By Jordan Long
Gary Kubiak announced his retirement from the NFL. He had served as the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings this past season. It is time for the Broncos’ franchise to place him in the Ring of Fame.
Kubiak’s playing career lasted from 1983 to 1991 with the Broncos as the backup to John Elway. He started 5 games throughout his career with a 3-2 record. He passed for 1,920 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. The Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl 3 times with him as a backup, but lost in all of them.
Kubiak is more known for his coaching in the NFL. He began as the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks’ coach for the 1994 season. The 49ers won Super Bowl 29 over the San Diego Chargers. When the Denver Broncos hired Mike Shanahan prior to the 1995 season, Shanahan wanted Kubiak to run the offense.
Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 1995 to 2005. He instituted the zone blocking scheme which helped the offensive line block for the running backs. This was going to take the pressure off of the quarterbacks to use their arms to throw the football. It worked. The Broncos produced four 1,000 yard rushers, including a record setting 1998 year for Terrell Davis. Davis ran for 2,008 yards, becoming the 4th running back in NFL history to surpass the 2,000 yard rushing mark in a single season. He even won the MVP of the league that year. With his rushing attack, Denver won Super Bowl 32 and 33.
In 2006 Kubiak became the Head Coach of the Houston Texans. It was his first Head Coaching job. He stayed in Houston until 2013. In 2014 he was the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Broncos fired Head Coach John Fox on January 12th, 2015 after 4 years. Fox led the franchise to 4 straight division titles and one Super Bowl appearance where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks. Fox was an outstanding 46-18 with Denver but couldn’t win the big games.
When that news happened, the Broncos knew they wanted to hire Kubiak because of Elway’s connection with him. The Broncos interviewed other candidates, but Kubiak was the best available.
Kubiak guided the Denver Broncos to a 12-4 regular season record. The playoffs were all about winning the Super Bowl for Peyton Manning. They knocked off the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.
Kubiak stuck around for one more season. Denver went 9-7 in 2016. Kubiak stepped away from coaching due to his health. He still had an itch to coach and joined the Minnesota Vikings where he was the offensive coordinator this season.
According to MSN.com, Kubiak said, “I’ll miss the competition, the planning, game days, and being part of a team. But, more than anything, I’ll cherish the friendships I’ve made along the way with players, coaches, and staff. I love the game of football and will forever be its biggest fan.”
The Broncos need to place him in the Ring of Fame which is the Broncos Hall of Fame. There is not a coach who did more for the franchise than he did. He helped this team win 3 Super Bowls and 1 as a Head Coach. Sure his Head Coaching record isn’t impressive in Denver at 21-11, but he helped the Broncos become a winning franchise as an offensive coordinator. He meant a lot to the organization. It is time for Kubiak to be recognized for his hard work for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos can’t write the history of the franchise without him.
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