Caleb Harris
Joe Collier, former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator and mastermind behind the team’s famous “Orange Crush” defense, has died, the team announced on Tuesday. He was 91 years old.
Collier presided over three defenses advancing to the Super Bowl during his time in Denver, which lasted from 1972-88. Collier coached a group of Broncos defensive backs who are now in the team’s Ring of Fame. His best defender in Denver, former linebacker Randy Gradishar, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.
“Joe Collier is one of the most impactful coaches in Denver Broncos history and considered one of the best defensive coordinators of all time,” the Broncos wrote in a statement. “Intelligent, modest and soft-spoken, Collier provided steady leadership to five different coaches as the Broncos emerged as perennial contenders in the 1970s and 1980s.”
Collier’s 3-4 defense (a lineup that features three defensive linemen and four linebackers) was one of the secret ingredients behind the success of the “Orange Crush,” a unit led by Gradishar and other strong defenders Lyle Alzado, Tom Jackson, Bill Thompson and Louis Wright. In 1977, Denver’s defense finished third in the NFL in points allowed during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Broncos held off the Steelers’ and Raiders’ most powerful offenses in consecutive weeks, while Denver reached the Super Bowl for the first time.
In Super Bowl XII, the Broncos defense more than held its own against the star-studded Cowboys, led by future Hall of Famers Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett and Drew Pearson. Denver held Dallas to under 3.8 yards per carry, sacked Staubach five times and forced two turnovers. But the Broncos couldn’t overcome their eight turnovers on offense as Dallas prevailed to win their second Super Bowl of the decade.
Collier’s unit continued to play well during the 1980s, as the Broncos’ defense did more than its part to help the franchise reach back-to-back Super Bowls in 1986 and 1987. In fact, Collier’s defense was the author from one of NFL most famous plays when quarterback Jeremiah Castille stripped the ball from Browns running back Ernest Byner late in Denver’s victory over Cleveland in the 1987 AFC title game.
Collier, who had a brief stint as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator following his time in Denver, began his professional football coaching career with the Patriots in 1960. After two years with the Patriots, Collier went to Buffalo, where he served as a defensive assistant before to be promoted to head coach, a role he held from 1966-68.
Before coaching, Collier was a talented player. During his junior season at Northwestern, Collier was considered an All-American after setting a Big Ten record for touchdown receptions. He was drafted by the Giants in 1954 NFL Draftbut chose to go into coaching after serving three years in the U.S. Army.
