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Denver Broncos Greats . . . By the Numbers: #66

Player Position Years
John Cash DE 1961-62
Larry Cox DT 1966-67
Bill Cottrell G 1972
Jim O'Malley LB 1973-75
Brison Manor DE 1977-83
Scott Garnett NT 1984
Carlos Scott C 1987
Jim Juriga T 1988-90
Chuck Johnson T 1992-93
Tom Nalen C 1994-2008
Lonie Paxton LS 2009-Present



This is an interesting group of players. Eleven Broncos have worn #64 in thirty-nine seasons -- almost half of which were from a single player. This group has seen everything from no appearances to 188 starts. Three were undrafted players. Four started their careers with other teams. Three were with the Broncos in Super Bowl appearances. One is the second-highest paid at his position. One has multiple league honors while three were unable to garner a mention in wikipedia.

Let's take a jump and meet the men of #66

John Cash DE 1961-62
Undrafted player. He appeared in 28 games with 0 starts. Intercepted 1 pass and returned it for 5 yards -- in a game against the Raiders where Goose Gonsoulin and John McGeever also intercepted passes (though those two returned theirs 64 and 48 yards respectively for touchdowns). He is also four years younger than the famous singer with the same name.

Larry Cox DT 1966-67
Drafted by the Broncos in the 10th round (85th overall) of the 1966 AFL Draft. He appeared in 24 games wearing #66, and 9 games wearing #77. He had no starts and recorded no statistics.

Bill Cottrell G 1972
Undrafted player who entered the league with the Lions in 1967. He appeared in 11 games for the Broncos with no starts and no stats.

Jim O’Malley LB 1973-75
Drafted by the Broncos in the 12th round (296th overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft. He appeared in 40 games with 5 starts (all in 1974). He recovered 2 fumbles.

Brison Manor DE 1977-83
Drafted by the Jets in the 15th round (380th overall) of the 1975 NFL Draft. There is no record of him ever playing for the Jets and his first NFL season was in 1977 with Denver. He appeared in 107 games with 35 starts. He recorded 5 sacks, 1 interception and 3 fumble recoveries. In 1977 he played behind Barney Chavous, Reuben Carter and Lyle Alzado. He recovered a fumble in the AFC Championship game against the Oakland Raiders -- a 20-17 win that sent Denver to its first Super Bowl.

Scott Garnett NT 1984
Drafted by the Broncos in the 8th round (218th overall) of the 1984 NFL Draft. He appeared in 16 games with 1 start. He recovered 1 fumble.

Carlos Scott C 1987
Drafted by the Cardinals in the 7th round (184th overall) of the 1983 NFL Draft. He was acquired by the Broncos in 1987 but did not appear in any games.

Jim Juriga T 1988-90
Drafted by the Broncos in the 4th round (104th overall) of the 1986 NFL Draft. He appeared in 44 games with 42 starts. He played both left tackle (1988) and right guard (1989-90). He started at left guard in Super Bowl XXIV. He is now a veterinarian who owns his own clinic.

Chuck Johnson T 1992-93

Drafted by the Broncos in the 4th round (110th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft. He appeared in 16 games with no starts.

Tom Nalen C 1994-2008
Drafted by the Broncos in the 7th round (218th overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft. He appeared in 194 games with 188 starts. He started 13 playoff games. He caught 1 pass for -1 yard. He was part of an offensive line that helped six different running backs have 1,000-yard seasons. He was the starting center in both Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII. He was a 5-time Pro Bowler (97, 98, 99, 00, 03) & 2-time 1st Team All-Pro (00, 03). He spent the 2007 season on the injured reserve list after tearing his right biceps muscle in a game against the Chargers. He retired in January of 2009. At the time of his retirement, he was the last remaining player from the Broncos Super Bowl-winning teams.

Lonie Paxton LS 2009-Present
Undrafted player. He played for the Patriots from 2000 to 2008 before joining the Broncos. His 5-year, $5.3 million contract from the Broncos made him the 2nd highest paid long snapper in the league. He appeared in 32 games with 0 starts.

This was an absolute no-brainer:

The Greatest to Wear #66

Tom Nalen

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