steve Atwaters hit on the Nigerian Nightmare , Al Wilsons decapitation of Todd Heap ;D

[big56fan#1]

I liked Jeff Alexander a RB from 1988 & 1989 also played in NFLE when it was the WFL (world football league) and was in the top 5 in rushing over there. didnt do a whole lot but did a good job filling in when needed,ran with power.
I liked Kenny Walker the deaf D-lineman from Nebraska didnt do a whole lot while with the Broncos but hes story was different.

[Sir Mawn]

SIR MAWN WILSON! and Le-lo Lang

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Ken Criter though I doubt many here ever heard of him. He played LB and special teams 69' - 74'. He even returned kickoffs and a couple punts. He was an animal on coverage teams, earning them the nickname Criter's Critters!
Plus he's my 3rd cousin, 2nd uncle or something like that :)

[Tredici]

Mike Horan. Simply because he's the last coffin corner punter the league has seen.

[easymobee]

Blake Ezor

Ken Karcher ( I was too young to understand the whole "Scab" part of it, but i always thought he would be a better backup than Kubiak ).

Randy Robbins ( If he wasn't stuck behind the best Safety duo ever, i think he would have been a good starter ).

Greg Kragen

Arthur Marshall

Nate Wayne ( He always looked real good in preseason for us, i wasn't surprised that he went on to a good career )

Barry Rose ( Travis McGriff clone we used to bring in every preseason that never once dropped a pass and usually lasted until the last cut )

[stoxman]

i liked Arthur Marshall, thought he was a pretty decent WR.

ABSOLUTELY! I remember my season ticket year ('93) when I would sit in the wonderful confines of Mile High and would call out to the mighty John himself the jersey number of Arthur (if memory serves--it's been awhile--"86"?). You had to love his one man dismantling of the Raiders in a late night game in 1992 and in 1993 he treated us fans to that nifty little endzone shuffle after a touchdown. Yep...I liked him and was shocked we traded him for a 7th---who turned out to be none other than Tom Nalen!! Another reason to like him LOL.

I'd throw out "CHICKEN" Braxton into the discussion. He seemingly had no speed or real skills but moving him to safety resurrected his career and he was certainly a solid contributor.

I loved watching Brad Daluiso kick the dang thing outta the park every time...that was fun.

Before our pre-dominant running game we had guys like Rod Bernstine and Robert Delpino that were kind of fun to watch running behind a not so great line.

I'll agree with Vance Johnson....I've posted here before how when he caught that game winner against the Chiefs I leaped off the couch and spilled the whole plate of lasagna on my parent's floor---left a nice stain. LOL

You had to love Shane Dronett (or as, Mike Ditka, would say....Shane DRO-NAY) do his Ditch digger move after a sack. That was hilarious.

People outside Denver don't know about Simon Fletcher---he was freakin' special.

Lots of lots of unsung heros in our franchise...no time to list them all! Nice thread topic though. REP.

[Breck Bronc]

Published author, newspaper columnist, television host, and special teams regular Reggie Rivers.

5th round WR Muneer Moore, who never got the chance to show the promise he had, thanks to a bad knee injury.

Monday Night Football scab hero Joe Dudek.

And, of course, Bo Hickey.

[stoxman]

Published author, newspaper columnist, television host, and special teams regular Reggie Rivers.

5th round WR Muneer Moore, who never got the chance to show the promise he had, thanks to a bad knee injury.

Monday Night Football scab hero Joe Dudek.

And, of course, Bo Hickey.



HOW THE HELL COULD I LEAVE OUT REGGIE RIVERS?......NICE CALL! THAT GUY WAS TRULY COOL! Some rep for you too! ^5

[jebures]

Keith Kartz C (he was our tom nalen before tom nalen)
Brian Habib G (big part of our first super bowl line)
Ray Crockett CB (he was as steady of a corner that we had in the nineties)
Glynn Milburn RB (that little guy recorded the most total yards ever in a game)
Harold Hasselbach DE (Solid player for years)
Lionel Washington CB (Old as dirt CB when we got him, still played young.
Michael Young WR (A great third down receiver for the bronocs< i can still remember how hge he was for us the season we lost 55-10 to San Fran.)

[Sir Mawn]

No love for Butler By'not'e (sp?)? He holds the apostrophe record. ^5

[Atlas]

Ken Criter though I doubt many here ever heard of him. He played LB and special teams 69' - 74'. He even returned kickoffs and a couple punts. He was an animal on coverage teams, earning them the nickname Criter's Critters!
Plus he's my 3rd cousin, 2nd uncle or something like that :)

He was number 53 wasn't he???

[Bronco9798]

Some of my favorites from the past, although not unknown, were Wilhite, Winder, and Rulon Jones. Loved the back-flips from Gerald and remember him best for the Bronco/Colt game when the Broncos were down 19-0 I believe and he was involved with John on a few big plays for the huge 4th qtr comeback. Winder wouldn't dazzle you or make you go Ewwwww or Awwww,,but he was a class act and always grinded out the tough yards.

Those were some rough years, but some very enjoyable moments.....

[Bronco_Beerslug]

He was number 53 wasn't he???
Yeah, he wore 78 for his first couple years and then 53. Randy G wore 52 until Ken retired.

[orange 4 life]

how about bob swenson.

not unknown by bronco fans, but ignored by anyone else.

fact is, he was a fantastic linebacker, but because he was next to gradishar and jackson he pretty much flew under the radar. same goes for rizzo.

slap,

great post. hilliard was a scrappy dude.

[Atlas]

how about bob swenson.

not unknown by bronco fans, but ignored by anyone else.

fact is, he was a fantastic linebacker, but because he was next to gradishar and jackson he pretty much flew under the radar. same goes for rizzo.

slap,

great post. hilliard was a scrappy dude.


Swenson was great a knee injury ended his career. I liked Steve Busik. I think he could have been a tremendous player. After the Broncos traded for Hunely they traded Busik to the Rams where he promptly blew out his knee in training camp. Too bad.

[Clockwork Orange]

My favorite player that the Broncos themselves seem to have forgotten has to be Simon Fletcher.

Michael Young, Mike Lodish & David Diaz-Infante deserve a mention.

[Rock Chalk]

Jeremiah Castille for making Byner fumbl.

[Sir Mawn]

Jeremiah Castille for making Byner fumbl.

REP

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Swenson was my man, but how about Joe Rizzo - Mr. Merchant Marine Academy.

Had a nice career until he took that cheap shot from Don Hasselback. That is why I will always cheer against Hasseldick's kids even though he was a CU alum.

[Mr Chatterboodamn]

Wyman Henderson

[Play2win]

Ray Crocket is one of my all time favorites. I don't know if he would count for this list, but if he does, to me, its a no-doubter.

I think he was probably the 3rd best CB we ever had. I remember games when he was in there, basically shutting down his receiver, would get hurt, out of the game, all of a sudden his receiver that he had me covering, start making catches and completions. Ray comes back in the game, and shuts him down again.

I think alot of people don't know how good we had it with Crocket. Alot of people just didn't notice how good he was, and I guess that a sign of a real good cover corner.

[Tredici]

Leading intercepter in team history is Steve Foley but he never gets much of mention among all the other terrific safeties who have played in orange.

He had the worst Louisiana drawl you've ever heard.

[Great13]

OL- Dave & Doug Widell
RB- Melvin Bratton, Gaston Green
CB- Ben Smith, Kip Corrington

I rememebr tony kimbrough... wasn't he supposed to be super fast or something like that? poor guy didn't amount to anything.

[Atlas]

Ray Crocket is one of my all time favorites. I don't know if he would count for this list, but if he does, to me, its a no-doubter.

I think he was probably the 3rd best CB we ever had.
.

Champ Bailey
Louie Wright
Billy Thompson
Mike Harden
Ray Crocket

[scorpio]

Reggie Rivers is still quite the character. anybody read his book, "4th and Fixed"? Supposed to be a pretty good crime/mystery novel about football. Maybe I'll go see if they have it at barnes & noble.

[Play2win]

Champ Bailey
Louie Wright
Billy Thompson
Mike Harden
Ray Crocket

My opinion-

1. Louie Wright (should be in Canton)
2. Champ Bailey (Still needs to Produce here in Denver)
3. Ray Crocket

[Play2win]

OL- Dave & Doug Widell
RB- Melvin Bratton, Gaston Green
CB- Ben Smith, Kip Corrington


I've seen Gaston Green Go down by the WIND of a DLinemen's Arm. NO CONTACT WAS MADE. Literally, just a little breeze could knock that guy down.

But REEVES still ran him up the middle on EVER 1st down play!! :cuss: :garcia:

[Smilin Assassin]

I'll go w/Willie Green for now.

Though I still remember the play vs KC in the playoffs where he actually complained to the ref WHILE the ball was in the air... I still think he's been our best 3rd WR since the already mentioned Michael Young.

