Often times, we get so caught too up in the ‘what’s happening now’ to take a moment to reflect on the great Broncos players that once repped the orange and blue. There once was a TE/OL nicknamed “House” and everybody loved him.
Dwayne Carswell came to the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Liberty University in 1994. Although he didn’t see the field much until the 1996 season, he was a practice squad contributor in 1994 and made enough of a name for himself to be activated for play late in the 1995
season. In 1996, Carswell played the entire 16-game spread, mostly on special teams and backing up Shannon Sharpe. In 1997 and 1998, he found himself a back-to-back Super Bowl champion.
In 2005, Carswell switched from tight end to offensive guard, but he wasn’t done being an offensive weapon. In October, he caught 2 touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars as an eligible receiver, the first time since 1966 an OL had accomplished such a feat.
Unfortunately, just weeks later, he would be involved in a car accident that broke ribs and took him out for the rest of the season. House would return in 2006, but would be released in early September.
House spent his entire NFL career with the Broncos and appeared in 163 games with 82 starts. In 2001, he was voted to the Pro Bowl. He caught 192 passes for 1,707 yards and 15 touchdowns. He returned 5 kicks for 14 yards, He recovered 5 fumbles. It was his drive to return to football after the car accident that won him the Ed Block Courage Award in 2005.
There aren’t a lot of players that can say they made a pro football squad after being undrafted, won back-to-back Super Bowls, replaced Shannon Sharpe (during his silly Ravens dalliance), and survived a pretty nasty car accident. It may have been his underdog nature or the fact that he wore with orange and blue with such pride that makes him special. All I know is that he was one hell of a Bronco and he was fun to watch.
A mighty Mile High Salute to you, Dwayne “House” Carswell!
