Randy Gradishar

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

1977 AFC — Denver Broncos 20, Oakland Raiders 17

• Gradishar started at linebacker. he had four tackles, four assists and two passes defensed.

SUPER BOWLS

Super Bowl XII – Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10

• Gradishar started at right linebacker. He had five tackles, three assists and one pass defensed.

ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS

All-Pro: 1977 (AP, PW) • 1978 (AP, PFWA, NEA, PW) • 1979 (PFWA, PW) • 1980 (SN) •
1981 (SN, PW)

All-Pro Second Team: 1977 (NEA) • 1979 (AP, NEA) • 1980 (NEA) • 1981 (AP, NEA) •
1983 (AP)

All-AFC: 1977 (UPI, SN, PW) • 1978 (UPI, SN, PW) • 1979 (SN, PW) • 1981 (UPI, PW) •
1982 (UPI)

All-AFC Second Team: 1976 (UPI) • 1979 (UPI) • 1983 (UPI)


PRO BOWLS

(7) — 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985


TEAM RECORDS
Denver Broncos records held by Gradishar
(At time of his retirement following 1983 season)

• [1st] Most Interception Return Yardage, Game – 93 (at Cleveland, Oct. 5, 1980)
• [1st] Longest Interception Return – 93 (at Cleveland, Oct. 5, 1980)
• [1st] Longest Scoring Interception Return – 93 (at Cleveland, Oct. 5, 1980)

LEAGUE/TEAM STATISTICAL TITLES

Team statistical championships

• Interception leader: 1975
• Total tackles leader: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983

YEAR-BY-YEAR TEAM RECORDS
 

Year	Team	W	L	T	Divison finish
1974	Denver Broncos	7	6	1	(2nd)
1975	Denver Broncos	6	8	0	(2nd)
1976	Denver Broncos	9	5	0	(2nd)
1977	Denver Broncos	12	2	0	(1st)
1978	Denver Broncos	10	6	0	(1st)
1979	Denver Broncos	10	6	0	(2nd)
1980	Denver Broncos	8	8	0	(4th)
1981	Denver Broncos	10	6	0	(2nd)
1982	Denver Broncos	2	7	0	(12th) ^
1983	Denver Broncos	9	7	0	(3rd)

* Qualified for postseason in bold.
^ AFC regular-season finish in strike-shortened season.
 

Full name: Randolph Charles Gradishar 

Birthdate: March 3, 1952

Birthplace: Warren, Ohio

High school: Champion (Warren, Ohio) 

Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jan. 17, 2024

Other members of the Class of 2024: Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis.

Pro career: 10 seasons, 145 games.

Drafted: First round (14th overall) in 1974 by Denver Broncos

Uniform numbers: 53 (Denver 1976-1983); 52 (Denver 1974-75)

Tom, thank you. Thank you very much. And Tom, thank you, because our journey began in the summer of ‘74 at the Broncos’ Mile High Stadium, a journey of shared experiences built on loyalty and trust, and 50 years later, we stand here on the Pro Football Hall of Fame stage. My admiration and respect to you, Tom, and your wife, Jen, we certainly appreciate that, and we shared that special bond with you, and we're very grateful for that. 

Congratulations to Steve and Devin and Andre and Julius and Patrick. We are the Pro Football Class of 2024.

You know, going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I want to thank you, prep team, for your tireless prep work, which you gave me and everyone a fantastic week this week. Hall of Fame President Jim Porter and Mayor Bill Sherer, Chamber of Commerce staff and the volunteers: I just want to thank you for your leadership, which is the backbone of the event, success of all these events that have happened this week.

To the Broncos in Bronco Country: I would not be standing here without you, because the best franchise and the best fans in the NFL are the Broncos, and I want to thank Greg and Carrie Penner and Mr. Walden for the ownership of the Broncos and what you've done for me and for all of the Bronco alumni that are there today. 

My wife, Beth, and I pray – attend – BRAVE Church in Denver, which our Pastor Jeff leads, who's here today with his wife, Kim. Pastor Jeff and Kim and BRAVE church friends who are here today. There's Mike and Jane and Tom and Linda, Mike and Deb, Tom, Margaret, Phil, David, Chris and Josh and Barry and Susan that are in Alaska, and my BRAVE church family watching at home. Thank you for your love and for your support. 