[Great13]

I've seen Gaston Green Go down by the WIND of a DLinemen's Arm. NO CONTACT WAS MADE. Literally, just a little breeze could knock that guy down.

But REEVES still ran him up the middle on EVER 1st down play!! :cuss: :garcia:


Yeah but he used to kill my friends on madden... i forget which year.. might have been 93 or 94... but all you had to do was keep jumping and he'd break several tackles....

[Play2win]

Yeah but he used to kill my friends on madden... i forget which year.. might have been 93 or 94... but all you had to do was keep jumping and he'd break several tackles....
Video game or not, Gaston Green breaking tackles?!?

Hilarious! rofl

[-Slap-]

Champ Bailey
Louie Wright
Billy Thompson
Mike Harden
Ray Crocket

Mike Harden better than Ray Crockett?

In what bizarro universe?

Thompson was a much better safety than corner, that's why he was switched early in his career.

Play2Win's list is dead on the money:

1. Louie Wright (should be in Canton)
2. Champ Bailey (Still needs to Produce here in Denver)
3. Ray Crockett

[-Slap-]

Oh, sweet Jesus. I just noticed you have Champ Bailey over Louis Wright, too.

:pity:

[Bronx33]

I've seen Gaston Green Go down by the WIND of a DLinemen's Arm. NO CONTACT WAS MADE. Literally, just a little breeze could knock that guy down.

But REEVES still ran him up the middle on EVER 1st down play!! :cuss:
:garcia:

LOL.............i just have flashbacks of dan reeves running playbook
1-up the middle
2-up the middle (right)
3-up the middle (left)
4- and when these didnt work (up the middle again) they will never expect it!

[orange 4 life]

classic

i knew someone was going to jump all over that.

"oh sweet Jesus..."

hysterical slap. priceless.

i just assumed it was a list that was in no specific order, because well, NO ONE would put them in that particular order.

[SoCalBronco]

Jumpy Geathers

[Smilin Assassin]

Jumpy Geathers


I forgot all about Jumpy.

I loved his 'forklift' move.

Only thing tainting his career in Denver was the lawsuit he filed against the team after it.

Anyone know how that worked out? Did Jumpy get a SB ring?

[Bronx33]

I loved his 'forklift' move.



DITTO!

[orange 4 life]

rick upchurch

no one outside denver has ever heard of him (and alot of young bronco fans havent heard of him either), and he's the best punt returner in the history of the game.

biggest travesty in pat bowlens tenure is the absence of rick upchurch in the ring of fame.

[Tom G]

What a fun thread.

Cudos to Alec for Castille - a nobody who made the 2nd best defensive play in Bronco history (Mobley, of course, the 1st)

And to SoCal for Jumpy

And Orange - did you know that Codi Rice dated Rick Upchurch? She said so the other night on TV. She's a DU grad.

My list includes Jack Dolbin (who made Pro Football Weeklys most underrated of all time roster at WR); Odell Barry, the Broncos 2nd most exciting punt returner; Marlin Brisco, the first black QB to start in the NFL and Tom Erlandson, 4 yr starter at LB in the 60's, who was my wifes boyfriend at Washington State before I stole her away with my charm and good looks vs his studly body.

[Needa Pass Rush]

Ron Egloff (always liked his name!) TE

Rick Parros FB

Luke Prestridge P

[Bronx33]

keyworth

[Denver '78]

the safety Dedric Dodge, I once had a chance to talk to him for about 2 minutes, nice guy.

[BigPlayShay]

Kevin "KC" Clark. The only scab that they kept. I think he ended the punt return for touchdown drought that had existed after Upchurch was done.

[JPEZ]

Leading intercepter in team history is Steve Foley but he never gets much of mention among all the other terrific safeties who have played in orange.

He had the worst Louisiana drawl you've ever heard.
My Dad likes Steve Foley and talked about him a lot!! He is my pick! ;D

[Tom G]

Forgot to mention Keith Bishop for his comment in the huddle of "The Drive"; "We've got 'em right where we want 'em". Classic!

[Evenrude]

Wilhite and Steve Watson were two of my favorite Broncos growing up....

[Clockwork Orange]

I'll throw Vaughn Hebron in there too.

"He too big! He too big! AAAHHHH! He too big!"

[Tredici]

Riley Odoms. He was the first prototype tight end the Broncos had.

[Florida_Bronco]

Brad Trout ~ Safety who played very well in the 99 preseason (interecepted 3 passes that preseason I believe) who showed a lot of potential, but never made it in the NFL.

Tori Noel ~ Very possibly could have had a good career had a neck injury not ended his season.

[Atlas]

Leading intercepter in team history is Steve Foley but he never gets much of mention among all the other terrific safeties who have played in orange.

He had the worst Louisiana drawl you've ever heard.

HE played at Tulane but I thought Foley was from Georgia

[Florida_Bronco]

Randy Hilliard, without a doubt. The guy stuck around the NFL without any discernable football skills for nine years. He played four years in Denver, his final game was the most important in franchise history. He wasn't big, he wasn't fast. He couldn't cover a baby with a blanket. He recorded three of his five career interceptions as a Bronco. He never scored a touchdown or even recovered a fumble.

He nearly died on the field in the final moments Super Bowl XXXII when Steve Atwiter went T-27 and decided to terminate all life forms in the immediate vicinity. Most of us remember that play, but my favorite Randy Hilliard moment came earlier in that game when he beat the piss out of Roid Ranger Travis Jervey at mid field on a punt return. Along with Eddie Mac's demolition of Brian Williams on that crackback and Atwiter's ongoing hunter/killer mission, the Broncos showed the Packers that they were they to kick ass that Sunday and kick ass they did.

Here's to you, Randy Hilliard. You made good, Scrubby. Flash that Ring with pride.

I agree that Hilliard was a fighter, I admire him for that.

Ah yes Atwiter and Super Bowl XXXII, :D I remember that. People talk about how much Elway wanted it, but no one ever mentions Atwater. Odd, because he was just flat out killing everyone in that game.

[JPEZ]

Derek Loville......When he stepped in for TD in that playoff game against the Jags and ran for 103 yrds ;D

[Tredici]

HE played at Tulane but I thought Foley was from Georgia

I don't know where he was from but he had a thick, cajun accent. Plus he used to cook red beans and rice so I probably assumed Louzeeana.

[-Slap-]

Anyone else notice that Steve Atwiter's name keeps getting misspelled.

WTF?

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Anyone else notice that Steve Atwiter's name keeps getting misspelled.

WTF?
My first thought was maybe because the I was next to the A since I'm not an expert keyboarder. Then I thought, well, I'll keep my second thought to myself.

[-Slap-]

My first thought was maybe because the I was next to the A since I'm not an expert keyboarder. Then I thought, well, I'll keep my second thought to myself.

Post his name.

:kiddingme

[DB-Freak]

Atwater WOOO

[Clockwork Orange]

Who misspelled Atwoter?

[-Slap-]

Atwiter WOOO

hmmm...

[Rock Chalk]

Atwater

[Rock Chalk]

Hahahahahahaha wtf mate? at wa ter

[Rock Chalk]

Atwater
Atwater
Atwater
Atwater
Atwater
Atwater

[Denver '78]

Im making sure I don't mispell a name for now on.

[Breck Bronc]

@ h2o

[elwayrulzs]

Steve Sewell, and Jim Ryan.

[Hogan11]

keyworth

You got that right..........John Keyworth, I really liked that guy.

Charlie Johnson......as blasphemous as it is to say......he's still my all time fave Broncos QB.

Not much love for old Jim "High Tops" Turner either I see......who could ever forget him catching that pass for the TD?

[Florida_Bronco]

Anyone else notice that Steve Atwiter's name keeps getting misspelled.

WTF?

I PM'd Taco about it, still waiting for a reply.

[BRONCCRUSHFAN]

Jack Dolbin
Sir Mawn Wilson
Mike Pritchard.

[Tredici]

Steve AtH20

[Atlas]

I don't know where he was from but he had a thick, cajun accent. Plus he used to cook red beans and rice so I probably assumed Louzeeana.


If that is all you got than yes he went to college at Tulane BUT he is from Georgia. So in reality that is just a strong SOUTHERN accecnt. WHich I agree with 100%.

[wabbit]

I admit I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but I read quite a few...and a real unknown that toiled for years as a back-up...and gets virtually no mention from anyone...

RB Fran Lynch

He backed up the great Floyd Little, and did so very effectively, played on every Special Teams unit, and the highest salary he ever earned was $45,000...not really great money even back then.

A real team guy who had opportunities to leave for a possible starting gig, but loved Denver too much to leave.

My hero among the unknowns

[Mr. Trout]

Tony Lilly ...... will never forget the hit he laid on Seahawks Running back Curt Warner ...

