LB Randy Gradishar (All B1G, All-American, CFB HOF, NFL Defensive POY, NFL HOF)

[Buckskin86]

Civic duty: Gradishar reinforces importance of serving in local community
By PATRICK BAHR/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Randy Gradishar knows about giving back.

The Denver Broncos Ring of Fame linebacker was in Grand Junction on Wednesday as the keynote speaker at the Salvation Army?s 101st Civic Celebration.

Gradishar is no stranger to civic service. He was introduced to community involvement by his coach at Ohio State University, Woody Hayes.

?I give the credit to Woody Hayes because he talked about paying forward,? Gradishar said. ?He had us lined up from a freshman to a senior doing a couple of hours volunteering at a children?s hospital or senior citizen home, basically showing up and being involved in the community.?

Gradishar retired after the 1983 season and served on the Broncos? Youth Foundation through 1992. He was also involved with Promise Keepers, a Christian men?s fellowship founded by former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney.

He?s the president of the Phil Long Community Fund, which provides finances to help youth gain self-esteem and leadership skills through education, sports and recreation.

Gradishar, 57, has been able to continue his civic work because of what he accomplished on the football field.

He is best remembered as one of the linebackers in Denver?s Orange Crush defense. He played 10 seasons for the Broncos and retired in 1983 at age 31 with more than 2,000 tackles.

?I found out very quickly that the Bronco fans were similar to the fans at Ohio State, where they were very loyal,? Gradishar said. ?It?s all about the fans. We are playing the game, but the fans support the deal.?

Gradishar grew up in rural Champion, Ohio, and didn?t begin playing football until ninth grade. After a solid high school career, his coach sent out a highlight film without Gradishar knowing, and the colleges started calling.

?First Bowling Green came along, then Joe Paterno came, Bo Schembechler called on the phone, I visited Purdue,? Gradishar said. ?Then one day I get a call at my dad?s grocery store, and they say there is this Coach Hayes guy in the principal?s office wanting to talk to me.

?So we talked for a while, then we went to my dad?s grocery store and Coach Hayes stood there and talked with my dad for an hour about the big war, World War II. He never said ?We need Randy, he will take us to more Rose Bowls.? I learned then, he recruited the parents first.?

After a career as a three-year starter at Ohio State, Gradishar was drafted in 1974 by the Broncos in the first round.

Civic duty: Gradishar reinforces importance of serving in local community

 

[brodybuck21]

SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME

 

[Steve19]

SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME

DITTO

 

[Buckskin86]

It’s time for Randy Gradishar, arguably the greatest defensive player in Broncos history, to land in Canton. Gradishar was named consensus NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 by winning the Associated Press Award award, along with the UPI Defensive Player of the Year award and the NEA Defensive MVP award, receiving the George S. Halas Trophy for his efforts as the Broncos reached the playoffs for the second straight season. Additionally, Gradishar was the Football Digest NFL Linebacker of the year in 1978, an honor he repeated in 1979.

http://blogs.rapidcityjournal.com/sports/?p=1671

Randy Gradishar

The greatest Hall of Fame insult to Denver Bronco fans should be Randy Gradishar. He was considered the leader and anchor of the renowned Orange Crush Defense of the 1970's and early 1980's. I don't want to go into who is in the Hall already and how insulting it is that Gradishar is not, but for this case alone I must. The reason I must go this route is simple; you will see why there is an East Coast Bias and why it is our own fault it exists.

My case study will be Harry Carson. A great linebacker for the New York Giants. He played thirteen seasons and helped his team to a Super Bowl title. His career stats are 173 games, 11 interceptions, one touchdown, with 9 Pro Bowls and 8 All-NFC honors. Although he had never won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, he was selected team captain for the Giants for ten consecutive seasons. That is an impressive resume for sure.

