# Dan Reeves
**Dan Reeves** (January 19, 1944 – January 1, 2022) was an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) coach and player who served as head coach of the [Denver Broncos](https://www.edgepedia.org/denver-broncos) (1981–1992), [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants) (1993–1996), and Atlanta Falcons (1997–2003), compiling a career record of 201–174–2 including postseason play.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026) He appeared in nine Super Bowls as a player or coach, winning one as a player and one as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, and led the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Head coaching record | 201–174–2 including postseason, with the Broncos, Giants, and Falcons[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026) |
| Denver tenure | 12 seasons (1981–92), 110–73–1, five AFC West titles, six playoff berths, three Super Bowl appearances (XXI, XXII, XXIV)[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) |
| Super Bowl participation | Nine Super Bowls as player or coach; one win as a player and one as an assistant coach with Dallas[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) |
| Coach of the Year | AP NFL Coach of the Year 1993 (Giants) and 1998 (Falcons); three AFC Coach of the Year awards with Denver (1984, 1989, 1991)[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) • [3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) |
| Playing career | Undrafted free agent running back for the Dallas Cowboys, seven seasons; NFL championship games in 1966, 1967, and 1970[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) |
| Playoff record as head coach | 10–8, including 4–1 in conference championship games[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) |
| Hall of Fame status | Among the 12 coaches remaining in consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026) |
## Early life and playing career
Reeves was a native of Americus, Georgia, where he grew up on a 275-acre farm, rising before dawn to plow, bale hay, and tend livestock.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) • [2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) He played quarterback at the [University of South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-south-carolina), twice earning All-ACC selection, and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 1977.[4](https://scfootballhof.org/dan-reeves/) • [2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves)
**Dallas Cowboys.** After going undrafted, Reeves signed with the Cowboys in 1965 and earned a roster spot as a special-teams player.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) When injuries thinned the Dallas backfield, he started all 14 games at running back in his second season and tied for the league lead with 16 total touchdowns.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) Drawing on his quarterback background, he became a respected halfback passer, completing 30 such passes for two touchdowns over his career, and he also returned kickoffs and punts.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) He played in the NFL championship games of 1966, 1967, and 1970 over seven seasons as a running back.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/)
A significant knee injury pushed him toward coaching. He served as a player/coach with the Cowboys in 1970 and 1971, then spent eight seasons as a full-time assistant under head coach [Tom Landry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-landry), helping Dallas win [Super Bowl XII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xii) over Denver in January 1978.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) Landry called him one of the strongest competitors he had coached.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/)
## Denver Broncos, 1981–1992
In 1981, Broncos owner Edgar Kaiser made Reeves the youngest head coach in the NFL at age 37.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) His first team beat the defending [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) champion Raiders in the season opener and finished 10–6.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) In 1983, Kaiser engineered the trade that brought quarterback [John Elway](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-elway) to Denver, and the Reeves–Elway pairing defined the franchise for the next decade.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves)
Over 12 seasons, Reeves went 110–73–1 in Denver, winning 60 percent of his games and capturing five division titles, the most of any coach in franchise history; the team had just two losing seasons in that span.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) He led Denver to 10 or more victories seven times, and his 72–21 regular-season record at [Mile High Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/mile-high-stadium) was the best in the NFL during those 12 years.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) Denver reached [Super Bowl XXI](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxi) (1986 season), XXII (1987), and XXIV (1989), and Reeves was the only coach to lead an AFC team to three Super Bowls in the 1980s.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) He won three AFC Coach of the Year awards with the Broncos, in 1984, 1989, and 1991, after a 13–3 season in 1984.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/)
## New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons
In his first season with the Giants in 1993, Reeves took a 6–10 team to the playoffs at 11–5 and won AP NFL Coach of the Year honors.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) • [2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) He coached New York through 1996.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026)
**Atlanta and the 1998 season.** Hired by the Falcons in 1997, Reeves also served as de facto general manager that first year, with the team going 7–9.[5](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/executives/ReevDa0.htm) In his second season, Atlanta went 14–2, the best record in franchise history, and reached the franchise's first Super Bowl in its 33-year existence.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) That season he underwent emergency bypass surgery but returned to the sideline four weeks later, and he was a unanimous selection as Coach of the Year.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) He coached the Falcons through 2003.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026)
Across 23 seasons as a head coach, Reeves posted an 11–9 playoff record, including 4–1 in conference championship games, and coached in 20 playoff games.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) • [8](https://www.giants.com/news/giants-mourn-passing-of-coach-dan-reeves) By 2000, his 167–128–1 regular-season record made him the NFL's winningest active coach, and he ranked eighth on the league's all-time victory list at that time.[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/)
## Hall of Fame consideration and legacy
Reeves has repeatedly advanced deep into [Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-hall-of-fame) consideration without election. He was among the candidates considered for the Coach/Contributor finalist spot for the Class of 2023,[6](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/don-coryell-selected-as-coach-contributor-finalist-for-hall-of-fame-s-class-of-2023) and in the Class of 2026 process he is one of 12 coaches still under consideration by the Hall's Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee, which will narrow the list to nine semifinalists and then select one finalist.[1](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026) Commentators have pointed to his nine Super Bowl appearances as a player or coach, a total exceeded among individuals in NFL history only by [Bill Belichick](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-belichick) and [Tom Brady](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-brady), and to his 200-plus victories as the core of his case.[7](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/mile-high-morning-the-hall-of-fame-case-for-dan-reeves)
His influence extends through a coaching lineage: [Mike Shanahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-shanahan), who served under Reeves in Denver, later headed the Broncos himself, and the coaching tree continued to [Sean McVay](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-mcvay) and Kyle Shanahan.[7](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/mile-high-morning-the-hall-of-fame-case-for-dan-reeves)
**Honors.** Reeves was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2000[3](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/) and the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame.[4](https://scfootballhof.org/dan-reeves/) In 2014 he became the first head coach inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves) After coaching, he worked in broadcasting as an NFL analyst for Westwood One.[4](https://scfootballhof.org/dan-reeves/)
Reeves died on January 1, 2022, at his home in Atlanta at age 77.[2](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves)
## References
1. [Twelve coaches advance in selection process for Hall of Fame Class of 2026, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/twelve-coaches-advance-in-selection-process-for-hall-of-fame-class-of-2026)
2. [Broncos mourn the loss of Ring of Fame head coach Dan Reeves, DenverBroncos.com (January 1, 2022)](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-mourn-the-loss-of-ring-of-fame-head-coach-dan-reeves)
3. [Dan Reeves, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (2000 inductee)](https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/2000-inductees/dan-reeves/)
4. [Dan Reeves, South Carolina Football Hall of Fame](https://scfootballhof.org/dan-reeves/)
5. [Dan Reeves Football Executive Record, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/executives/ReevDa0.htm)
6. [Don Coryell selected as Coach/Contributor Finalist for Hall of Fame's Class of 2023, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/news/don-coryell-selected-as-coach-contributor-finalist-for-hall-of-fame-s-class-of-2023)
7. [Mile High Morning: The Hall of Fame case for Dan Reeves, DenverBroncos.com (February 20, 2023)](https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/mile-high-morning-the-hall-of-fame-case-for-dan-reeves)
8. [Giants mourn passing of coach Dan Reeves](https://www.giants.com/news/giants-mourn-passing-of-coach-dan-reeves)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › NFL head coaches › Late 20th century head coaches*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license