Larry Canada was another RB for the Broncos back in the late 70's


Wasn't Lilly the white dude in all of the highlights getting his ass completely burned all the time...especially in the super bowl vs. the niners

[Mr. Trout]

I kinda liked Robert Delpino...He was a badass in Joe Montana football '94

[Bronx33]

You got that right..........John Keyworth, I really liked that guy.

Charlie Johnson......as blasphemous as it is to say......he's still my all time fave Broncos QB.

Not much love for old Jim "High Tops" Turner either I see......who could ever forget him catching that pass for the TD?

Remember they had a song about him (give the ball to keyworth) just a little story my wife worked with keyworths daughter i had my wife get me signed keyworth picture and then my wife fired her. true story

[Arkie]

http://www.coj.net/NR/rdonlyres/evs2472biimecgaj7eskcxms3557clahgbnvtpixpdaboc5vsj wqg5ane3t4z5hvdigerqlja4g3z2fb72gbujd74gf/Al-Denson-Football-Card-web.gif

[-Slap-]

I kinda liked Robert Delpino...He was a badass in Joe Montana football '94

Kind of a poor man's Sammy Winder.

[Tredici]

If that is all you got than yes he went to college at Tulane BUT he is from Georgia. So in reality that is just a strong SOUTHERN accecnt. WHich I agree with 100%.

If that's all I've got? Had to go and throw down the glove didn't ya?

The Steve Foley Charity Golf Tournament is one of two annual fund raising event for the Colorado Aerospace Education Foundation (CAEF). This tournament is named in honor of Steve Foley, an ex-Denver Bronco (Steve played safety and still holds the all-time Bronco interception record with 44) who has been very supportive of the CAEF for the past four years. Steve is a native of Louisiana and starred as a quarterback at Tulane University. Steve, and his wife Cindy, live in Denver. Their son, David, is a member of the Colorado State University football team as a defensive back, following in his Dad's footsteps.

The above is happening on July 5th.

[Atlas]

If that's all I've got? Had to go and throw down the glove didn't ya?

The Steve Foley Charity Golf Tournament is one of two annual fund raising event for the Colorado Aerospace Education Foundation (CAEF). This tournament is named in honor of Steve Foley, an ex-Denver Bronco (Steve played safety and still holds the all-time Bronco interception record with 44) who has been very supportive of the CAEF for the past four years. Steve is a native of Louisiana and starred as a quarterback at Tulane University. Steve, and his wife Cindy, live in Denver. Their son, David, is a member of the Colorado State University football team as a defensive back, following in his Dad's footsteps.

The above is happening on July 5th.

LOL... You are awesome. I'm not worthy!!!!

[Play2win]

You got that right..........John Keyworth, I really liked that guy.

Charlie Johnson......as blasphemous as it is to say......he's still my all time fave Broncos QB.

Not much love for old Jim "High Tops" Turner either I see......who could ever forget him catching that pass for the TD?

Hey, Hogan, is that DICK DALE?!?!

I saw him at the CATWALK in Seatlle a few years ago.

I'll lay it down for the King of the Surf Guitar!!! :militia:

[Play2win]

Kind of a poor man's Sammy Winder.

How can any man get any POORER (at the game of football) than Sammy Winder?

He was a PERFECT MATCH for Dan Reeves.

[Bronx33]

How can any man get any POORER (at the game of football) than Sammy Winder?

He was a PERFECT MATCH for Dan Reeves.

HA!
ROFL!

[-Slap-]

How can any man get any POORER (at the game of football) than Sammy Winder?

He was a PERFECT MATCH for Dan Reeves.

Boooooooooo!

:cuss:

Sammy Winder was cool. That undersized offensive line couldn't run block for ****. I would take Sammy over all of the Three Big Egos put together.

http://www.sportsattic.com/nflphoto/photos7/Winder,Sammy2.jpg

[Spider]

Wasn't Lilly the white dude in all of the highlights getting his ass completely burned all the time...especially in the super bowl vs. the niners
Maybe you missed this ........http://66.49.247.155/BB/showpost.php?p=635526&postcount=9
and can you point ot 1 Bronco on Defense that didnt get burned ?
Only 1 I can think of was Mecklinburg , and he was legged whipped taken out of the game ...... Please feel free to show me other Bronco defencive players making plays

[Play2win]

HA!
ROFL!
Hey, everybody has there favorites. And least favorites. And those two (Reeves and Winder) were probably mine.

Even more than Carter, Ihop and maybe Quitterson. Because many of those were complete losers, and I didn't really consider them Broncos.

But Reeves and Sammy Winder, we had to put up with them game after game, year after year. Build up our false hope, and then just do the same old predictable stuff.

But now that I think of it, I can't stand Quitterson either. Born Looser.

Top 3 Least Favorite Broncos:

-Reeves
-Sammy Winder
-Quitterson

[Spider]

Question for Mr. Trout .....Was Lilly Playing for the Broncos in SB XXIV ?

[Play2win]

Boooooooooo!

:cuss:

Sammy Winder was cool. That undersized offensive line couldn't run block for ****. I would take Sammy over all of the Three Big Egos put together.

Maybe, its just me, but I just got so sick and tired of everytime I see Winder given the ball and we need a conversion, I just pray that we get some kind of positive yardage, because I am almost taking it for granted we're not going to convert.

Maybe it wasn't his fault, maybe it was Reeves/OLine/Playcalling, but all I know is I would continue to see him shuttle back and forth and hardly get any yards what-so-ever. He seemed to be the Anti-thesis of our (current) one cut and go backs. Sammy Winder drove me almost completely crazy. And he is definitely on of my least favorite Broncos.

[-Slap-]

Maybe, its just me, but I just got so sick and tired of everytime I see Winder given the ball and we need a conversion, I just pray that we get some kind of positive yardage, because I am almost taking it for granted we're not going to convert.

Maybe it wasn't his fault, maybe it was Reeves/OLine/Playcalling, but all I know is I would continue to see him shuttle back and forth and hardly get any yards what-so-ever. He seemed to be the Anti-thesis of our (current) one cut and go backs. Sammy Winder drove me almost completely crazy. And he is definitely on of my least favorite Broncos.

I guess I look at from a standpoint of expectations. Sammy Winder couldn't help what he was, but he got 100% out of his admittedly meager abilities. Put Sammy Winder's heart into Bo Jackson's body and you would have had to ban him from the sport because he would have cranked out 250 yards a game week after week.

Remember when we could never find a decent backup for Terrell Davis and we wound up running him into the ground before his time? I always wished we would have had a young Sammy Winder on the roster in the backup role. For all we know, TD might still be playing today.

[Odysseus]

Gene Mingo - This guy was just fun
Cookie Gilchrist - Just because he played here
Barney Chavous - I've met him several times. I liked him.
Rulon Jones - Fun watching him play
Alfred Williams - I loved his enthusiasm - Started a data warehousing comany
Dave Studdard - Nothing flashy
Steve Sewell - Works with the Broncos - Awesome person
Maa Taanuvasa - Just played football

Some of the already mentioned...
Floyd Little - He was SUCH an impact player. I loved that guy.
Jerimiah Castille - Wow! 1 very big play.
Simon Fletcher - I liked his reastaurant - Great player
Tyrone Braxton - Almost got cut every year but a great player
Marlin Brisco- He actually was pretty good
Fran Lynch - Thanks Wabbit.
Keith Bishop - Hilarious man
Jumpy Geathers - He played with passion

My favorite unknown Broncos is the fans (The 12th Man) of the Denver Broncos. They rocked Mile High and believed in this team long before they won anything. There were some good times in the old stadium.

[Odysseus]

Remember when we could never find a decent backup for Terrell Davis and we wound up running him into the ground before his time? I always wished we would have had a young Sammy Winder on the roster in the backup role. For all we know, TD might still be playing today.

Hall of Fame career

[Bronco9798]

Wasn't Lilly the white dude in all of the highlights getting his ass completely burned all the time...especially in the super bowl vs. the niners

That's him. Pathetic cover guy but could lay a few tackles. He was pathetic in the Super Bowl......

[Spider]

That's him. Pathetic cover guy but could lay a few tackles. He was pathetic in the Super Bowl......
you sure about that ? or are you thinking of Randy Robbins ?

[Atlas]

you sure about that ? or are you thinking of Randy Robbins ?

Lilly was it. Robbins was a good player.

[-Slap-]

Keth Bishop went to work for the DEA (http://www.sigepbaylor.com/pages/bishoparticle.htm)

http://www.sigepbaylor.com/profiles/photos/kbishop1.jpg

[From the Dallas Observer, August 17, 2000]

Cloaked in darkness, 10 Drug Enforcement Administration agents close in on a rickety trailer in rural Navarro County. They're about 55 miles south of Dallas just off Interstate 45 in a typically barren, woodsy section of North Texas, unspectacular in its rustic appeal--or its drug problem. Like any other county in any other state, whether replete with big cities or septic tanks, Navarro has a fair share of degenerates mixed among its 40,000 or so upstanding citizens. Somewhere inside the trailer are four to six troublemakers who are currently nurturing a most unstable, potentially explosive blend of methamphetamines in a do-it-yourself lab. The obvious objective is to refine the intoxicating chemicals for sale to street pushers at an impressive profit.