Now he faced many years of waiting and much of the same ridicule that Randy Gradishar has faced since his retirement. Harry Carson even went so far as to demand that his name be removed from the voting process in protest. That and the actions of his supporters would eventually convince enough voters that he was Hall of Fame worthy. Personally, I think he was the Tom Jackson to Randy Gradishar or the Bart Scott to Ray Lewis. A very good talent that benefited greatly from the superior talent around him. How much of Carson's success really came from an opposing teams attention being pointed Lawrence Taylor's way?

That said, Harry Carson was a true leader of a Super Bowl winning defense. So why is it that a guy like Randy Gradishar who has an impressive resume of his own that shows he played in 145 games, with 20 interceptions, 3 returned for touchdowns(including a 93 yard scamper in 1980), 7 Pro Bowls, 7 All-AFC honors, the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and team captain for much of his career. That resume is every bit as impressive as Harry Carson's and the only major difference is that one guy has a ring while the other came close.

Well that's not true either. The one deciding factor between why Carson is in the Hall of Fame and Gradishar is not is this; Harry Carson had an army of angry New Yorkers who basically demanded that he get inducted into the Hall. Which leads me to believe that we, as fans, have utterly failed Randy Gradishar. Sure we have angst and anger of his snubbing, but really, how much farther does it go from the random message board or an angry fan spot on MHR? We prefer to complain rather than to take action. We have done that for 25 years now. I have a hunch that, because of websites like Milehighreport.com and the committees spawned from it, this injustice will be corrected and Randy Gradishar will be enshrined within the next couple of years.

The biggest obstacle from voters when it comes to Randy Gradishar is his so-called tackle stats as kept by the Denver Broncos organization. The Main Stream Media(MSM) refuses to acknowledge those stats nor does the NFL itself. It is counterproductive for us to tout something not accepted by anyone but ourselves. There is only one way to bypass this obstacle.

My suggestion is for us to accept the official stats only. DenverBroncos.com needs to remove the tackle stats attributed to Gradishar from their website and focus on the official stats. I will no longer acknowledge Gradishar's tackle stats. I don't need too. His official stats are more the enough to get him enshrined into the Hall of Fame. Harry Carson's own website, linked above, doesn't display the tackle stats, so by doing this we will remove all of the ammunition naysayers have used against Gradishar since he became eligible.

Then we, as a united community, need to become more vocal and indignant about Gradishar's exclusion from the Hall of Fame. We will win this fight because we are right and this injustice, this INSULT, to all Bronco fans and the entire Sport will be rectified.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame; An?Opinion - Mile High Report

 

[brodybuck21]

RCJ Sports Blog ? Blog Archive ? Where’s the love?




The Pro Football Hall of Fame; An?Opinion - Mile High Report

Good luck Randy and you most definitely deserve to be enshrined...

 

[Bucklion]

I know I've probably discussed this before but the biggest problem for Randy is that the assclown from Denver who is responsible for being an advocate for the Broncos doesn't do anything to promote his people. Witness that no one from the Orange Crush, and only one player overall (Elway), is in as a primary Bronco. He is now in the hands of the senior committee, and I hope they can overcome this grave injustice and put him in his rightful place.

 

[Buckskin86]

Woody, I have been a fan for as long as I can remember (I'm 46 now). Why has the Pro Football Hall of Fame continued to shun Randy Gradishar? Why is 'Denver Bronco' a dirty word to Hall of 'Shame' voters?
-- Steven Montano, Mesa, Ariz.

Steven: I've answered this question maybe 5,000 times over the years, so here goes again. I was on the Hall of Fame committee for 15 years, and resigned after I moved to New York because I didn't think it was fair to be on the committee. Randy decided to quit after 10 seasons. It was his choice. If he had played another five years, he would have been a cinch because he would have played in at least two more Super Bowls. But he also might have gotten hurt in those seasons.

