Randy Gradishar

Randy Gradishar is a retired American football middle linebacker who played in the 1970s and 1980s. A native of Ohio, Gradishar was a two-time consensus All-American for the Ohio State Buckeyes, before playing ten seasons for the NFL's Denver Broncos, where he was the centerpiece of the "Orange Crush Defense".

Gradishar was a three-year starter with the Ohio State University from 1971 to 1973. Former Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes called Gradishar "the best linebacker I ever coached". He made 134 tackles in his senior year, 60 of them solo, to lead the team.

In 1974, following an outstanding career at Ohio State, Gradishar was drafted in the first round of the National Football League draft by the Denver Broncos. He quickly became the foundation upon which the Broncos built their imposing "Orange Crush" defense.

During his 10 seasons with the Broncos, Gradishar was named to seven Pro Bowls, a team record at the time of his retirement. He was also named first- or second-team All-Pro six times, first- or second-team All-AFC seven times, and was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 by the AP, Pro Football Weekly, and NEA.

A dominant player, he first caught national attention when he returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown during a nationally televised game in 1975. Even more attention, however, was focused on the former Academic All-America in 1977 as the Broncos defense held its opponents to an AFC-best average of just 10 points per game. That year the team finished 12-2 and represented the AFC in Super Bowl XII. In 1978, behind the Broncos Orange Crush defense the team again captured the AFC Western Division crown.

The all-time leader in tackles (2,049) for the Broncos, Gradishar never missed a game, playing in 145 consecutive matches. He led all Broncos defenders in tackles nine consecutive years, including his final season in 1983. He accounted for 33 turnovers during his career, on 20 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries. In 1980, against the Cleveland Browns, he returned an interception a team-record 93 yards for a touchdown. It was one of the four career touchdowns he scored. Twice his teammates voted him defensive MVP, first in 1978 then again in 1980.

In 1983, after 10 seasons of play, four of which the team advanced to the playoffs, Gradishar, after one final Pro Bowl appearance, decided to go out on top and announced his retirement at the relatively young age of 31.