This, of course, is why the DEA, with the assistance of the Navarro County Sheriff's Office, is here.

Slowly, carefully, the raid team makes its way toward the trailer's door. Only a stream of cold breath on this chilly evening six months ago gives notice of their nighttime arrival. Among the party crashers is Special Agent Keith Bishop. He is an eight-year veteran of the DEA--not that the experience quells his anxiety. It's a prerequisite, the heightened awareness and accelerated heartbeat--as common a companion as the all-black, flame retardant clothes and boots, or weighty handcuffs and retractable baton.

http://www.sigepbaylor.com/profiles/photos/kbishop2.jpg

"You never know what to expect once you go through the door," Bishop says months later, recalling the operation. As his eyes narrow and focus, it's as though he's there again, in Navarro County, readying to bust down the door instead of recounting tales of the sortie from this nondescript room in this uninteresting office building that the Dallas DEA calls home. "It's a real team effort. There's a lot of trust that goes into an operation. You have to have complete faith in your group because everyone has a different responsibility. Everyone who goes in reacts off of what the first guy through the door does."

"You never know what to expect once you go through the door," Bishop says months later, recalling the operation. As his eyes narrow and focus, it's as though he's there again, in Navarro County, readying to bust down the door instead of recounting tales of the sortie from this nondescript room in this uninteresting office building that the Dallas DEA calls home. "It's a real team effort. There's a lot of trust that goes into an operation. You have to have complete faith in your group because everyone has a different responsibility. Everyone who goes in reacts off of what the first guy through the door does."

On this particular seizure attempt, Bishop is slotted to be one of the first four guys through the entrance. Attached to his hip is a Glock .45 caliber pistol; slung over his shoulder is an M-16 fully automatic assault rifle; protecting his chest is a bullet-resistant Kevlar vest. Notice that's not bullet-proof--DEA agents wear bullet-resistant jackets because they're lighter and allow for more maneuverability, though the vests don't have the stopping power of the other models. Lucky them.

But he isn't worried about being vulnerable. Bishop, in fact, thinks none of that stuff--neither the Kevlar nor the firearms--will be needed. Still, the adrenaline whips through his veins and his senses are fully alert. He lives for this rush, or maybe the rush lives for him. After all, he's a constant catalyst for action. His whole life has been spent this way, doing things the rest of us only dream about or catch on TV. Here, now, he seems more than 10 years removed from his former occupation as an All-Pro offensive lineman with the Denver Broncos. One who went from being a relatively unknown sixth-round draft pick out of Baylor University in 1980 to a starting guard on three AFC Championship teams before retiring in 1990. One who let fly, from usually pursed lips, the most famous words on the most famous drive in playoff history. One who protected the invaluable right arm of John Elway throughout the latter-half of the '80s and in three Super Bowls. One who was as revered for his pleasant disposition as he was feared for his enormous ability and stature.

Professional football, to be sure, was exhilarating in its own right--the travel and fame and adoration of 60,000-plus screaming fans--but ultimately it was just a game. Miss a block, what's the big deal? What's the worst that could happen? A few people grumble? His teammates are pissed? The head coach chews him out?

It wasn't like this, where he's a Tom Clancy character come to life, where one mistake could prove disastrous. Miss a bad guy with a loaded weapon and things could go horribly awry. For Keith Bishop, that kind of misstep might mean the difference between kissing his wife, Mary, and his three children goodnight, or becoming a statistic. Or, just as grimly, watching a dear friend and co-worker suffer the same undesirable fate.

It's funny. He was a celebrity not long ago, a flesh-and-blood deity in Denver, as were most of the Broncos. He could have retired to a ranch in a neighboring suburb, could have bought a car dealership or coached a college team or wasted away on a veranda sipping lemonade and milking the glory years for all their worth. It's an existence so many of us fantasize about while we're stuck on congested roadways or arguing with incompetent superiors.

If only I had the money and the time, I'd...

Keith Bishop could have made our fantasy a reality. But that would have been a hollow, shallow existence, more death than life. Only now has he found true purpose, working to put drug dealers away and trying his hardest to rid countless communities of a particular ill.

In a very real way, Bishop is saving lives--and risking them, as he is about to be reminded.

As the agents announce themselves to the vagrants inside the trailer, they hear clamoring but no audible response. No one bothers to answer the door (if you were making a bunch of illegal narcotics and someone yelled "Police!" outside, would you play Suzie Homemaker and see who'd just come knocking?).

Needless to say, the raiding party has to double as its own welcoming committee.

"Yeah," says Jimmie Spencer, a captain with the Navarro County Sheriff's Department, who regularly works with the Dallas DEA and Bishop and was present that night, "we had to go and open the door ourselves."

That, Spencer says, is when things got animated.

Once inside, the agents order the suspects to stay where they are and raise their hands. They comply. That is, most of them comply. While the others stand motionless, one of the "chemists" chooses a more proactive option, grabbing a nearby rag and setting it aflame.

"He was trying to blow us all up, the lab and all of us," Bishop says. No doubt some of his graying, thinning hair comes compliments of the incident. "All that stuff is very combustible, not just the chemicals, but the vapor. If there had been ether where he was aiming that rag..."

He trails off, but you know the rest. There's no ref here, no one to call a penalty for unnecessary roughness by a meth freak. The consequences could be dire.

Fortunately, as the suspect does his best to flambé the unwanted guests and everyone else present, Bishop notices the individual and immediately responds. At 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, the 43-year-old still has the quickness that made him one of the best linemen in football nearly a decade earlier. Bishop swiftly reaches the would-be pyro and "detains" him (which is probably DEA-speak for "ass-whuppin' ") before the trailer home goes kaboom. No one was there with a stopwatch, but you suspect it would have made for an impressive time in the 40. Good thing, too, because if Bishop had been a second or two too slow, they might all be fricasseed.

"That situation kind of aroused our attention," Spencer, who's been with the Sheriff's Department for nearly 27 years, says matter-of-factly. "There's always that chance that something could go wrong. Luckily, we've all come out OK. DEA does one thing: It takes great precaution in protecting their agents and accompanying law enforcement. They're highly trained."

Maybe, but that wouldn't make the average Joe sleep any more soundly if he'd almost gotten killed on a drug raid. Too much drama. But Keith Bishop isn't most of us, he's always been special in one way or another. He says he doesn't think about that stuff. Says he doesn't let it bother him. Says if he did, it would affect his job and the livelihood of his group.

"It's a team effort," Bishop repeats through gray-blue eyes. Wearing a baby-blue button-down shirt, blue jeans, and reptile-skin cowboy boots, he looks and talks like the Midland native he is, though his wit and intelligence belie any stereotype you can think of about country boys. "In those situations, you revert back to your training. Hopefully, you've trained well and you've developed good habits. You hope your team has, too. There's a lot of trust that goes into it. It's not about one person, it's about the team."

It's a cliché, that team thing, but you excuse it because, well, in Keith Bishop's world it's not rhetoric, it's truth. Always has been.

While most NFL players worry about contracts and endorsements, television appearances, and statistics, Bishop managed to avoid all that hubbub. Some of it had to do with the anonymity associated with the position he played--how many high-profile offensive linemen can you name off the top of your head?--but most of it had to do with the kind of person he is. Ask around and you quickly discover that Bishop was the anti-neo-jock, that he worried about the Broncos and his family more than he worried about himself. Strange, especially seeing how plenty of athletes would gladly Gillooly their mothers for an extra hundred grand in signing bonuses.

It's that quality, that us-first-me-never attitude, that no doubt endeared him to his teammates, the Denver faithful, and his coaches. In a 1997 Denver Post story, Adam Schefter wrote that "there was a reason offensive line coach Alex Gibbs loved Keith Bishop; though he had limited skills, Bishop was a massive overachiever and a two-time Pro Bowl selection."

Neither of which defines his career on the field. Rather, Bishop will forever be remembered for one particular sequence of one particular game.

In 1986, with 4:25 remaining and 98 yards between Denver and the end zone, the Broncos had the weight of the world, or at least the mile-high community, on their shoulders in the AFC championship game at Cleveland. Things seemed bleak at best, hopeless at worst. The team was tight, unsure, nervy. To compound their problems, the Dawg Pound (the Browns' notoriously vocal cheering section) began throwing batteries and eggs at the Broncos. Both found their mark, intermittently smashing against Bishop's helmet.