Randy wanted to do other things with his life, and I applaud him for that decision. But later on he wanted to be in the Hall of Fame, and his employer made a big push, and I offered advice. What I could do was call in every favor from every voter I was close to, and ask them to vote for him to get Randy to the actual discussion at the Hall of Fame meeting. I won't go through all the preliminary voting, but he did make it to the final day. I gave the nominating speech. It was the most compassionate speech I've given in my life, and I was told afterward by several voters that they were convinced.

After I finished, one guy got up and said the general manager of the team he covered said Gradishar wasn't deserving, and an influential voter (who had promised me he would support Gradishar, and was sitting next to me in the room) said that Denver gave out tackles as if they were gumdrops (I had said that Gradishar was the only player in the history of the league for have 100 tackles for 10 straight years), and that he wasn't worthy.

Only one other voter spoke in favor of Randy, and I couldn't speak again, although I would have said the general manager was from the NFC and never saw Randy and that Randy played 14 games a season at the beginning of the careers, and that he played half his games on the road.) Randy barely missed being in the Hall of Fame. His people blamed me. OK, blame me. Since I left, Randy hasn't made it to the finals. He belongs. So does Louis Wright. So does Shannon Sharpe, who will get in next year, and maybe Dennis Smith or Steve Atwater.

Floyd Little is finally on the ballot this year, as a senior finalist. He will be joined by one other senior nominee, and they will be voted on. Maybe he'll make it. Denver was so weak for so long, that was the main reason. Denver deserves more players in the Hall, but, honestly, there is a bias toward players who win Super Bowls and players who played in the East.

Mailbag: Broncos' roster moves questioned - The Denver Post

 

[Buckskin86]

OSU ON SUNDAY
Linebackers
Thursday, November 12, 2009
By RAY STEIN
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

PHOTO (top): Ohio State's Randy Gradishar hold the Denver Broncos career record for tackles with 2,049. (Dispatch file photo)

Each week, Gameday examines Ohio State's impact on professional football with a position-by-position analysis of the Buckeyes who have made a mark in the NFL.

Linbebacker U.? That was last week's opponent, and Penn State's 1-0 lead over Ohio State in the Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker chase (Jack Ham) effectively ends that discussion. The Buckeyes, however, have produced more than their share of top-shelf professional LBs, including one who seems destined for induction in Canton.

The Best
Randy Gradishar

College life: Recruited by coach Woody Hayes out of Warren Champion High School, Gradishar was a three-year starter (1971 to '73) who totaled 320 tackles in his career - the Buckeyes' all-time leader at the time of his departure. Gradishar finished sixth in the 1973 Heisman Trophy voting - yet he was only third among OSU players behind John Hicks (second) and Archie Griffin (fifth). He was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Path to the pros: The Denver Broncos selected Gradishar in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 1974 NFL draft. He was the fourth linebacker selected behind Waymond Bryant (No. 4, to the Bears), Penn State's Ed O'Neil (No. 8, to the Lions) and Rick Middleton, Gradishar's teammate at OSU, who went No. 13 to the Saints.

Pro career: Gradishar never missed a game in his 10-year career with the Orange Crush defense, finishing with 145 games and 2,049 tackles, a Broncos record. He also had 20 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries. Gradishar, who played inside linebacker in Denver's 3-4 scheme, was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and in 1978 was named NFL defensive player of the year. He was part of one Super Bowl team, which lost to Dallas in Super Bowl XII.

Little-known facts: Gradishar's name has popped up on nomination lists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame several times since his retirement, but he never has come closer to induction than a top-10 selection in 2003 (he was top 15 in 2008). Many longtime pro football observers believe Gradishar would be in the Hall if he had developed a fiercer reputation as a monster, such as Dick Butkus or Jack Lambert. Certainly, he could hit like they did, just without the scowl. These days, Gradishar works in corporate communications for Phil Long's a car dealership in Denver and makes numerous visits to U.S. military troops overseas.

