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Orange Crush Defense
The Orange Crush Defense was the 3–4 defense of the Denver Broncos during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The National Football League (NFL) team adopted the 3–4 defense during the 1976 season, and the nickname "Orange Crush" for the team's defense was popularized early in the 1977 season by sportswriter/broadcaster Woody Paige. It was one of the top defenses of its time with linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson, with Gradishar as a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame selection. Other key players were defensive linemen Paul Smith (a three-time Pro Bowl selection), Barney Chavous, Lyle Alzado, and Rubin Carter, linebackers Bob Swenson and Joe Rizzo, and defensive backs Billy Thompson, Louis Wright, Steve Foley, and Bernard Jackson. In early 1977, head coach John Ralston stepped down after his best season and New England offensive line coach Red Miller was brought in to guide an already talented team to their first ever playoff berth. The defense was already sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3–4 Defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs). However, defenses will readily switch to other defensive alignments (such as a nickel defense or a dime defense) as circumstances change. Alternatively, some defenses use a 4–3 defense. Overview The 3–4 defense incorporates three defensive linemen – two defensive ends and one nose tackle, who line up opposite the other team's offensive line. Those three players are responsible for engaging the other team's offensive line, allowing the four linebackers to either rush the quarterback or drop back into coverage, depending on the situation. While the role of the defensive linemen is fairly consistent, the linebackers allow for the flexibility and versatility of the 3–4 scheme, and give defensive coaches nearly limitless options t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Swenson
Robert Charles Swenson (born July 1, 1953) played college football for the University of California. He joined the National Football League (NFL) in 1975 as an undrafted free agent and played professional football as a linebacker for the Denver Broncos. Commenting on the draft for ''Sports Illustrated'' in 1978, Swenson said that "The draft is bull,... The scouts for most of the teams are 100 years old, and most of them don't know what they're doing. I went to school at Berkeley, and most of the NFL scouts think the students are still rioting in the streets out there. They didn't want to look at me1 Swenson's career spanned eight seasons, from 1975 through 1983. Swenson missed the 1980 season due to an injury. Swenson was part of the famed Orange Crush Defense that propelled the Broncos to Super Bowl XII in January 1978, at the end of the 1977 season. He was elected to the Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1977 season. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27–10 to win their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. This was the first Super Bowl in a domed stadium, and the first time that the game was played in prime time in the Eastern United States. The game pitted Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach against their former quarterback, Craig Morton. Led by Staubach and the Doomsday Defense, Dallas advanced to its fourth Super Bowl after posting a 12–2 record in the regular season and home playoff victories over the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos, led by Morton and the Orange Crush Defense, made their first-ever postseason appearance after a franchise-best 12–2 re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1977–78 NFL Playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1977 season began on December 24, 1977. The postseason tournament concluded with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII, 27–10, on January 15, 1978, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was also the last season that the NFL used an eight-team playoff tournament. Participants Bracket Schedule Due to Christmas falling on a Sunday, the Divisional Round games were held in a span of three days. The AFC playoff games were played on Saturday December 24, while the NFC games were held on Monday, December 26. It also marked the only year since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970 that one conference held both of its divisional playoff games on one day and the other conference held both of its games on the other day. This was done to ensure the teams in each conference championship game had the same amount of rest (eight days for the AFC and six days for the NFC). In every other season since 1970, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, officials, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL). As of the Class of 2022, there are a total of 362 members of the Hall of Fame. Between four and eight new inductees are normally enshrined every year. For the 2020 class, a 20-person group consisting of five modern-era players and an additional 15 members, known as the "Centennial Slate", were elected to the Hall of Fame to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NFL. The Chicago Bears have the most inductees, with 30 (36, including players with minor portion of their career with team). History The city of Canton successfully lobbied the NFL to have the Hall of Fame built an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stan Jones (American Football)
Stanley Paul Jones (November 24, 1931 – May 21, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a guard, offensive tackle and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. Jones is credited as the first professional player to use weight training to improve his conditioning for football. Early life Jones was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, but grew up in the Harrisburg area after his father, a telephone company employee, was transferred to that area. He then played football at Lemoyne High School in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Maryland, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. College career Jones attended the University of Maryland, where he played college football as a tackle. He was a unanimous All-American selection in 1953. Jones was on some of the most successful Maryland teams. The Terps were co-champion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Collier