Earlier this year, Pastor Jeff taught a series “Built to Last” from the book of Nehemiah, and one of the messages of the series was “difference makers.” And Pastor Jeff asked us to consider who made the difference in our lives, and today, I want to recognize a number of key individuals who made a profound difference in my life.

My wife, Beth, when friend Sandy Weese introduced us. I said, “Wow! She's gorgeous!” Sandy Weese was Norris Weese’s wife, and he was a close friend, and he was a Bronco quarterback when I played. And at the age of 43, he had spinal cancer, and that took his life. And Beth was his hospice nurse. And after Norris passed, Sandy introduced me to Beth. 

Beth, you're a miracle. I thank God that His perfect plan for my life was you. Your kind and compassionate soul captured my heart for sure. Your love for work tirelessly for the good of others, especially your brother, John David, who has a heart of gold just like yours. Beth, I love you and I cherish you. Thank you.

My parents, Jim and Ann, from old Champion Ohio, about 40-45 miles from here.

My dad and mom were quiet-natured, humble people and diligent at their work. Mom was a great homemaker. Dad and his brother-in-law, Bill, owned B&J Grocery Store. Uncle Bill's son – my cousin, Bill Junior – and his wife, Gretchen, are here today, and thanks for your memories. I love you. 

Watching my dad, especially at his B&J Grocery Store, taught me valuable lessons early on in my life. At the age of 12, I love working at my dad's grocery store. I watched how he took pride in serving his customers and with kindness and respect, how it impacted my life.

I remember one day dad didn't serve; he didn't open his B&J Grocery Store. It was June 6, 1980. A ruptured aneurysm took my dad's life. He was 60. I was 28. A significant loss in my life and for Champion Ohio. My dad was deeply loved and respected. I lost my dad, but I didn't lose the principles he and my mom taught me by example: honesty, loyalty, discipline, work ethic that allowed me to serve others with generosity and fun. 

Buckeye native and my OSU teammate, two-time Heisman Trophy (winner) Archie Griffin – somewhere down here. Archie Griffin: Thank you, Archie. 

Archie years ago invited me to an on-campus Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting Bible study during my senior year. Growing up, I attended church, but the gospel of salvation wasn't taught that evening in ’74. The gospel was explained in four simple truths.

 Truth 1: God created mankind in his image, and that comes from Genesis 1:27. God loves us and offers a plan for our life. 

Truth 2: Mankind's problems are from Romans 3:23 – that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Therefore, we cannot know and experience God's love and plan for our lives. Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, are spiritual death.

Truth No. 3: God made a way out – John 3:16 – that God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ's death on the cross – the darkest day in history – and Jesus' resurrection earned Jesus the right to proclaim: “I am the way, the truth and the life. And no one comes to the Father, but through me.” That's out of John 1:4-6.

And the fourth truth: Salvation requires turning to God, repent of our sins, accept His forgiveness and ask Jesus, by faith, to be your personal lord and savior. This is the only way to be right with God and to live out his plans for our life, not ours. Thank you.

There's four simple but eternal truths. 

Archie, you are an OSU sophomore at the time when you invited me to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting – the best invitation I've ever had. And at age 22 I received Jesus Christ as my lord and savior.

To my key prayer warriors, Beth and Pastor Jeff and Kim; cousins, Joe and Annie; men in my Bible study; Bob and Diana; Blake, Dale, Morris, Linda Rogas and her late husband, Roger: Thank you. The greatest gift we can give and receive, really, is prayer.

My high school football coaches: Al Corino, Bill Thorn, Jim Betts and Jerry Carlton.

Jerry, thank you for being here today. And a few other men, because at Champion High School you guys, and when I was in ninth grade, developed a football program my freshman year. Thank you for your investing in me and to learn the sport and then to have a lifelong friendship. For sure, you and Carol are special to Beth and me, and I want to say thank you.

