ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For a second consecutive year there will be no new members of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.
This time it was a newly revamped committee who agreed to hit pause on the team’s immortal inductions.
The refreshed Ring of Fame committee consists of the team’s first-year ownership – Greg Penner, Carrie Penner and Rob Walton – Ring of Fame coach Mike Shanahan and safety Steve Atwater, plus committee holdovers Dave Logan, the team’s longtime radio play-by-play voice, and team historian Jim Saccomano.
Previous committee members included owner Pat Bowlen/ownership delegee Joe Ellis, former general manager John Beake, longtime team radio broadcaster Larry Zimmer and former defensive coordinator Joe Collier.
Greg Penner hosted the Ring of Fame committee meeting Tuesday morning at the Broncos' Centura Health Training Center. The result was for the first time since 2010-11 the Broncos did not elect Ring of Famers in back-to-back years.
Instead, the team will use their week 2 home game Sept. 17 against Washington to celebrate alumni weekend with the 25-year anniversary of its Super Bowl XXXIII championship team from the 1998 season, along with Super Bowl 50 captain and edge rusher DeMarcus Ware for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“One of our key priorities is to deepen relationships with alumni and better connect with not only Ring of Famers but all former players, coaches and administrators,'' Greg Penner said in a statement. "This year, we’re thrilled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Super Bowl XXXIII team as well as newest Pro Football Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware to highlight Alumni Weekend.
"We’re also excited to welcome new perspectives to our Ring of Fame Committee, which met this morning, and look forward to adding to the Broncos’ exclusive group of distinguished alumni in the future.”
One reason there was no Ring of Fame election the past two years is to make sure of the club’s exclusivity. There were 13 Broncos' Ring of Fame inductees during the 9-year period from 2013 (Tom Nalen) to 2021 (Peyton Manning). Previously, there were just 9 inductees in the 20-year period from 1993 (Louis Wright) to 2012 (Rod Smith).
The Broncos have the 9th-most Ring of Famers in the NFL with 35. Teams founded in the same era as the Broncos (1959-66) average 25 Ring of Famers.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t several former Bronco players and coaches deserving of Ring of Fame consideration. Steve Foley, who remains the team’s all-time interceptions leader nearly four decades after he retired, 5-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Al Wilson, tight end Riley Odoms and soon-to-be-eligible receiver Demaryius Thomas are among those who figure to generate discussion from the revamped ROF committee next year.
One other hinderance to a ROF ceremony – the ongoing $100 million renovation project at Empower Field at Mile High includes some changes to the Ring of Fame Plaza. Simply put, there is no space in the plaza for another pillar so its undergoing a major expansion.
Ware only played three of his 12 NFL seasons with the Broncos but they were impactful as he had 10.0 of his 138.5 career sacks in 2014 for Denver and was sensational in the Broncos’ postseason run to their Super Bowl 50 title. Ware also delivered a memorable inspirational speech to the team the night prior to the Big Game against the Carolina Panthers in Santa Clara, Calif.
As for celebrating the 1998 Super Bowl XXXIII team one year after the Broncos just held a 25-year reunion for its 1997 Super Bowl XXXII squad – the thinking was all championship teams deserve their own celebration.
There were three major starting lineup changes for the Broncos in 1998 – Harry Swayne, a reserve in 1997, was the new offensive-line starter in place of the retired Gary Zimmerman in 1998; Glenn Cadrez, a backup in 1997, replaced Allen Aldridge at a starting linebacker spot in 1998; and Trevor Pryce, a seldom-used rookie in 1997, replaced the injured Alfred Williams along the defensive line in 1998. Second-round rookie Eric Brown also took several safety starts from veteran Tyrone Braxton in 1998.
Other newcomers to the 1998 team: First-round receiver Marcus Nash; third-round quarterback Brian Griese and seventh-round center Trey Teague and linebacker Nate Wayne, plus veteran linebacker Seth Joyner and coach Pat McPherson.
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