RED MILLER PASSES
Former Broncos coach dies at 89
Robert “Red” Miller, who oversaw the Denver Broncos’ first Super Bowl appearance, died Wednesday morning from complications of a stroke. He was 89.
Miller took over for John Ralston as coach after the 1976 season and then led the Broncos to their most successful season to that point, a 12-2 record in 1977, followed by an AFC championship game victory over Oakland that put Denver in Super Bowl XII in New Orleans, where it lost 27-10 to Dallas. The enthusiasm surrounding the famed Orange Crush defense that season was a catalyst to the Broncos becoming one of the NFL’s iconic franchises over the next 40 years and helped put Denver on the map as a major-league sports city.
“That’s the thing I take pride in with him: He knew it was important for us to be really successful,” said Tom Jackson, a three-time all-pro linebacker on the Orange Crush. “That’s all. He understood that he had to be successful, so to go to that Super Bowl, it gave him legitimacy, it gave us legitimacy. The organization became something different after that.”
Miller was hospitalized after suffering a stroke Sept. 11 during the Broncos’ seasonopening victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. He is survived by his wife, Nan; his son, Steve; his stepson, Jeff; and five grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Lana.
Miller was less than two months away from being honored as the 32nd member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. On Nov. 17, Miller’s bronze pillar will be unveiled in the Ring of Fame plaza at the steps of Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Two days later, when the Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals, he will be inducted posthumously, with many of his former players in attendance to commemorate his legacy and the team’s 40th anniversary of its Super Bowl XII berth.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Red’s entire family, especially his wife, Nan,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said. “Red was a beloved member of the Broncos’ family.
“I don’t know about you guys, but we beat the dog out of the Raiders, and we’re going to do that here.”
Former Broncos defensive back Steve Foley, recalling Red Miller’s instructions to the team after he arrived in 1977 from the New England Patriots
He left a great impact on this franchise by laying the foundation for our championship tradition and was so proud to be part of our first Super Bowl team 40 years ago.”
In Miller’s four seasons as head coach, the Broncos went 40-22 in the regular season. Before he arrived, the team had never made it to the playoffs. And before their 20-17 win against Oakland for their first AFC title, the Broncos were 7-27-2 against their nemesis.
“They were a dominant force in the NFL, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers at that time,” former defensive back Steve Foley said of the Raiders. “Red had come from New England, and the first thing he said when he got here was, ‘I don’t know about you guys, but we beat the dog out of the Raiders, and we’re going to do that here.’ … We walked in to those Raider games knowing that it was going to be a brawl, that it was going to be a fight, but he didn’t care. He said: ‘I don’t care what you do. If it takes a fight, it’s a fight. But we’re going to beat them.’ ”
Sunday, the Broncos will meet the Raiders for the 114th time in the regular season. The Broncos plan to recognize their former coach who lived to beat those pesky Raiders.
“That dislike for the Raiders, it’s still there,” Foley said. “They were a great football team, but you knew that Al Davis told them, ‘Do anything you need to do to win,’ and we adopted that attitude as well with Red.”
Jackson now chuckles when he thinks back to Miller’s desire to topple to their divisional rival. But more than that, Jackson, like so many others who played for Miller, worked for Miller and knew Miller well, recall the man underneath the headset.
“I remember a few instances when he yelled at a few guys and we always just laughed because he was so passionate about the game and passionate about having you play and play hard and practice and do things the right way to be prepared,” Jackson said. “I know that a lot of the credit for what we did in going to the Super Bowl and all that, the players the year before and Coach Ralston and all the contributions that he made, I think a lot of times the coach that Red Miller was, it got overlooked a little bit. He’s likely deserving of a lot more credit than he ever got for the successes back then and then where the program went from there on.
“He’s a good coach, and probably a better man.”
Miller was the head coach and Joe Collier the coordinator for an Orange Crush defense that allowed a league-low 15.0 points per game from 1977-80 and featured five future Ring of Famers in defensive end Paul Smith, linebackers Randy Gradishar and Jackson, cornerback Louis Wright and safety Billy Thompson.
“He was a great communicator, a very special individual, a very special coach and a person that understood things,” Thompson said. “He was somebody that you could count on. He made us take responsibility of things and it was just a special time for me in my career and in Broncos history. He was the guy who initiated all of that.”
The Broncos’ transition from playoff absentee to Super Bowl contender laid a new foundation for a franchise that has since played in seven more Super Bowls and won three.
Thompson had heard in recent days that Miller wasn’t doing well, so Tuesday night he headed to Swedish Medical Center in Denver to be by his side for some of his final moments.
“I held his hand and said: ‘Coach, this is Billy. I just wanted to tell you I love you,’ ” Thompson said. “I squeezed his hand and he squeezed my hand back, so I know he knows I was there.
“He has a very special place in Broncos history and a very special place in my heart. Tremendous coach, tremendous person and one that will always be remembered.”