Broncos D-linemen praise Nunnely

Denver Broncos defensive linemen receive instruction from coach Wayne Nunnely during training camp in 2010. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Denver Broncos defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely has retired after 36 years coaching football. Defensive linemen Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and Kevin Vickerson, and Mitch Unrein released the following statements on Nunnely.

Elvis Dumervil —

“He’s a great man and a great mentor off the field as well. He helped me become a mature person off the field. He’s a great technician coach. He was always fiery and he always had it in gameday and practice—he always came with it every day to work. Those were things I learned from him. No matter how you feel, you have to come to work every day, day in and day out. It’s all about consistency and he showed a good example and was a role model for our defensive linemen.”

Robert Ayers —

“He definitely was, in my opinion, a very great coach in this league. He’s very established, and if you look at his résumé and the guys that he’s coached there are a lot of Pro Bowlers and a lot of great players. He’s going to be missed and we definitely learned a lot from him. He brought a lot to work. Guys fed off his tenacity. His passion for the game was intense and we all fed off that.”

A big special shout out to my coach, Wayne Nunnely.. 37 yrs in the game and a true Role model as a man.. Thanks for the time together..

— Robert Ayers Jr (@1_900_ayersjr) May 14, 2012

Kevin Vickerson —

“Coach Nunnely is all about perfecting your craft. He’s a perfectionist. He wants you to do everything with technique and just work hard. It’s something he preached to us. All the guys are going to miss him this year.”

Mitch Unrein —

@Denver_Broncos D-Line Coach Wayne Nunnely retired today after 36yrs in the game. Thanks for everything that you taught me! #GreatPerson

— Mitchell J. Unrein (@MitchellJUnrein) May 14, 2012