| No. 50 | |||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | May 18, 1957 Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Bishop Eustace (NJ) | ||||||
| College: | William & Mary | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1979 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
James Joseph Ryan (born May 18, 1957) is a former linebackers coach and former National Football League (NFL) linebacker for the Denver Broncos.
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Randy Charles Gradishar is an American former professional football player who played 10 seasons as a linebacker during the 1970s and 1980s for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Ohio, Gradishar was a one-time consensus and one-time unanimous All-American for the Ohio State Buckeyes, before playing ten seasons for Denver, where he was the centerpiece of their "Orange Crush Defense". In 2024, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Genos Derwin "D. J." Williams, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft in the National Football League (NFL). He also played two seasons for the Chicago Bears.
Louis Edward Green is a former American football player. Green attended Jefferson County High School in Fayette, Mississippi and was a letterman in football. He attended Alcorn State University and played linebacker for the Denver Broncos.
Patrick McPherson is an American football coach who is the tight-ends-coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). In 2010, he joined the Seahawks as tight ends coach after 11 years with the Denver Broncos, where he was both the quarterbacks and tight ends coach. He joined the Broncos coaching staff in 1998, as a defensive assistant. In 1999, he became an offensive assistant. During his time as the quarterbacks coach from 2003 until 2006 his guidance lead Jake Plummer to set several single-season franchise records, including passing yards. He joined the Seabawks in 2010. During his time with Seattle, he won his second Super Bowl title when the Seahawks defeated his former team the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Ken Criter is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Criter graduated from New Holstein High School in New Holstein, Wisconsin. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. A linebacker at Wisconsin, Criter became a first-Team All-Big Ten selection in 1967 and 1968.
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Simon Raynard Fletcher is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars. Fletcher was selected by the Broncos in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft.
Joe Rizzo is a former linebacker of the Denver Broncos. He played for the Broncos from 1974 to 1980 and was a starter in Super Bowl XII and member of the Orange Crush Defense. He had 9 career interceptions. He was part of one of the most dominant linebacking corps in NFL history. Known as the Orange Crush, it consisted of, Joe Rizzo, Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson and Bob Swenson. The corp was named the 9th best linebacking corps in NFL history by nfl.com. Joe was also voted by Bronco fans as one of the top 10 linebackers in the 50-year history (1959-2009) of the Denver Broncos.
Reginald Wayne Herring is an American football coach and former player and most recently the linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). A former linebacker at Florida State University, he began his coaching career in 1981. He has now coached for 36 years across college and the NFL. Herring arrived in Denver to coach linebackers in 2015 after previous stops in the league with Chicago (2014), Houston and Dallas (2008–10). Herring has coached nine linebackers who have made Pro Bowl appearances during their careers, including outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware (9), Mario Williams (4), and Connor Barwin (1), and inside linebackers Zach Thomas (7), Keith Brooking (5), Lance Briggs (7), Brian Cushing (1), Sean Lee (2) and DeMeco Ryans (2). Herring also served as the interim head football coach for the University of Arkansas in the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Dante Delaneo Jones is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears from 1988 to 1994 and Denver Broncos in 1995. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft.
Matthew Jason Russell is an American football executive who currently serves as a senior personnel executive for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He formerly served as the Director of Player Personnel for the Denver Broncos of the NFL. Russell also was a former professional football player who was a linebacker in the NFL for a single season. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, earned consensus All-American honors and won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in America. He played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1997 to 1999.
Thomas Lawrence Graham was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). From 1972 until 1978, he played for the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Oregon. From 1969 to 1971, linebacker Tom Graham starred for a University of Oregon defensive unit that was often overshadowed by the team's offensive stars and fellow Hall of Famers Dan Fouts and Bobby Moore. From 1969 to 1971 he became the all-time leading tackler in Duck football history and was a 2001 inductee into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame. By the end of his Duck career, Graham had amassed a school-record 433 tackles, including an amazing 206 as a sophomore. He saved his best game for last, putting together one of the finest performances in Duck history, as he made 41 tackles, recovered a fumble, and blocked a field goal.
Lawrence Eugene Evans is a former linebacker of the Denver Broncos. He played for the Broncos from 1976 to 1982. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 14th round (#390) in the 1976 draft. He played for the Broncos during their run to Super Bowl XII. During his career he picked off three passes and recovered four fumbles. He currently resides in a suburb of Denver, Colorado.
Jonathan Andrew Hesse is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was the seventh round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1997 NFL Draft. He would play linebacker with the St. Louis Rams in 1998. He also was included on the Denver Broncos Super Bowl XXXII roster following the 1997 NFL season.
Steve Russ is an American football coach and former professional linebacker. He played college football as a linebacker for the Air Force Falcons before being drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He also played for the Los Angeles Xtreme in the original XFL and has been a coach since 2001.
Danny Eugene Trevathan is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kentucky, where in 2010, he was named an All-American by College Football News and was a first-team all-SEC selection.
Brandon Markeith Marshall is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, out of the University of Nevada, Reno.
Jerry Rosburg is an American football coach, who most recently served as the interim head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). In 2008, he was hired as assistant head coach/special teams coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. He was part of the Ravens' coaching staff on the team that won Super Bowl XLVII.
Corey Nelson is a former American football inside linebacker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Jonathon Cooper is an American football linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State.