With chaos surrounding him and plenty of tension in the huddle, Bishop broke a glacier's worth of ice in the huddle with a joke, saying "We've got 'em right where we want 'em." Everyone laughed. Funnier still, his statement proved prophetic. The Broncos, thanks to some theatrics by Elway, moved smartly down the field for a game-tying score that eventually propelled them to their first Super Bowl. It was such an incredible comeback that the feat is simply and widely referred to now as "The Drive." (Meanwhile, in the Mistake by the Lake, they still hold support groups for disconsolate fans.)

After that, all anyone wanted to talk about was "The Drive" and "The Quote." Did you really say that, Keith? Huh, huh, did you say it, huh? Come on, you didn't really say it, did you, huh?

Lots of press for a solid but otherwise unnoticed offensive lineman. Lots of opportunity to lose sight of himself and bask in the warm glow only a camera crew's lights can afford. He could have done it with a little help, could have sold out and parlayed the celebrity into serious coin and a famous mug. Surely a lot of us would have been tempted.

Not Keith Bishop. Not his style.

Instead, he answered questions in a polite Texas drawl and kept to himself, all the while delving into his newfound "hobby."

Some of us paint, some listen to music or jog or lift weights. Some of us do drugs or drink or go whoring. Again, Keith Bishop's not most of us. He didn't do any of that as stress relief. He rode in police cars.

Now, upon hearing that, what with him being an NFLer and all, you'd think he was getting a lift to the Pokey. (Considering all the trouble players and former players like Rae Carruth and Michael Irvin have had, the boys in blue are more chauffeur than peace-keeper to the National Football League these days.) But no, it was nothing like that. He was merely interested in what they did, wanted a first-hand look, a behind-the-scenes COPS episode for himself.

When Bishop was playing, NFL teams began using off-duty police officers to serve as plain-clothes, unarmed bodyguards of sorts. The Broncos employed several of these, including now-Deputy Chief Dave Abrams, Sgt. Mark Lewis, and technician Kenny Overman. In time, the trio was taken on the road, acting as liaisons to security details in other cities. Through the course of their travels, and during home games at Mile High Stadium, each of them became friends with Bishop, who, according to Spencer, "never meets a stranger." Being curious about law enforcement, Bishop asked if he could tag along one night. His new pals were only too happy to oblige.

"I was working night shift back then," says Lewis, who has been in Denver's Metro SWAT for 13 years, "so he'd come along usually on a Monday because they'd have off the next day. If anything major happened while we were out, he'd sit in the back seat.

"But he was always very professional. He always wanted to know how we did things. He'd inquire about the ins and outs, how paperwork got done or how it went through the court system. And when we'd see him after a game, he'd ask us about such-and-such a case, wanting to know what happened, who got probation or jail time. He was very good with specifics about cases. He was always interested, especially with the victims. He wanted to know how they were doing, if they were OK. He was concerned about people. You could just tell that."

He wasn't the only Broncos player to garner such special treatment--Steve Watson and Billy Brian, who now works for the FBI, also tagged along at times--but he was the most frequent addition to Denver's Finest. Once or twice a month he'd hitch a ride with Lewis or Overman or someone else and pick their brains. Most of it was routine--bar brawls or domestic disturbances and the like--not quite the sexy stuff you see on NYPD Blue. Regardless, whether he knew it or not at the time, Bishop was going through an informal training that would funnel his post-football career into something altogether different.

"It was kind of like for us, he was so excited to see what we do, and we were so excited to see what he does, so we all got along great," says Lewis, 50. "You could see that he respected us. He never touted himself as a pro player. He never tried to big-time us. You could see the respect was mutual. It was great to know that we got that kind of acknowledgment from him, and then for him to follow up and go into the DEA, that was very rewarding for us."

And so it was for Bishop. Eventually.

You don't just up and join the Drug Enforcement Administration like you would your local Blockbuster. They don't just hand you a badge and a gun and a book of clever one-liners (for after the really good busts) and send you on your merry way. Even for applicants with a professional athlete's pedigree, there are painstaking steps to go through.

Upon retirement in 1990, and inspired by Lewis, Overman, and Abrams, Bishop decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. His father, George, used to discuss the frightful effects of drugs with his son, used to tell him about the plague they visit on people, how they cause society to deteriorate from within. Those talks, coupled with the anti-drug stance of his Midland Lee High School coach, Jim Acree, made the DEA a good fit in Bishop's opinion.

There was only one problem. He didn't have a college diploma--the DEA requires its agents to have a four-year degree. When Bishop entered the NFL draft nearly 10 years earlier, he was 15 credit hours shy of a bachelor's in education. But, due to time elapsing and course requirements changing, when he returned to Baylor to finish school, he was informed that he owed 27 hours.

While he polished off the remaining course load, Bishop served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Bears football team. At the same time, five days a week he'd run and lift weights, preparing for possible acceptance into the DEA's strenuous training program in Quantico, Virginia.

"I slimmed down to about 240 pounds," says Bishop, whose square jaw and thick neck give him a don't-mess-with-me look. "I was in the best shape of my life." (His playing weight was a muscular 280 to 285 pounds.)

The hard work didn't go unrewarded. After earning his degree and undergoing a nine-month background check, he shipped off with 40 others for 14 weeks of training courtesy of the DEA. It wasn't easy. Each prospective agent had to pass aptitude tests ranging from a two-mile run in under 10 minutes, 30 seconds (you're not that fast) to push-ups to sit-ups to firearms. If that and the lack of sleep and physical exhaustion weren't enough, the DEA instructors caught wind of the fact that Bishop was a former NFL star. Unlike his friends in Denver's Metro SWAT, the boys at Quantico didn't think it was such an endearing quality.

"They got on me pretty good," Bishop laughs, remembering the verbal abuse. "Afterward, we got to be friends, and they told me about why they did it. They had the agency's best interests at heart. They wanted to make sure I was sincere in wanting to join the DEA."

Continued below...

[-Slap-]

Bishop:

Today, after eight years with the DEA, Bishop is seen as one of the key figures in the Dallas branch office. He's had his share of run-ins and close calls, like the Navarro County raid and an incident during a car stop. After a lengthy surveillance of a suspect, agents targeted a vehicle with a good sum of money in the trunk and pulled it over. When Bishop and his team approached the car, wearing full gear, the woman in the driver's seat put her hand inside her purse but stopped when the DEA shouted to cease her movement--good thing, too, because she was going for a pistol.

"You're not thinking 'Oh, I could have gotten hurt there,'" Bishop says, already forming 5 o'clock shadow at a little past 10 a.m. "It's more 'I'm upset that someone might have forced me to kill them in order to defend myself and my group.' I would have to live with that for the rest of my life. That's the hardest part."

So far, he hasn't been forced to fire his gun. Primarily, he works with wiretaps, helping to coordinate joint efforts between his agency and local law enforcement. In 1997, he worked on Operation META, which targeted the Amezcua-Contrara drug cartel from Mexico. It was the largest methamphetamine sting in DEA history. Bishop, local police and sheriffs departments, the FBI, customs, and DEA branches that had wires in 17 cities from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, were involved in the investigation. By the time it was all over, Operation META resulted in the arrest of 121 members of the trafficking ring and the confiscation of 1,765 pounds of marijuana, 1,100 kilograms of cocaine and 133 pounds of methamphetamine. At the time, the street sale for the bounty, using Dallas-area drug prices, would have been approximately $20 million (the cost of narcotics has since gone down, making it a buyer's market for all you interested parties out there). It's the type of effort that would have been difficult to organize without proper cooperation.

"Nowhere in law enforcement are egos bigger than in narcotics," says Dallas narcotics detective Paul Ellzey, who worked on Operation META. "And when you have local guys dealing with Feds, the right hand doesn't always know what the left hand is doing, know what I mean? But at least in Dallas, with Keith, there was an open door policy. There always is with him. Everything is on the table. With other agents, they don't always let you know what's going on. With Keith, it's not like that at all. I've worked narcotics for 23 years and bar none, he's probably the ace No. 1 guy. He has an outstanding reputation."

"He's one of those guys who always says what 'we' did," agrees Dallas sergeant Rod Bray of the Interdiction Group, who has frequently worked with Bishop. "He doesn't mind the long hours. He'll fall out of bed at four in the morning, do 'round-the-clock investigation, put in his 12-to-18 hours with everyone else, do his paper work the next day and then ask if you need a hand."

Bishop's motivation has served him well. He recently received a promotion that will make him a staff coordinator (a supervisory position) with DEA headquarters outside of Washington, D.C., in Crystal City, Virginia. It's a big step.

"As far as we're concerned, we're losing a very talented agent," says Mike Dromgoole, assistant special agent in charge at the Dallas DEA office. "It's great for the DEA, though. It's a position a lot of the senior guys want. Keith is probably two or three years ahead of what you'd expect for that type of move, especially for somebody without any prior law enforcement experience."

Whereas most of us would have careened off the track and smacked into the wall on turn three, he's had no trouble negotiating the learning curve. Already he's moving up, already he's proved more worthy than the rest.

But, like we said, Keith Bishop isn't most of us.