My high school basketball coach, Roger Rogas, passed in 2017, like Coach Carlton made a difference in my life with his encouragement for me to be the best I could be – not just in sports but in life. Coach Rogers’ wife, Linda, your husband, my coach, influenced me as a young kid of who he was – a man of faith and integrity – and your walk with the Lord and friendship have been a blessing to me and Beth. And I say, I want to say, I love you.

Coach Woody Hayes … Are there any Buckeyes here?

Woody, what he was committed to (was) the best. And we all felt that. And his most valuable experience Coach Woody had in my life was his “pay forward” lifestyle. And Friday during spring quarters, Woody and I and the team went to assisted living homes, facilities, middle schools, high schools, and we went through them, talking to people. And so Coach Woody Hayes’ pay forward philosophy really influenced me to develop a lifestyle of serving.

Any Bronco fans? Thank you! You're the best. 

My Bronco head coach, John Ralston, impacted my life during my senior year at Ohio State. I sustained a knee injury, and I had surgery, and it was somewhat successful. I knew, and others knew, that my knee would never be the same for sure, but Coach Raulston took a chance on me and drafted me back in 1974. The rest is history. 

Bronco coaches Red Miller, Dan Reeves, Stan Jones, Joe Collier, Merrill Moore believed in me and encouraged me. They encouraged. That was the greatest gift that our coaches would give to me and to our team – encouraging us to give our best, and that would be our motivator to do the best that we can be. And Merle Moore is here today, my linebacker coach. I want to say thank you out of where you're at, down here somewhere, but I want to say thank you for being here and for the investment that you made in us, for our skill set, so that we would be different. We would have a different skill set in winning and learning, and that we would be mentally prepared for each and every game. Our mental toughness was our success to what we did with that Orange Crush defense.

Our late, great Orange Crush defensive coordinator, Joe Collier, passed away a few months ago. Joe wasn't just a great coach, but he was one of the leaders and mentors that any NFL player would really want to have on their side. So, I want to thank Lyle and Paul and Joe and Patrick and Louis and Steve and Randy and Randy Paul, John and Carl. I want to thank you guys and some of the other guys on our team for what we became, because we were always the Orange Crush defense. We are very explosive, dominant, winning force, because coach Joe Collier wanted the best for us, and in turn, he got the best from us. 

So, Joe Collier's legacy, loyal commitment, humility, quiet strength and encouragement made lifelong differences in many athletes of our lives. 

And then there's Jay Cimino. He was the president and CEO of the Phil Long dealerships in Colorado. Almost 30 years ago, Jay hired me 30 years ago to work in the corporate communications division at Phil long. Jay was a genius in every sense of the word. Jay could see people's potential, for sure, and who and what they really could do and become. He brought out the best in hundreds of lives. 

One of Jay's greatest strengths was he was a trustworthy man of his word, foundational in his relationship. You make a promise or a vow, you keep it. Credibility depends on it, for sure. For almost three decades, Jay and a few other men presented my case to the Hall of Fame Selection Committee. They believed I was worthy to be a candidate for the induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jay's 30-year vision and labor came to fruition on January 26th this year. I received the news I had waited 35 years to hear: I was chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I immediately called Jay, who can only imagine how we felt. And then less than four weeks later, in end of (February) January, Gina Sacripanti, our Phil Long dealerships corporate communications director, called to say that Jay had passed. It was for me, it was a gut punch, for sure, and I stand here today without Jay, but everything Jay built into my life stands before you. 

Gina Cimino, thank you for your family and for sharing your dad with all of us at the Phil Long dealerships. He's very, very deeply missed, but he's with us in spirit here even today, and I'm grateful to God for the key individuals he brought into my life, difference makers, because among other strengths, they are loyal and trustworthy. 

My favorite life verses in Colossians, 3:23 and 24 – “Work diligently for the Lord, rather than people.” What does god mean by that? Don't work for status, power, wealth, materialism or people's recognition. All that is very, very temporary. But in all you are and all you do work for God's glory, because he will give you an inheritance as your reward, a reward that's built to last. That's not my promise, that's God's promise.

Thank you.

And so today, I dedicate my Pro Football Hall of Fame 2024 induction to my lord and savior, Jesus Christ, who gave me his life so I could be built to last. Thank you, and God bless you.