Joe Collier obit

Joe Collier, former Bills head coach and architect of Broncos' 'Orange Crush' defense, dies at 91

 

He was not on the list.

Joe Collier, the former Buffalo Bills head coach and architect of the Denver Broncos' famed “Orange Crush” defense, has died. He was 91.

The Broncos said Collier's family confirmed that he died at his Littleton, Colorado, home on Monday night.

“Joe Collier is one of the most impactful coaches in the history of the Denver Broncos and regarded among the best defensive coordinators of all time,” the Broncos said in a statement. “He was an innovator in the NFL with his 3-4 defense, helping the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances during a legendary career with our franchise that spanned more than two decades. "Intelligent, modest and soft-spoken, Collier provided steady leadership to five different head coaches as the Broncos emerged as perennial contenders in the 1970s and 1980s. His profound influence on countless players and coaches in Denver included 12 Broncos Ring of Famers, 11 Pro Bowl selections and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar."

In a recent interview with The Associated Press regarding Gradishar's induction into Canton this summer, Collier said, “It's long overdue. I couldn't be prouder of him. Randy was a great leader of our defense.”

Collier said he hoped Gradishar's enshrinement would do two things: show today's fans what a coolly efficient tackler Gradishar was and open the door for more members of the Orange Crush defense to get into the Hall of Fame.

Collier spent 20 seasons on the Broncos’ coaching staff from 1969-88, a tenure surpassed only by Mike Shanahan's 21 years. Collier helped Denver to a 168-132-7 record, five division titles and Super Bowl appearances after the 1977, ’86 and ’87 seasons.

Led by Collier’s defense, the Broncos made their first of eight Super Bowl appearances after the 1977 season, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders in the playoffs to win the AFC. The Broncos lost to Dallas in the Super Bowl.

Collier started coaching at Western Illinois University (1957-59) before breaking into pro football as an assistant for the Boston Patriots from 1960-61. He coached the Bills' linebackers and defensive backs from 1962-65 before taking over as head coach from 1966-68. He returned to New England as defensive coordinator from 1991-92.

Collier was 13-16-1 at the helm of the Bills, leading them to the AFL Eastern Division title in 1966 with a 9-4-1 record.

He was a two-time All-America defensive end at Northwestern before being drafted by the New York Giants in 1954.

"The architect of the famed Orange Crush defense, Joe Collier is one of the most impactful coaches in the history of the Denver Broncos and regarded among the best defensive coordinators of all-time," the Broncos said in a statement. "He was an innovator in the NFL with his 3-4 defense, helping the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances during a legendary career with our franchise that spanned more than two decades. Intelligent, modest and soft-spoken, Collier provided steady leadership to five different head coaches as the Broncos emerged as perennial contenders in the 1970s and 1980s. His profound influence on countless players and coaches in Denver included 12 Broncos Ring of Famers, 11 Pro Bowl selections and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar.

"Collier's loyalty to the Broncos extended beyond the playing field as a Ring of Fame Selection Committee member for more than 20 years dedicated to recognizing our all-time greats. As we celebrate the extraordinary life and career of Joe Collier, our hearts go out to his three children (Joel, Julie and Lisa) along with his entire family and many friends."

Collier first served as the Broncos' defensive backs coach from 1969-71 before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 1972. His Orange Crush defense helped carry the Broncos to their first playoff berth and first Super Bowl appearance to cap the 1977 season, and he would remain Denver's defensive coordinator until 1988.

During his career with the Broncos, Collier worked for five head coaches, including Lou Saban, John Ralston, Red Miller and Dan Reeves.

As defensive coordinator, Collier guided a slew of talented defensive players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar and Broncos Ring of Famers Rich "Tombstone" Jackson, Paul Smith, Billy Thompson, Tom Jackson, Louis Wright, Dennis Smith, Karl Mecklenburg and Simon Fletcher.

"I give a lot of credit to Joe Collier, my defensive coordinator, for creating that 3-4 defense and allowing me to be part of that over my 10 years of playing with the Broncos and Orange Crush," Gradishar said in 2023 after being named a finalist for the Hall of fame. "[I am] very, very glad about that.