[Spider]

Tony Lilly got gurned bad in the Redskins SB , But I dont remember him in the Niners SB .....

[Tredici]

I don't think I'd want Bish focusing those steely blues on me if I was an evildoer...

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Boooooooooo!

:cuss:

Sammy Winder was cool. That undersized offensive line couldn't run block for ****. I would take Sammy over all of the Three Big Egos put together.

http://www.sportsattic.com/nflphoto/photos7/Winder,Sammy2.jpg


I was attending a bachelor party at a local "mens club" around the end of Sammy's career. He was wandering around talking to everyone with twenty dollar bills tucked in the hat band of his fedora. He was having a great time talking to everyone joking around and not causing trouble. I wish he would move back to town and open a dive bar, He would be like the bar tender on Cheers, having fun telling stories.

[-Slap-]

I don't think I'd want Bish focusing those steely blues on me if I was an evildoer...

Nah, some guy who spent that much time slugging it out with Michael Dean and Saleamua and Pickel wouldn't be a dude to mess around with.

[-Slap-]

I was attending a bachelor party at a local "mens club" around the end of Sammy's career. He was wandering around talking to everyone with twenty dollar bills tucked in the hat band of his fedora. He was having a great time talking to everyone joking around and not causing trouble. I wish he would move back to town and open a dive bar, He would be like the bar tender on Cheers, having fun telling stories.

The Mississippi Mud Walk was just too cool.

[Tredici]

Jeez. Who could hate Sammy Winder? Let's see here's the extent of Reeves play calling...

Winder up the middle. Winder off right tackle. Winder up the middle. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

And the guy still makes a Pro Bowl.

[Pendejo]

Jeez. Who could hate Sammy Winder? Let's see here's the extent of Reeves play calling...

Winder up the middle. Winder off right tackle. Winder up the middle. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

And the guy still makes a Pro Bowl.

Hah!. I had a Sammy Winder jersey when I was a kid. I really liked that guy.

Slap's right...the Mississippi Mud Walk was probably only the coolest celebration ever.

[Play2win]

Hah!. I had a Sammy Winder jersey when I was a kid. I really liked that guy.

Slap's right...the Mississippi Mud Walk was probably only the coolest celebration ever.
The problem is, he looked like he was walking in mud the rest of the game too...

[Atlas]

Winder would have been a great backup. WHy couldn't Reeves have drafted Thurman Thomas instead of that pile of crap Gregory???

[Hogan11]

Hey, Hogan, is that DICK DALE?!?!

I saw him at the CATWALK in Seatlle a few years ago.

I'll lay it down for the King of the Surf Guitar!!! :militia:

Indeed it is, rep for you! I just saw him in Cleveland last Friday night and he ripped the place up. Very personable as well....got to meet the guy and get a pic with him. I told him "I drove 4 hours to see you" and he said "I drove all the way out from California to see you!" Ha!

Back on the subject at hand.....no one seems to mention Otis Armstrong much anymore either......yeah he isn't unknown, just seemingly shamefully forgotton.

[Play2win]

Indeed it is, rep for you! I just saw him in Cleveland last Friday night and he ripped the place up. Very personable as well....got to meet the guy and get a pic with him. I told him "I drove 4 hours to see you" and he said "I drove all the way out from California to see you!" Ha!

Back on the subject at hand.....no one seems to mention Otis Armstrong much anymore either......yeah he isn't unknown, just seemingly shamefully forgotton.

I saw him in a small, basement of a place, it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

From that moment on, I became as much as Dick Dale fan as I am a Broncos fan. The guy has history, and has been around since the start.

Did he go into his "throw that body oil into the microwave" bit?!? ;D

[No1BroncoFan]

I guess I look at from a standpoint of expectations. Sammy Winder couldn't help what he was, but he got 100% out of his admittedly meager abilities. Put Sammy Winder's heart into Bo Jackson's body and you would have had to ban him from the sport because he would have cranked out 250 yards a game week after week.

Remember when we could never find a decent backup for Terrell Davis and we wound up running him into the ground before his time? I always wished we would have had a young Sammy Winder on the roster in the backup role. For all we know, TD might still be playing today.
Amen! And the way Reeves sh... er... defacated on Winder in his last game is the reason I still despise the man today. Yes we had Green Bay by the throat. Yes, it's not cool to run up the score. But, after sitting behind Bobby Humphrey for most of the season, knowing it was his last game, it was absolutely classless of Reeves to tell Kubiak to kneel on the ball inside their twenty instead of letting Sammy score one more time.

Ben

[Odysseus]

Keith Bishop rocks!

[Tredici]

When I got in to work this morning laying in my chair was an old Denver Bronco pennant with the skinny legged horse in the D Emblem and written across the 'Denver Broncos' in black marker is "Joe Dudek".

Cracked me up. One of the guys I work with was called to his Mom's house this past weekend because she was moving and wanted him to get all of the crap out of her house he had left there. When he came across all his old Bronco memorabilia, he said he knew who needed to give that pennant a home.

Maybe I should get it framed and labeled:

Best Scab Ever.

I love it.

[Atlas]

Amen! And the way Reeves sh... er... defacated on Winder in his last game is the reason I still despise the man today. Yes we had Green Bay by the throat. Yes, it's not cool to run up the score. But, after sitting behind Bobby Humphrey for most of the season, knowing it was his last game, it was absolutely classless of Reeves to tell Kubiak to kneel on the ball inside their twenty instead of letting Sammy score one more time.

Ben

Geez big deal get over it.

I remember at the end of the game Sammy and Humphrey and a couple of other players went to the end zone and did one last Mississippi mud dance. That was great.

[bronco militia]

Sammy Winder and Jim Ryan were a couple of my favorite no names.....

but 5 pages and nobody mentions Greg Kragen? Played NT at 260 for 13 years with Denver and Carolina. He could just flat out dominate at times.

[Atlas]

Sammy Winder and Jim Ryan were a couple of my favorite no names.....

but 5 pages and nobody mentions Greg Kragen? Played NT at 260 for 13 years with Denver and Carolina. He could just flat out dominate at times.

Rep to you

Kragen was great. I loved that guy. Everyone always said he was too small but he always played well. I remember after he left Denver he went to Jacksonville and played 3 or 4 more years. He had a greeat career.

[BlitzingDog]

Randy Hilliard, without a doubt. The guy stuck around the NFL without any discernable football skills for nine years. He played four years in Denver, his final game was the most important in franchise history. He wasn't big, he wasn't fast. He couldn't cover a baby with a blanket. He recorded three of his five career interceptions as a Bronco. He never scored a touchdown or even recovered a fumble.

He nearly died on the field in the final moments Super Bowl XXXII when Steve Atwiter went T-27 and decided to terminate all life forms in the immediate vicinity. Most of us remember that play, but my favorite Randy Hilliard moment came earlier in that game when he beat the piss out of Roid Ranger Travis Jervey at mid field on a punt return. Along with Eddie Mac's demolition of Brian Williams on that crackback and Atwiter's ongoing hunter/killer mission, the Broncos showed the Packers that they were they to kick ass that Sunday and kick ass they did.

Here's to you, Randy Hilliard. You made good, Scrubby. Flash that Ring with pride.


yup, I liked Hilliard too.

Anyone remember Frank Robinson CB?

[BlitzingDog]

Phil Yeboah-Kodie.

Some of these guys mentioned are known names like : Clarence Kay, Keith Kartz, Ray Crockett, Greg Kragen etc.

[BlitzingDog]

Reggie Rivers is still quite the character. anybody read his book, "4th and Fixed"? Supposed to be a pretty good crime/mystery novel about football. Maybe I'll go see if they have it at barnes & noble.

I read his book on Vance Johnson, very interesting.

Kip Corrignton and Ben Smith.. ahhh yes, Ben I always remember for giving up that monday night TD to Willie Davis! :( I am a big DB fan, so I remember all these guys well.

[BlitzingDog]

Kevin "KC" Clark. The only scab that they kept. I think he ended the punt return for touchdown drought that had existed after Upchurch was done.


That is who I meant, not Darrin Clark, my bad.

Dodge was a Shanny castoff from SF that he liked. I remember he got in a car accident but was fine.

[BlitzingDog]

Lilly was it. Robbins was a good player.


yup, you always see Lilly getting torched on Super Bowl highlights.

Anyone remember, Darren Carrington? Was better known when he was in San Diego, but he was a S and did some KR for us. Here is a name I bet not many remember, he was drafted by us but never made the team... Curtis Mayfield WR.

How bout Coliar Cash?
Bob Meeks?
Reggie Johnson?
Muhamoud Oliver?
Ronnie Bradford? Not coaching for us.


Im sure everyone remembers Tim McKyer playing for us, he played on every other team in the NFL.

Selwyn Jones?

[Florida_Bronco]

Im sure everyone remembers Tim McKyer playing for us, he played on every other team in the NFL.