Joel Dale Collier (born June 7, 1932) is an American former football coach who was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL) from 1966 through part of 1968, compiling a 13–16–1 record. College career Collier attended Northwestern University, where he played on the Northwestern Wildcats football team. In 1952, his junior season, he broke Big Ten Conference records by catching seven touchdown passes and accumulating 650 receiving yards. He was named to the 1952 College Football All-America Team. Following the 1953 college football season, in which he captained the Wildcats, Collier was selected by the New York Giants in the 22nd round of the 1954 NFL Draft. However, Collier decided not to play professional football, instead becoming an assistant coach at Western Illinois University after a three-year stint in the U.S. Army. Collier spent three season as a Western Illinois assistant, from 1957 to 1959. Buffalo Bills (1962–1968) After spending t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Miller
Robert "Red" Miller (October 31, 1927 – September 27, 2017) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1980. In his first year as Denver's head coach, he led the 1977 Broncos to Super Bowl XII, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Miller was also the head coach of the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL) for one season, in 1983. Early life and career Born and raised in Macomb, Illinois, Miller attended Macomb Public Schools and Western Illinois University, where he was later a star player and coach for the Leathernecks football team. He began his coaching career at high schools in Astoria and Canton, Illinois, and at Carthage College. Assistant coach Miller was an assistant coach with Lou Saban at Western Illinois in the late 1950s before joining Saban with the Boston Patriots of the newly-formed American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He also was an assistant wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1976 New England Patriots Season
The 1976 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League and 17th overall. After a nine-year stretch in which they posted just one non-losing season amid eight losing years, the Patriots turned around their fortunes, going 11–3. It marked their first winning season as an NFL team (their last winning season came in 1966, when the team was still in the AFL). The team had gone just 3–11 the previous season, and was considered a " Cinderella team" in 1976. Coach Chuck Fairbanks was named NFL Coach of the Year, and cornerback Mike Haynes was named NFL Rookie of the Year. The 1976 Patriots rushed for a total of 2,957 yards (averaging five yards per carry) and scored 376 points, both second-best in the league. The 2,957 yards rushing were the fifth-highest total in NFL history at the time. The team's 5.0 yards per carry was the best in the NFL and remains higher than all Super Bowl champions except the 1973 Miami Dolphins whose own run ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Ralston (American Football)
John R. Ralston (April 26, 1927 – September 14, 2019) was an American football player, coach, and sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Utah State University (1959–1962), Stanford University (1963–1971), and San Jose State University (1993–1996), compiling a career college football record of 97–81–4. Ralston also coached the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1972 to 1976, amassing a record of 34–33–3, and the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1983 and part of the 1984 season, tallying a mark of 9–12. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1992. Early life, education, and playing career Born in Oakland, California, Ralston and his family moved to Norway, Michigan when he was eight years old. On graduating from Norway High School in 1944, he went to the University of California, Berkeley and played linebacker there on two Rose Bowl teams before earning his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Jackson (defensive Back)
Bernard Frank Jackson (born August 24, 1950 – May 26, 1997) was an American football defensive back who played for three National Football League (NFL) teams. He was the 81st pick in the 1972 NFL draft, selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as a defensive back. After five years, he was traded to the Denver Broncos in March 1977, and was a starter, including Super Bowl XII. College career As a collegiate player at Washington State in the Pac-8, Jackson was a running back and kick returner for head coach Jim Sweeney During his senior season in 1971, he rushed for 1,189 yards on 177 attempts (6.7 avg, 1st in Pac-8) and was named First-team All-Pac-8 and All-Coast. His 2,118 all-purpose yards in 1971 -- 1,189 on the ground, 744 in kickoff returns and 185 receiving -- remains the all-time WSU single-season record. He returned two kickoffs for TDs and also scored on a fake punt that season. He is a member of the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame. A 1968 graduate of Dorsey High School i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Foley (defensive Back)
Stephen James Foley (born November 11, 1953) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire 11-year NFL career (1976–1986) with the Denver Broncos after one year (1975) with the Jacksonville Express of the World Football League. As a member of the Orange Crush Defense, Foley played in the Super Bowl twice. He was a starter in Super Bowl XII against the Dallas Cowboys and played in Super Bowl XXI (his final game) against the New York Giants. The Broncos lost both of these games. Foley scored two touchdowns in his career, both of which came in 1984. He returned a fumble 22 yards on October 15 against the Green Bay Packers and an interception 40 yards on December 15 against the Seattle Seahawks. These scores were key contributions to Broncos' victories. , his 44 career interceptions remains a franchise record. Foley began his career as a quarterback, playing high school football at Jesuit High Scho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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