ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Pro Football Hall of Fame is getting a little ridiculous in its attempt to tap the news cycle.
The HOF just announced a cutdown from 14 coach nominees to 12. And then in two weeks it will announce a cut to nine. What a tease. Eventually, the coach subcommittee will present just one coach finalist to the 50-member HOF selection committee for vote in the days prior to Super Bowl LIX that will be played Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
At least Bronco coaches are getting Hall of Fame consideration, give them that. Then again, Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan and Alex Gibbs have been considered before. Shanahan, Reeves and Gibbs were among the 12 coach nominees for the HOF class of 2025.
The others: Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Jeff Fisher, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Richie Petitbon, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, and Clark Shaughnessy.
Gibbs was a 27-year offensive line coach who perfected the zone blocking scheme that keyed Terrell Davis and the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997-98.
Shanahan was the head coach of those Broncos' back-to-back championships in 1997-98. He also averaged 10 wins a season in his 14 years as the team's head coach.
Reeves led two teams to four combined Super Bowls, including three with the Broncos in 1986, 1987 and 1989. His Atlanta Falcons lost to Shanahan's Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII to cap the 1998 season.
Reeves is 9th on the NFL's all-time coaching list with 190 wins; Shanahan is tied for 14th with 170 wins.