GameDay+

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp_FcUiqAEY"]YouTube- Randy Gradishar[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

In regard to Gradishar, the second or third year I went around and begged every ? EVERY ? rep to get him to the final day and give me a chance to talk about him.

As I've written here before, he came very close to making it, and there were two serious knocks on him during the discussions. I tried my best, and I'll accept the responsibility.

But, to be blunt, if Randy had chosen to play longer than 10 seasons, and had played for the Broncos in at least a couple of other Super Bowls (he was in the first, but not the next three), he would have been a lock.

But he decided to retire young, and I'm sure he didn't care about the Hall of Fame then, and that cost him dearly.

When the Broncos brought back their all-time team the past season, I went down on the field to say hello to the guys, because I covered, and know, most of them, and Randy didn't say hello.

We always had what I believed to be a great relationship when he was in the game, and after he left.

Maybe he blames me. I've got two reps he should blame, and he have should have gotten better advice when he was thinking about retirement. Most Hall of Famers played longer than 10 years.

But, no matter what happens, Randy Gradishar was one of the best inside linebackers in the history of the game ? especially on third- and fourth-and-short ? and was one of the nicest guys who ever played the game. He can be proud of his accomplishments, especially because he injured a knee at Ohio State, and there were questions about what he could do as a pro.

Woody's Mailbag: Manning is The Man in the Super Bowl - The Denver Post

 

[Buckskin86]

Ring of Fame - Randy Gradishar
by Tim Lynch on Aug 10, 2010

With Floyd Little finally getting honored in the Hall of Fame, Randy Gradishar now becomes the greatest Hall of Fame omission in Denver Broncos history. Gradishar succeeded everywhere he went on the field of play. Selected number fourteen overall in the first round in the 1974 NFL draft by the Broncos, he quickly asserted himself as one of the leagues premier inside linebackers.

Gradishar became a Pro Bowler in just his second year, but his dominance really began to assert itself after the Broncos switched to the vaunted 3-4 Orange Crush in 1976. His primary responsibility was to control the inside rushing lanes and short passing. His intelligence combined with phenomenal instincts allowed him to be the foundation upon which the Orange Crush excelled.

Star-divide

Herein lies the problem for Gradishar?s potential of getting elected into the Hall of Fame. The general consensus of the voters is that Gradishar?s stats were padded by the Denver score keepers. An easy assumption to make considering the incredible amount of tackles amassed by Gradishar during his ten year career. Currently, the newly reinvigorated MHR Hall of Fame Committee is scouring old tapes of Gradishar in the hopes of proving or disproving this assumption. The goal, however, is that Gradishar?s stats shouldn?t really matter when considering him for the Hall of Fame.

Ring of Fame - Randy Gradishar - Mile High Report

 

[Buckskin86]

Q&A: Now it's up to the seniors committee to help enshrine Broncos' Gradishar in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/12/2010

Randy Gradishar (Denver Post file photo)

Today's question comes from Don Olmstead, a regular contributor. Send your question about the Broncos via e-mail to [email protected].

Q: When will former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar be eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration again via the seniors committee?

A: Don, thanks as always for taking the time to participate. A lot of folks have had questions about the Hall of Fame selection process.

There are two levels of consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

For former players, that means from a point beginning five full years after their retirement extending 25 years, they are considered "modern-era" candidates.

They are on the list of eligible players each year and can be made a finalist ? the 15 modern-era candidates who are discussed and reviewed for enshrinement at the meeting of the full board or selectors the day before the Super Bowl in the Super Bowl city.

Those modern-era candidates go through layers of voting as the original ballot each year is trimmed from the full ballot to 25 and then from 25 to 15.

Gradishar was a finalist at least twice in that 25-year period when he was a modern-era candidate.

Now that his 25-year window has closed, Gradishar is considered a seniors candidate.

Under the current bylaws of the Hall of Fame, two seniors-committee nominees are put forth as finalists for enshrinement each year. Those two, in addition to the 15 modern-era candidates, make 17 players overall considered for enshrinement in the meeting that takes place during Super Bowl weekend.

