The Pro Football Hall of Fame could be seeing more orange and blue this year. Former Denver Broncos head coaches Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves are among 24 finalists from the Seniors Committee and Coach/Contributors committee. Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar is also entering his fourth year as a finalist.

Shanahan is a descendant of the Reeves coaching tree, even getting his first coaching gig from Reeves in 1984. Shanahan helped lead the Broncos to their first two Super Bowls victories in 1998 and 1999. After being the head coach in Denver for 14 years, Shanahan became the franchise's winningest head coach.

The mark that Shanahan has left on the current state of the NFL is astounding. Some of the league's current, brightest offensive minds like Sean McVay, his son Kyle Shanahan, and Matt LaFleur all spent time working under Shanahan.

As head coach, Reeves helped the Broncos make three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s. When paired with John Elway, Reeves and The Duke helped the Broncos return to their winning ways. During the Reeves era that spanned 12 years, the team only fell below a winning record of .500 twice

On January 1st, 2022, Reeves passed away at the age of 77 in his home state of Georgia.

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Gradishar has been in the Hall of Fame conversation for years but has yet to leap over that final hurdle and actually be inducted.

Gradishar was a part of that terrorizing Orange Crush defense in the 70s and early 80s. During his career, Gradishar was a seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro, and was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 by the AP, Pro Football Weekly, and NEA.

Gradishar was highly praised for his “nose for the ball” as well as his instinctive tackling. He was incredibly effective in the red zone, especially when it came to goal-line tackles and stops. Despite playing his entire, short ten year career in Denver, Gradishar still is the all-time leader in total tackles (2,049.)

All three Broncos legends are currently inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame. Next stop, Hall of Fame?