Randy Gradishar Belongs in the Hall of Fame

He’s got your “Orange Crush” right here. Photo Courtesy

Randy Charles Gradishar, born March 3, 1952 in Warren, Ohio, came into the National Football League after a tremendously successful college career. Playing for the Ohio St. Buckeyes, Gradishar was selected as first-team All-American in both his junior and senior seasons (1972, 73). In his senior year, he even finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting – this guy was truly dominant as a linebacker in college. Legendary college coach Woody Hayes – “The Vince Lombardi of College Football” – once called Gradishar “the best linebacker I ever coached.” To this day, the award given to outstanding Ohio State linebackers is called the Randy Gradishar award.

The Denver Broncos drafted Gradishar with the 14th overall selection in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft. Only a few years after the Broncos finally earned their first winning record, they were hoping this talented defender could lead them to an actual championship. With one of the most loyal fanbases in the nation – despite a lack of general success – a championship was in the Broncos’ sights.

He played in all 14 games in his rookie year, earning 51 tackles and All-Rookie honors. He would never tally less than 150 tackles per season the rest of his career, and he would never miss another non-strike game.

Over the course of his career, Gradishar exceeded these gaudy expectations. In 1977, he led the Broncos to our first Super Bowl – an embarassing loss at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, but it was our first AFC Championship and the most successful season in franchise history. Leader of the vaunted “Orange Crush” defense, Gradishar was elected as Defensive MVP in the NFL for his career high 286 tackles and 4 interceptions.

He earned his first Pro Bowl in his sophomore season of 1975, and he never looked back. He averaged a whopping 204.9 tackles for his 10-year career – among the best in NFL history. As you can see below, year after year, his numbers were impressive.

Get Him in the Hall

Possibly more than any of the other Broncos snubs, Gradishar’s exemption from the Canton, Ohio is simply unexplainable. I’m convinced it has to do with some sort of grudge on the side of the HOF Selection Committee – just look at this article from Woody Paige to get an idea of the injustice toward Gradishar.

Now, I’m not a big fan of Paige’s… he didn’t do all of his homework in this article (feel free to check out my comments, and others, at the article link)… but the fact remains: Gradishar not being in the Hall of Fame has to be considered one of the worst disgraces in all of Sports’ Hall of Fames!

One need look no farther than Harry Carson… Carson had a very successful career, and made plenty of big plays when it counted. Statistically, Gradishar’s career compares favorable to Carson’s – they played for much of the same era, and Gradishar as a whole had more tackles, interceptions and one less fumble recovery than the 2006 Hall of Fame Class member. In less time. While he didn’t win a Super Bowl, Gradishar was instrumental in leading the team to its first Super Bowl, and the leader of entire defensive nickname in “The Orange Crush.”

If having over 2,000 tackles in 10 years in the NFL isn’t enough to warrant a Hall of Fame bust, it’s hard to imagine what is. When you consider that Randy Gradishar was the biggest playmaker on the feared Broncos Orange Crush defense, and that he dominated the line of scrimmage on third and fourth downs, it’s simply a no-brainer. 20 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries only increases his already impressive resume, and his postseason success is more than enough to guarantee a spot in the hallowed hall. I hope the Hall of Fame Voting Committee can right this wrong and restore a piece of Broncos history to NFL history.