Countdown to 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement: Randy Gradishar
Enshrinement
Published on : 8/2/2024
RANDY GRADISHAR'S football story began at a grocery store deli counter.
Growing up in Warren, Ohio, Gradishar was a dual-sport athlete, competing in basketball and football. After receiving local all-league and all-county recognition, the Champion High School football coach sent tape to colleges on behalf of Gradishar.
Gradishar was working at his father’s grocery store during his senior year when he received a call from his high school. Woody Hayes was asking for him. Gradishar left his post at the store to meet the longtime Ohio State coach. After introductions, the young player and legendary coach walked back to the grocery store.
“My dad was slicing bologna for customers. Once he did that, he and Woody talked about World War II,” Gradishar said. He admitted the conversation that contained little mention of football confused him. He recounted, “I finally realized that he was recruiting the parents. He was recruiting my dad.”
The deli counter visit proved successful because, by the fall of 1971, Gradishar was suiting up as a linebacker for the Buckeyes.
Over three seasons at Ohio State (freshmen were ineligible to play in that era), he recorded 320 career tackles, with 134 in his senior year. That same year, he was a contender for the Heisman Trophy, ultimately placing sixth in the voting. He left Ohio State with a 25-6-1 record, two Big 10 championships and a Rose Bowl win against USC.
Hayes described Gradishar as “the best linebacker I have coached in 20 years at Ohio State.”
Gradishar’s story and success continued with his selection – 14th overall – by the Broncos in the 1974 NFL Draft.
In Denver, Gradishar’s gameplay was as much of a family affair as his father’s grocery store. He led the legendary “Orange Crush Defense,” which dominated the League with an innovative 3-4 configuration.
“It was a wonderful mix of personalities,” Gradishar recalled, speaking about the harmony of the defense. “We all have our own special traits, and if you’d written it out on paper, I don’t think it would have made much sense.”
Together, the team secured a 12-2 record and the Broncos’ first Super Bowl appearance in 1978.
Though the storied defense worked in unison, Gradishar was its essential character. He never missed a regular or postseason game in his 10 seasons with the Broncos, amassing a streak of 145 consecutive games played. In that time, he also secured a franchise record of 2,049 tackles, according to team statistics.
After an impressive performance by the Broncos in the 1977 AFC title game, future Hall of Fame coach John Madden asked, rhetorically, “How many Gradishars do they have on that defense? It can’t just be one.”
But, to many, Gradishar was more than a game-changer. Current Broncos’ owner Greg Penner described Gradishar as “the heart and soul of the iconic ‘Orange Crush Defense.’”
For Gradishar, his time on the gridiron with an unstoppable team that felt like family was nothing short of perfect.
“When I look back,” he said, “I couldn’t have written the book any better.”
Growing up in Warren, Ohio, Gradishar was a dual-sport athlete, competing in basketball and football. After receiving local all-league and all-county recognition, the Champion High School football coach sent tape to colleges on behalf of Gradishar.
Gradishar was working at his father’s grocery store during his senior year when he received a call from his high school. Woody Hayes was asking for him. Gradishar left his post at the store to meet the longtime Ohio State coach. After introductions, the young player and legendary coach walked back to the grocery store.
“My dad was slicing bologna for customers. Once he did that, he and Woody talked about World War II,” Gradishar said. He admitted the conversation that contained little mention of football confused him. He recounted, “I finally realized that he was recruiting the parents. He was recruiting my dad.”
The deli counter visit proved successful because, by the fall of 1971, Gradishar was suiting up as a linebacker for the Buckeyes.
Over three seasons at Ohio State (freshmen were ineligible to play in that era), he recorded 320 career tackles, with 134 in his senior year. That same year, he was a contender for the Heisman Trophy, ultimately placing sixth in the voting. He left Ohio State with a 25-6-1 record, two Big 10 championships and a Rose Bowl win against USC.
Hayes described Gradishar as “the best linebacker I have coached in 20 years at Ohio State.”
Gradishar’s story and success continued with his selection – 14th overall – by the Broncos in the 1974 NFL Draft.
In Denver, Gradishar’s gameplay was as much of a family affair as his father’s grocery store. He led the legendary “Orange Crush Defense,” which dominated the League with an innovative 3-4 configuration.
“It was a wonderful mix of personalities,” Gradishar recalled, speaking about the harmony of the defense. “We all have our own special traits, and if you’d written it out on paper, I don’t think it would have made much sense.”
Together, the team secured a 12-2 record and the Broncos’ first Super Bowl appearance in 1978.
Though the storied defense worked in unison, Gradishar was its essential character. He never missed a regular or postseason game in his 10 seasons with the Broncos, amassing a streak of 145 consecutive games played. In that time, he also secured a franchise record of 2,049 tackles, according to team statistics.
After an impressive performance by the Broncos in the 1977 AFC title game, future Hall of Fame coach John Madden asked, rhetorically, “How many Gradishars do they have on that defense? It can’t just be one.”
But, to many, Gradishar was more than a game-changer. Current Broncos’ owner Greg Penner described Gradishar as “the heart and soul of the iconic ‘Orange Crush Defense.’”
For Gradishar, his time on the gridiron with an unstoppable team that felt like family was nothing short of perfect.
“When I look back,” he said, “I couldn’t have written the book any better.”
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