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Former Denver Broncos defensive end Brison Manor has passed away at the age of 70. The NFL team announced the passing via social media and no cause of death has been given yet.
The NFL team said in the longer release, which reads in part:
"Brison Manor, who helped the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, has passed away. He was 70 years old. Manor began his career with the Broncos in 1977 and appeared in 16 games across the regular season and postseason as Denver's Orange Crush defense helped the team advance to Super Bowl XII.
"The Broncos defensive end recorded four sacks during the regular season and added a fumble recovery in Denver's AFC Championship win over the Raiders."
Brison Manor's journey to and in the NFL
Brison Manor's journey began in New Jersey, specifically in the town of Bridgeton. He was born on August 10, 1952, and played for the Bridgeton High Bulldogs. He graduated in 1971 and did not receive any scholarship offers.
So, the defender went to play for Pratt Community College in Kansas. It was there that he was noticed and scouted by Arkansas, where he went to college for two years. His defensive line coach was future Hall-of-Famer Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson.
His time at the college was not only consequential because of how well he played on the field. That was in the southern United States as they were coming out of segregation, and the likes of Bison Manor were at the forefront of it.
He was selected in the 1975 NFL draft by the New York Jets but was cut from the team before the season. He returned to Little Rock and opened a car dealership. He was picked up by the Denver Broncos in 1976 but he was injured, and finally made his NFL debut in 1977.
He became part of the famed Orange Crush that was responsible for the franchise's first visit to the Super Bowl. As he said in 2018:
"We're considered one of the best defenses ever in the NFL. When your defense has a nickname, you know you were good. … Teams couldn't run against us at all. We played reckless. We didn't really care about our bodies. We were flying all over the field. It was a fun time, because people were scared of us."
Brison Manor was inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor in 2011 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. He received a golden ball as a former Super Bowl participant that he gave to his high school.
