Former Broncos head coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves are one step closer to gaining a new home in Canton, Ohio.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday that Shanahan and Reeves are among the nine semifinalists for the Class of 2025 from the coaching category. On Nov. 19, the Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee will meet again to select one former coach as a finalist who will then be voted upon by the Hall of Fame's full Selection Committee in February.
Shanahan and Reeves, who are both already members of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame, are the franchise's two most successful head coaches in team history.
Shanahan led the team to its first two Super Bowl victories and is the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season and postseason victories (138 and eight, respectively). In his 14 seasons as head coach, Shanahan marshaled the Broncos to nine winning seasons, seven playoff berths and three conference title games.
The 2020 Ring of Fame inductee is also widely recognized for his innovation on the offensive side of the ball. His offense finished in the top five in rushing yards in five seasons, and the Shanahan offense has now become commonplace in the modern NFL for how it attacks defenses on the ground and through the air.
Shanahan, who also spent seven seasons with the Broncos as an assistant coach, is one of just six head coaches in NFL history to be on staff for 200 or more wins and multiples Super Bowl victories with one franchise. He is also one of just seven head coaches to win back-to-back titles; only Shanahan, Andy Reid and Bill Belichick are not yet in the Hall of Fame.
Under Reeves' guidance from 1981-92, the Broncos reached three Super Bowls and won five division titles. Over his 12 seasons, Denver won 60 percent of its games (110-73-1), and he led the team to seven postseason victories. Reeves also helped usher in one of the most consistent periods of success in Broncos history, as the team finished with a losing record only twice during his tenure.
Reeves, who participated in nine total Super Bowls either as a coach or player, also was selected twice as the Associated Press Coach of the Year (1993 and 1998). After his time with the Broncos, Reeves also led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance. He finished his head coaching career with 201 total wins.
Reeves and Shanahan were also semifinalists for the Class of 2024.
The other coach semifinalists for the Hall of Fame for the Class of 2025 are Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Clark Shaughnessy.