Collier's dominant Orange Crush group featured Gradishar, Jackson, Thompson, Wright, Rubin Carter, Barney Chavous, Lyle Alzado, Steve Foley, Joe Rizzo, Bob Swenson and Bernard Jackson as its starters, and the unit allowed ranked third in scoring defense en route to Super Bowl XII. A year later, the defense was perhaps even better, as the group allowed the second fewest points and ranked sixth in yards allowed.

"I think we were the most prepared team I've ever been around," Thompson said in 2002. "Joe was just very meticulous with everything. He taught me the game. The Orange Crush was a name we enjoyed. It was a signature time in Bronco history because we moved from being a team that wasn't respectable to a team that had a chance to win."

Collier quickly developed a reputation for his red-zone and goal-line expertise, but even later in his career, his ever-changing strategy — and steady demeanor — stood out to his players.

"Joe is constant," Jackson said in 1986. "He doesn't raise his voice. He never yells at you when you come off. He just stays calm, and it transfers to us. The guys tend to believe good things are going to happen to us. … Joe's real good at fitting his plan to his personnel."

For a 12th-round pick like Mecklenburg, Collier's ability to adapt to his players made the difference in a 12-year Ring of Fame career.

"I owe my career to Joe," Mecklenburg told the Denver Gazette last year. "He saw a 240-pound nose guard who was a 12th-round draft choice and figured out what I could do. He built a system that just now the rest of the NFL is catching up with where they're using players at different positions and trying to confuse the offense by not substituting. What Joe got everybody to do was to know multiple positions. I had to know seven, and he moved me all around."

Collier also left a lasting impression on one of the greatest head coaches of all time in Bill Belichick. The future six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach spent the 1978 season with the Broncos as an assistant special teams coach and assistant to Collier, and he credited Collier for expanding his knowledge of the defensive side of the ball.

"I learned to see the game through the eyes of Joe Collier and ... Joe, how he had me break it down for him, I could see how he looked at it as a defensive coach," Belichick said in 2020. "That was valuable. Not everybody looks at it quite the same way, but Joe was very skilled at analyzing offenses and what they did and when they did it. He was good at anticipating very well. He did an excellent job of setting that up. I broke down the games for him, but the way he had me do it was a little different than the way I had done it [before]. It gave me a lot of insight there.

After spending two seasons as an assistant coach with the Boston Patriots of the brand new AFL, Collier joined the Buffalo Bills in 1962 as a defensive coach. The team won the 1965 AFL Championship Game over the San Diego Chargers with help from defensive alignments that Collier designed. One idea he came up with was similar to the modern zone blitz; Collier's defense featured defensive line players moving back to cover pass attempts. Collier was promoted to head coach in 1966, after previous coach Lou Saban resigned. The Bills' best season under Collier came in his first year, when they won the Eastern Division with a 9–4–1 record, eventually losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL Championship Game. After coming within one game of an AFL championship, the team slumped to 4–10 in 1967. After a poor performance by the Bills in a 1968 pre-season game, Collier set up a scrimmage for his team. During the practice session, quarterback Jack Kemp broke his right leg, an injury that forced him to undergo season-ending surgery. The Bills fired Collier after a 48–6 loss to the Oakland Raiders in the second week of the regular season. Sports Illustrated opined that "Collier's fate undoubtedly was decided..." by Kemp's injury.

Collier is survived by three children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Career history

As a coach:

Western Illinois (1957–1959)

Assistant coach

Boston Patriots (1960–1961)

Assistant coach

Buffalo Bills (1962–1965)

Linebackers and defensive backs coach

Buffalo Bills (1966–1968)

Head coach

Denver Broncos (1969–1971)

Defensive backs coach

Denver Broncos (1972–1988)

Defensive coordinator

New England Patriots (1991–1992)

Defensive coordinator

Career highlights and awards

2× First-team All-American (1952, 1953)

First-team All-Big Ten (1952)