Just wondering, wasn't his only season with the team 1997? How well did he do that year, I don't remember.

[Atlas]

Just wondering, wasn't his only season with the team 1997? How well did he do that year, I don't remember.

He played great as the 5th back he got extensive playing time that year. He is the guy that recovered Freeman's fumble in the Superbowl.

[bronco militia]

Just wondering, wasn't his only season with the team 1997? How well did he do that year, I don't remember.

recovered a Packers fumbled kick off in SB XXXII.....elway threw a trINT on the next play.

[BlitzingDog]

Just wondering, wasn't his only season with the team 1997? How well did he do that year, I don't remember.


He mostly played special teams, it was his last year in the league.

[Arkie]

I'm surprised that Steve Atwater is considered an unknown Bronco. I'm also surprised that Al Denson is so forgotten. Nobody else mentioned him in this thread, and he led the league in TDs among receivers in 1967. He was a 2-time pro bowler, and he was a regular top 5 NFL WR for about 4 years in the late 60's.

[bronco militia]

. I'm also surprised that Al Denson is so forgotten. Nobody else mentioned him in this thread, and he led the league in TDs among receivers in 1967. He was a 2-time pro bowler, and he was a regular top 5 NFL WR for about 4 years in the late 60's.


Hey Grandpa...most of us weren't alive in the 60's

rofl

[BlitzingDog]

Yeah, Steve Atwater has no business in this thread :D

How about Mark Haynes?

[bronco militia]

Yeah, Steve Atwiter has no business in this thread :D

How about Mark Haynes?


ugh...

[Tredici]

Calvin "Too Small" Jones.

[Mile High Shack]

My brother went to church with this guy and got me is autograph when I was pretty young…elementary school.

An unknown running back who didn’t last long by the name of Rick Parros.

[Tredici]

My brother went to church with this guy and got me is autograph when I was pretty young…elementary school.

An unknown running back who didn’t last long by the name of Rick Parros.

Ah... he was of the geri curl fashion statement generation.

[Mile High Shack]

Ah... he was of the geri curl fashion statement generation.
Oh yeah……I think there was some soul glow on my paper I got from him……….

he and Willhite

[BlitzingDog]

Rondell Jones, Daryl Hall, Darius Clark, George Coghill

[Florida_Bronco]

Calvin "Too Small" Jones.

Same Calvin Jones that played at Nebraska and was drafted by the faders?

If so, I never even knew he played for us.

[Arkie]

Daryl Hall and John Oates

[Tredici]

Same Calvin Jones that played at Nebraska and was drafted by the faders?

If so, I never even knew he played for us.

ROUND (SELECTION) PLAYER POSITION COLLEGE
1 (9) Otis Armstrong RB Purdue
2 (36) Barney Chavous DE S. Carolina St.
3a (54) Paul Howard G BYU
3b (70) John Wood DT LSU
4 (88) Tom Jackson LB Louisville
5 (113) Charles McTorry DB Tennessee St.
7a (165) Mike Askea T Stanford
7b (166) John Grant DE USC
9 (217) Lyle Blackwood DB Texas Christian
10 (244) Al Marshall WR Boise St.
11 (269) Elton Brown DT Utah St.
12 (296) Jim O'Malley LB Notre Dame
13a (319) Ed Smith DE Colorado College
13b (321) Ed White RB Tulsa
14 (348) John Hufnagel QB Penn State
15 (373) Calvin Jones DB Washington
16a (398) Oliver Ross RB Alabama A&M
16b (400) Ken Muhlbeier C Idaho
17 (425) Kenneth Morgan TE Elon College

Too Small was drafted by the Broncos in 1973. - A 15th round selection. He was the bittiest of the bitty DB's. His name was a take off on Ed "Too Tall" Jones of Cowboy fame. Too Small was actually a starter from 73 to about 76.

[Tredici]

More food for thought.

When Keith Kartz was mentioned I started thinking Denver has always had terrific Centers. Count Billy Bryan and Bobby Maples in there.

Before Burnsie was a special teamer who never got any recognition was Ken Criter. But the ST's were referred to as Criter's Critters.

Did Jack Dolbin already get a mention?

How about Glen Hyde? wabbit or Old Dude might know, but I think he did two different stints as a Bronco.

And two guys who I just like their names Brison Manor and Artie Ulmer.

And I can't believe no one has mentioned the infamous Tito Paul...

[Bronco_Beerslug]

More food for thought.

When Keith Kartz was mentioned I started thinking Denver has always had terrific Centers. Count Billy Bryan and Bobby Maples in there.

Before Burnsie was a special teamer who never got any recognition was Ken Criter. But the ST's were referred to as Criter's Critters.


Ha ! :) http://66.49.247.155/BB/showpost.php?p=635536&postcount=12

Another good center......Larry Kaminski.

[Florida_Bronco]

And I can't believe no one has mentioned the infamous Tito Paul...

Ahh Tito Paul. He was actually a pretty good backup from what I remember.

[Tredici]

Ha ! :) http://66.49.247.155/BB/showpost.php?p=635536&postcount=12

Another good center......Larry Kaminski.

Sounds like one of Liz Taylor's ex's..... But then again, what name doesn't?

[B-Love]

http://www.captlarrysadventures.com/pages/6/index.htm

Last time I had spoken to Larry Kaminski he had said his charter fishing business was good.

Apparently not so any longer, or maybe it was good enough to get out.

[B-Love]

http://www.utahelkhunt.com/

Or hunt with the great Rulon Jones.

[bendog]

ROUND (SELECTION) PLAYER POSITION COLLEGE
1 (9) Otis Armstrong RB Purdue
2 (36) Barney Chavous DE S. Carolina St.
3a (54) Paul Howard G BYU
3b (70) John Wood DT LSU
4 (88) Tom Jackson LB Louisville
5 (113) Charles McTorry DB Tennessee St.
7a (165) Mike Askea T Stanford
7b (166) John Grant DE USC
9 (217) Lyle Blackwood DB Texas Christian
10 (244) Al Marshall WR Boise St.
11 (269) Elton Brown DT Utah St.
12 (296) Jim O'Malley LB Notre Dame
13a (319) Ed Smith DE Colorado College
13b (321) Ed White RB Tulsa
14 (348) John Hufnagel QB Penn State
15 (373) Calvin Jones DB Washington
16a (398) Oliver Ross RB Alabama A&M
16b (400) Ken Muhlbeier C Idaho
17 (425) Kenneth Morgan TE Elon College

Too Small was drafted by the Broncos in 1973. - A 15th round selection. He was the bittiest of the bitty DB's. His name was a take off on Ed "Too Tall" Jones of Cowboy fame. Too Small was actually a starter from 73 to about 76.

He played pretty big. I think B. Thompson was still at one corner for part of that time. A decent defense.

And, I saw the mention of Al Denson. I recall the guy having ok, but not great hands. He was hampered by the qbs too, though. Anybody remember a TE we had named Embree, I think his first name was Wayne. If that guy had been able to catch, he'd have been great.

My fav was George Goeddeke.

[Odysseus]

Daryl Hall and John Oates

Milli Vanilli, Leo Sayers, Captain and the muskrat love chic.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

He played pretty big. I think B. Thompson was still at one corner for part of that time. A decent defense.

And, I saw the mention of Al Denson. I recall the guy having ok, but not great hands. He was hampered by the qbs too, though. Anybody remember a TE we had named Embree, I think his first name was Wayne. If that guy had been able to catch, he'd have been great.

My fav was George Goeddeke.

Al Denson was a good player! Caught 32 TDs from some pretty lousy QBs. John Embree is the TE you're thinking of. He played 2 years for us.
Lionel Taylor had the best hands of any WR that has ever played for Denver. He caught any and everything thrown his way.

[orange 4 life]

Al Denson was a good player! Caught 32 TDs from some pretty lousy QBs. John Embree is the TE you're thinking of. He played 2 years for us.
Lionel Taylor had the best hands of any WR that has ever played for Denver. He caught any and everything thrown his way.

i'd put steve watson right there with taylor (in the hands dept. anyway)

[Florida_Bronco]

Speaking of Watson, what about Chris Watson. Had he played the way he did in the 99 preseason we may have had a great player on our hands.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

i'd put steve watson right there with taylor (in the hands dept. anyway)
I watched Taylor play almost every home game he ever played in Denver. He was amazing. The QBs we had in the 60s were horrible! I can only imagine what he would have been able to accomplish with Elway throwing to him.
Watson was a darn good possession receiver but Taylor was best WR I've ever seen in Denver.

[anthonypacino]

Bobby Humphrey
Steve Sewell
Le-Lo Lang
Kenny Walker
Mike Croel
Orson Mobley
Ricky Hunley
Mike Harden
Kip Corrington
Kevin Clark or KC Clark
Gary Hougeaboom?
Blake Ezor
Wymon Henderson
Rod Bernstine
Robert Perryman
Ron Holmes...just a few that popped into my head

[Florida_Bronco]

Warren Powers, anyone remember him?

