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Dan Reeves, the former Dallas Cowboys player and assistant coach and head coach of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, passed away today at the age of 77. He was a legend in the NFL, having made it to nine Super Bowls in his 38-year NFL career as a player and a coach. Yet, Dan Reeves was never inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Is it an aberration, or is it justified? We take a closer look.
Dan Reeves: A HOF career with a HOF bust
Dan Reeves did not make it to the Hall of Fame as a coach, probably because seven of his Super Bowl visits ended in defeat at the final hurdle. As a player, he lost one, and as an assistant coach he lost two. As head coach, he lost all four Super Bowls he made it to: three with the Denver Broncos and one with the Atlanta Falcons.
What this construct ignores is that Dan Reeves established these teams and took them to the heights they scarcely could have imagined going without him. The Denver Broncos would win two Super Bowls with John Elway at the helm, someone nurtured within the organization by Dan Reeves. The Atlanta Falcons, also, made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in their history under him.
So, a more objective look paints a different picture. Only 10 NFL coaches have won 200 career games, and Dan Reeves is one of them. Every coach in this bracket has made it to the Hall of Fame, except him and Marty Schottenheimer. He has also been named coach of year twice.
Beyond the numbers, a fair comparison with current inductees into the Hall of Fame necessitates Dan Reeves' inclusion. As we mentioned before, he has lost the Super Bowl four times as head coach, and that is something that seems to be held against him.
But compare him with the two other coaches who have also lost four Super Bowls. Bud Grant and Marv Levy have already made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In fact, Marv Levy's career overlapped with that of Dan Reeves' time in the NFL.
Thus, we believe it is almost a travesty that the man who gave his entire life to football and the NFL has not been recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Denver Broncos have already inducted him into their ring of honor. The next stop for Dan Reeves, in his memory, should be Canton.
