Good morning, Broncos Country!
To change the focus for a little bit, let’s talk about Barney Chavous.
The former Denver Broncos defensive end is one of the most underappreciated players in team history. That should get rectified this year, when he should be the next player inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame.
For those who don’t know, Chavous is one of the best pass rushers to ever play in Denver. He was a key member of the Orange Crush defense and helped the franchise play in its first Super Bowl. He is a member of the Broncos
Top 100 team and played all 13 of his NFL seasons in Denver. He was selected with the No. 36 pick in the 1973 NFL Draft out of South Carolina.
But it’s the stats that tell the story of Chavous and his value to the franchise. Sacks weren’t officially tracked by the NFL until 1982. However, when Chavous retired, he was the franchise’s all-time leader. He’s one of four Broncos to reach 75 sacks for his career. Chavous currently sits at No. 4 on the all-time list with 75. That’s behind Von Miller (110.5), Simon Fletcher (97.5), and Karl Mecklenburg (79.0).
For his career, Chavous also registered eight fumble recoveries, a touchdown, and a safety while starting 178 of 183 games played in Denver.
After retiring as a player, Chavous coached 11 seasons with the Broncos in several different roles. He was an assistant offensive line coach on the back-to-back Super Bowl teams.
Chavous was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. Now he needs his place in the Broncos Ring of Fame.
As he told 9News when he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame:
“The Broncos’ Ring of Fame would be nice, but you know what? At this point in my life, I’m just glad I can share this honor with my family and my grandchildren and my friends and my teammates. They’re a part of this honor. It’s all about them and the Broncos’ organization. The Broncos were really good to me. My coaches. I had some great coaches. I was very blessed to play for Joe Collier my whole career. Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan, I’ve been blessed to be with some great coaches. That’s what’s on my heart right now.”