[Tredici]

Speaking of Watson, what about Chris Watson. Had he played the way he did in the 99 preseason we may have had a great player on our hands.


I think he is playing for Buffalo.

[anthonypacino]

Warren Powers, anyone remember him?
Powers, Alphonso Carehker (i know i spelled that wrong) Simon Fletcher, Rulon Jones, Ricky Nattiel, Melvin Bratton

[orange 4 life]

we're bringing up alot of great names on this thread, but i also think we've gotten A LONG way off the original thread title, which was "fav UNKNOWN broncos"

fletcher and jones were awesome, but unknown they were not.

[Florida_Bronco]

I think he is playing for Buffalo.

Buffalo cut him, then he went to Detroit and got injured. Dunno where he is now.

[orange 4 life]

I watched Taylor play almost every home game he ever played in Denver. He was amazing. The QBs we had in the 60s were horrible! I can only imagine what he would have been able to accomplish with Elway throwing to him.
Watson was a darn good possession receiver but Taylor was best WR I've ever seen in Denver.

dont get me wrong.
i think taylor is LIGHT YEARS ahead of watson as an overall player, and i do agree that the qb's made a big difference (watson had morton and then elway).
watson didnt make the circus catches that taylor did (some of the film of taylor is just amazing), but then again, i think watson dropped less than 5 passes in his entire career (okay maybe thats a slight exaggeration).

the guy was as steady as a rock.

i think rod smith has surpassed taylor as our best all time receiver, but taylor is still a SOLID #2.
after that, it gets kinda cloudy, with moses, mccaffrey, upchurch (because of his ability to carry the ball and his skills as a returner also), v johnson, and steve watson all getting mention.

[anthonypacino]

we're bringing up alot of great names on this thread, but i also think we've gotten A LONG way off the original thread title, which was "fav UNKNOWN broncos"

fletcher and jones were awesome, but unknown they were not.

Yeah they had great careers but were unknown to lots of people outside of Denver, Fletcher is the all time sack leader in Bronco history played many postions and is also high up on the NFL all time sack list, more sacks and tackles than Howie Long-but no Hall of Fame talk-no Ring of FAme talk. And Rulon was overshadowed by Meck, Jones started in transition from the late 70's Orange Crush D and the blend of players that became Wade Phillips D. We know their accomplishments but not a lot of respect from anyone who is not a Bronco fan.

[Tredici]

B-Love knows one of my favorite unknowns was Clint Sampson. He doesn't get hurt and I think we would've heard Elway to Sampson a lot.

[Pendejo]

B-Love knows one of my favorite unknowns was Clint Sampson. He doesn't get hurt and I think we would've heard Elway to Sampson a lot.

I remember way back in the mid 80's I think it was. The Donks were playing in Buffalo, and Sampson went up high to get a pass from Elway. He got absolutely destroyed...dropped the ball...and I believe some teeth. It was one of the most brutal hits I've seen watching a football game. Totally clean though.

[Tredici]

I remember way back in the mid 80's I think it was. The Donks were playing in Buffalo, and Sampson went up high to get a pass from Elway. He got absolutely destroyed...dropped the ball...and I believe some teeth. It was one of the most brutal hits I've seen watching a football game. Totally clean though.

Broke his jaw. He was out cold in mid air. Never was the same after that.

[Atlas]

I think he is playing for Buffalo.

He is out of the league the last I saw.

[Atlas]

I remember way back in the mid 80's I think it was. The Donks were playing in Buffalo, and Sampson went up high to get a pass from Elway. He got absolutely destroyed...dropped the ball...and I believe some teeth. It was one of the most brutal hits I've seen watching a football game. Totally clean though.

1984. Sampson was knocked out. HE laid on the field for about 20 minutes.

I have that game on tape.

Denver won 37-7

[BlitzingDog]

I loved Warren Powers. Didn't he sign with Oakland at the end of his career?

Watson is out of the NFL.

I was just going to post Holmes and Carrakner.

How about this one, I bet not many remember him.. Charles Swann, he went to Carolina in the Exp draft...

How about Mike Lodish, Maa Tunauvassa, Scott Bently kicked for us for about a week...

Jason Suttle, Jason Moore

[B-Love]

dont get me wrong.
i think taylor is LIGHT YEARS ahead of watson as an overall player, and i do agree that the qb's made a big difference (watson had morton and then elway).
watson didnt make the circus catches that taylor did (some of the film of taylor is just amazing), but then again, i think watson dropped less than 5 passes in his entire career (okay maybe thats a slight exaggeration).

the guy was as steady as a rock.

i think rod smith has surpassed taylor as our best all time receiver, but taylor is still a SOLID #2.
after that, it gets kinda cloudy, with moses, mccaffrey, upchurch (because of his ability to carry the ball and his skills as a returner also), v johnson, and steve watson all getting mention.

Ouch Jake, Watson didn't make the circus catches??

With all due respect you're way off.

Not only did Blade make circus catches, he made one nearly every damn game.

Admittedly, I never saw Taylor play live but I do have all of the highlight packages from those early AFL seasons, but whenever anyone asks me who had the best hands in the history of this franchise, my answer is Steve Watson.

Watson 1st with Lionel and Eddie Mac very respectable 2nd's.

[BlitzingDog]

How bout any of these.. :)

Randy Fuller
Eric Thomas
Clifford Hicks
Ron Geater
Jeff Campbell
Chafie Fields
Kitrick Taylor
Darryl Pounds
Keith Poole
Scottie Montgomery
Anthony Lynn
Billy Jenkins
Andre Cooper
Patrick Jeffers
Todd Kinchen
Cyron Brown
Elijha Alexander
Tony Carter
Tim Hauck
Gary Downs
Jerry Johnson
Derrick Clark
Mark Campbell
Ralph Tamm
Jeff Mills
Richard Harvey
David Wyman
Ken Brown
Glenell Sanders
Eugene Mingo
Dante Jones
Lee Woodall
Dante Jones
Barry Johnson
Scott Turner

[Tredici]

You forgot Bucky Dilts...

;D

[Hogan11]

....and Norris Weese

[B-Love]

My favorite one year Broncos wonder was Jumpy Geathers. It was unreal how strong that guy was and he he just destroyed Offensive Guards with his forklift, and other assorted moves.

He would just push 300 lb Guards backwards to a jaw dropping degree.

When he blew the Achilles in Summer '97, I was really bummed.

If he had any speed or lateral movement, he would have been an all time great. Unfortunately, Craig Morton would have likely beaten him in a foot race.

[B-Love]

Speaking of Norris Weese, I just received the only good Starting Performance of Norris Weese's career. For all his hype and naked bootlegs, he never took advantage of his starting opportunities.

Jack Dolbin finally delivered on his two year promise to hook me up with the 1979 Denver at Atlanta game. Weese plays well and the Broncos won 20-17 in OT. Steve Bartkowski lit us up for 350+ yards but Weese plays solid and runs 2 TD's in. In this game Jack Dolbin makes one of the greatest catches in Broncos history. It used to be featured in the original version of Steve Sabol's "Super Seventies". I did notice that the ESPN Classic edited version of this 60 minute show omit the Dolbin catch.

To my surprise, Dolbin's original Beta format video cassette arrived this week. Problem is I am going to have to find a pro to convert it as I have never had a Beta machine.

Anyone have a Beta machine??

[bendog]

Aaron Kyle anybody? go Pokes.

[Hogan11]

I thought Norris Weese did really well in the WFL before coming to Denver...but maybe I've got that wrong....no matter, he never showed it while in town.

Must be that number 14 curse or something Ha!

[TomServo]

[TomServo]

1984. Sampson was knocked out. HE laid on the field for about 20 minutes.

I have that game on tape.

Denver won 37-7

a lil 25 cent part saved his life.....it was like a mouthpeice.....they turned the screw and it opened his jaw....Guess who he played for after the broncos? thats right.....the bills.
<!-- / message -->

[leon_d]

<b> Alphonso Carreker</b>. Just for the name.

<b>Leonard Russell</b>. I was so sure he was going to be the RB to get Elway the silverware.

[Rocket 7]

Greg Lewis from the 91 season. Scored two touchdowns in the divisional playoff game against the Oilers. (The drive II)

[Garcia Bronco]

Howard

[Rocket 7]

Howard
How ard you doing? By the way who's Howard?

[BRONCCRUSHFAN]

Another forgotten Bronco is Steve DeBerg. Talk about a guy who had nothing but hard luck, but he worked it in his favor. He learned the NFL game from Staubach, then got dethrowned by Montana, Elway, Young, and backed up Marino. Now he runs a QB school, that is considered the best. I still say we need to send Jake to him. :laugh:

[bendog]

Howard Griffith was doing color for a europe game I saw last weekend