Dan Reeves

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For other people named Dan Reeves, see Dan Reeves (disambiguation)
Dan Reeves
Date of birth January 19, 1944
Place of birth Rome, Georgia
Position(s) Head Coach
HB
College South Carolina
Career Record 190-165-2
Championships
         Won
1998 NFC Championship
1989 AFC Championship
1987 AFC Championship
1986 AFC Championship
Playing Stats DatabaseFootball
Coaching Stats DatabaseFootball
Team(s) as a player
1965-1972 Dallas Cowboys
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1972,1974-1980
1981-1992
1993-1996
1997-2003
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
New York Giants
Atlanta Falcons

Dan Reeves (born January 19, 1944) is a former American football player and head coach. He holds the record for most Super Bowl appearances as a player or a coach with 9.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born in Americus, Georgia, Reeves attended school at the University of South Carolina, where he played quarterback. He was later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1988.

[edit] NFL Career

Over eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Reeves collected 1,990 rushing yards and 1,693 receiving yards. His best year came in 1966, when he rushed for seven touchdowns, good for second in the fledgling league, and played extremely well in the Cowboys' losing effort in the Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers in the notorious "Ice Bowl". The Cowboys made the playoffs every year of Reeves's playing days, reaching the Super Bowl twice and culminating in a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in 1971.

[edit] Beginning of his Coaching Career

Worn down by multiple injuries, Reeves began serving on the sidelines as a player/coach in 1970 and after his full retirement in 1972 he took a job on the team as the running backs coach. After leaving the sport for a business position in 1973, he returned to the Cowboys again in 1974 as running backs coach, and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1977. The Cowboys made 3 more Super Bowls during Reeves' tenure as an assistant coach, earning him another ring in 1977 with a win over the Denver Broncos.

In 1981, the 37 year old Reeves was made head coach and Vice President of the Denver Broncos, making him at the time the youngest head coach in the league. Over the next 12 years, Reeves led the Broncos to a 110-73-1 regular season record (7-6 playoff), six playoff appearances, and three appearances in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Reeves was never able to win the big game with the Broncos. Friction between him and John Elway led to his departure from Denver, but he would still find opportunities to coach. Interestingly, his problems with Elway would come back to haunt him later in his career, in Super Bowl XXXIII.

In 1993, Reeves took over as head coach of the floundering New York Giants. In his first season at the helm, the Giants went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time in three years, giving the fans and team hope that Reeves was the answer to the team's troubles. For his efforts, Reeves was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. However, Reeves could not duplicate his success, and was fired at the end of the 1996 season, leaving behind a 31-33 record with the Giants.

In 1996, Reeves took on his biggest challenge yet by accepting the head coaching job of the Atlanta Falcons. The year before the Falcons had gone 3-13, and they had done little to improve their personnel. Yet by 1998, Reeves led the team to a 14-2 record and his record 9th Super Bowl appearance on the sidelines. That year was particularly tumultuous for Reeves, who underwent emergency bypass surgery midway through the season. Although the team lost Super Bowl XXXIII by a 34-19 margin against Reeves's old team the Denver Broncos, Reeves was widely hailed for the team's turnaround, and was again awarded the Coach of the Year honor. Again, however, Reeves failed to maintain the level of excellence he had attained early in his post, and he was fired towards the end of the 2003 season.

Reeves' career coaching record is 201-174-2, including an 11-9 record in the playoffs. His 201 wins are currently the most ever by a coach that did not win a Super Bowl. Today, Reeves serves as a spokesperson for Zocor, a cholesterol lowering medicine.

On December 12, 2005, Reeves was hired as a talent consultant for the NFL's Houston Texans. The Texans' new head coach (as of January 2006) is former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and quarterback Gary Kubiak, who was drafted in the eighth round of the 1983 Draft by then-Broncos coach Reeves.

[edit] Current Career

Reeves currently covers NFL games as a color analyst (teamed with play-by-play man Bill Rosinski) for the second Sunday afternoon game on Westwood One radio network.

For more details on this topic, see The NFL on Westwood One.
Preceded by:
June Jones
Atlanta Falcons Head Coaches
1997–2003
Succeeded by:
Wade Phillips (interim)
Preceded by:
Ray Handley
New York Giants Head Coaches
1993–1996
Succeeded by:
Jim Fassel
Preceded by:
Red Miller
Denver Broncos Head Coaches
1981–1992
Succeeded by:
Wade Phillips