The Broncos need to induct Barney Chavous into the Ring of Fame

Good morning, and happy Mother’s Day to the Broncos Country moms:

The focus of the Denver Broncos and the NFL world is on the schedule.

After the announcements of the announcement of the schedule release, we’ll know when the Broncos will play their opponents in 2025.

After that, the Broncos Ring of Fame Committee will meet and name the newest inductee(s) later this month. In 2024, Steve Foley and Riley Odoms were announced at the end of May, so we can expect a similar timetable this year.

The Ring of Committee consists of Greg Penner, Carrie Penner, Rob Walton, Dave Logan, Jim Saccomano, Steve Atwater, and Mike Shanahan. When they meet to discuss who should be inducted, Barney Chavous should be the newest inductee. They should also consider former defensive coordinator Joe Collier.

As I wrote in early February, he was a key member of the Orange Crush defense and helped the franchise play in its first Super Bowl in 1978.

Chavous is a member of the Broncos Top 100 team and played all 13 NFL seasons in Denver and 183 games. He was selected with the No. 36 pick in the 1973 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. When Chavous retired, he was the franchise leader in sacks. He’s one of just four players to reach 75 sacks with the Broncos. As it stands, Chavous sits at No. 4 with 75 sacks behind Von Miller (110.5), Simon Fletcher (97.5), and Karl Mecklenburg (79.0).

Chavous was also inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame last year. So it’s time for Denver to honor one of the best defensive players in franchise history. Pair him with Collier, who orchestrated one of the best defenses in NFL history.

After Chavous gets his place, perhaps there’ll be a discussion of inducting Lyle Alzado. Some non-controversial players and coaches are Ed McCaffrey, Al Wilson, Steve Watson, Gary Kubiak, and Demaryius Thomas.

One of the great aspects of being a fan of this franchise is the rich history, and I’m sure I’ve left off other deserving names.

But until Chavous and even Collier get their place in the Broncos Ring of Fame, it doesn’t feel complete.

As teammate and Broncos ROF cornerback Louis Wright told 9News about Chavous last year:

“Barney is s-o-o-o underrated. To me, Barney was one of the best in the league because he never got beat one-on-one. People don’t appreciate that. Unless you jump up and down, make a lot of noise, like Lyle did on the other side. But Barney was like the solid rock. The guy who held it together.’’

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