The seniors candidates, however, are simply discussed and then voted on "yes" or "no." Both seniors candidates could make it into the Hall of Fame, just one seniors candidate could make it or neither seniors candidate would make it if he didn't receive enough votes.

There is a nine-member seniors committee within the full board of selectors that has the herculean task of sorting through a huge list to put forth two seniors candidates each year.

There is no limit on the number of times a senior candidate can be considered and discussed by the seniors committee at their annual summer meeting. That means Gradishar, and other players on the list, are eligible to be discussed each year.

The dilemma is the huge size of the list, because it covers the entire history of professional football. The only people who aren't eligible to be on it are the people already enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

That's why players such as Floyd Little, Rayfield Wright, Charlie Sanders and Dick LeBeau had to wait 30 or more years for their enshrinement.

As for Gradishar, at this point it's just a matter of the seniors committee selecting him as one of the players to be considered for enshrinement.

That can be a tall order, but he is eligible for that discussion every year.

Q&A: Now it's up to the seniors committee to help enshrine Broncos' Gradishar in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - The Denver Post

Crazy Canton Cuts : Randy Gradishar
ByJW Nix
(Featured Columnist) on August 11, 2010

Randy Gradishar
6'3" 233
Middle Linebacker
Denver Broncos
1973 - 1984
12 Seasons
145 Games Played
20 Interceptions
4 Touchdowns
Seven Pro Bowls
1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Randolph Charles Gradishar was drafted in the first round of the 1973 draft by the Denver Broncos. He was the 14th player chosen overall. He attended college at Ohio State University under legendary coach Woody Hayes. Hayes, who sent over 98 players to the professional football level in his Hall of Fame career, called Gradishar the finest linebacker he ever coached.

In his three years as a Buckeye, starting in every game, he set then-school records for 320 tackles in a career and 134 in one season. He was ejected in the 1971 game against rival Michigan University, causing a ten minute brawl after he punched a Wolverine in the face. It happened one play after a famous meltdown by Hayes, where the coach threw a penalty flag and yard marker he had previously destroyed after being thrown out of the game himself.

Not only is he a member of the schools All-Century Team and their Hall of Fame, but Gradishar is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. An excellent student in college, he is also inducted into the GTE Academic Hall of Fame and is on the ABC Sports All-Century team.

Crazy Canton Cuts : Randy Gradishar | Bleacher Report

 

[jlb1705]

Sports Illustrated has named Gradishar as the runner-up to Harry Carson in determining the greatest NFL player to wear #53.

53 - Harry Carson - Best NFL Player by Jersey Number: 50-99 - Photos - SI.com

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Q&A: Now it's up to the seniors committee to help enshrine Broncos' Gradishar in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - The Denver Post

...
He was ejected in the 1971 game against rival Michigan University, causing a ten minute brawl after he punched a Wolverine in the face
...

Crazy Canton Cuts : Randy Gradishar | Bleacher Report

The Buckeyes didn't go to a bowl after the '71 season if I remember correctly; so any leaves awarded for The Game would have never made it onto the helmet.


Still, I have to wonder if Randy got a leaf for the incident mentioned above. Definitely worthy of one IMHO...

 

[jlb1705]

The Buckeyes didn't go to a bowl after the '71 season if I remember correctly; so any leaves awarded for The Game would have never made it onto the helmet.


Still, I have to wonder if Randy got a leaf for the incident mentioned above. Definitely worthy of one IMHO...

Hell, that's worthy of a statue!

 

[BB73]

They were dubbed the "Orange Crush", and a soft drink named after them soon became very popular.

Note to Bleacher Report - Orange Crush (the soft drink) was invented in LA in 1906, and a company with that name was incorporated in 1916. Link

So the defense might have made the beverage more popular in Denver, but it wasn't named after the Bronco defense.