MHR Hall of Fame - It is time to VOTE!

Wow, Broncos Country, we are finally in the home stretch of our 2016-17 Hall of Fame - and we just need your votes!

Because of time and efficiency, ALL of the categories will be listed in this mega-post, but each category will have its own SurveyMonkey link, so please click on each link and vote away!

In each category, you will be able to choose several among the full list. Below is a short blurb about every nominee; please take time to review to ensure we are voting in the best of the best in all our categories!

These surveys will be open until next Friday, Aug. 18, and I’ll post a few reminders, but please vote right asap!

The final phase will involve voting by the MHR staff on the finalists and then the winners will be announced.

This part is the toughest because there are so many excellent choices, but that’s a good thing, right? :)

*also, the videos are just for fun...Enjoy!!

Early-era Broncos - vote here

Rich “Tombstone” Jackson, DE

“Ferocious pass rusher. Set the tone for the defensive-oriented Broncos teams of the pre-Elway era.”

Also, this video should help anyone not watching during that era.

Craig Morton, QB

“Craig Morton was the leader of the team that finally put the Broncos on the map—the 12-2 Broncos of 1977-78. The first Broncos playoff team. The first Broncos Super Bowl team. The team that first ignited Broncomania. Yeah, that team. The original Orange Crush team.

And the only real difference between that Broncos team and the team that had finished 8-6 and out of the playoffs the year before? The quarterback: Craig Morton.

The story may be apocryphal, but they say that when Lyle Alzado met Morton for the first time in the Broncos locker room, he said, "Maybe now we’ll finally win a championship.”

Joe Collier, Coach

“He was the architect of the "Orange Crush" defense. Enough said.”

“He basically created the modern-day 3-4, and did things with it that DCs said you couldn't do.”

Riley Odoms, TE

“He played for the Broncos for 12 seasons and was part of the culture change under John Ralston. Career 14.5 yards per catch. Over 15 yards per catch in 7 of 12 seasons. Scored 41 regular season TDs in his career and was an integral part of the offense for QB Charley Johnson and later Craig Morton.

He was one of the players that showed there truly was light at the end of the tunnel and helped to put the losing culture behind us (along with the original Orange Crush defense.)”

Haven Moses, WR

“He was a solid receiver for a long time, and he still holds the franchise record for yards per reception.”

“Haven Moses HAS to go in. He was a Pro’s Pro and was consistent for many years. He also made several big plays to get the Broncos to their first Super Bowl. Haven Moses was a great, yet under-rated Bronco.”

Red Miller, Coach

“The man FINALLY got placed among the legends on the Broncos’ Facade, let’s not repeat history by waiting too long to get him in our HOF.”

Kieth Bishop, G

“How good was Keith Bishop? If he’d have played on a contending team, he’d be in the HOF. He’s rated one of the best five OL to ever play for the Broncos on denverbroncos.com.

Best Bishop quote? Broncos have the ball on their own two-yard line in Cleveland. Bishop: "We got them right where we want them."

Lyle Alzado, DE

“For those who say no because he used steroids, have you ever considered the fact that the only difference between Lyle and most other players of that era was that he admitted it? Lyle didn’t bail on the Broncos; they traded him to Cleveland because of concerns about his knee. His dominance of the opponents’ OL is well known.”

Rubin Carter, NT

“Undersized, but played tougher than NTs 50 pounds heavier than him.”

Frank Tripucka, QB

For three reasons:

He bailed the Broncos out in the early going (1960) as QB and performed admirably

He is in the Broncos Ring of Fame and deserves to be in the MHR HOF4.

He "lent" his No. 18 to Peyton Manning.

Sammy Winder, RB

“Played his entire career for the Denver Broncos from 1982-1990. Pro-Bowl seasons in ‘84 and ’86. Was a key player in the Broncos 3x AFC Championships in the 80s. Currently is the third leading rusher in Broncos history with 5,427 yards with 39 career rushing TDs along with 197 receptions for 1,302 yards and 9 career receiving TDs.

Most of all Sammy had one of the coolest TD celebrations in Denver Broncos history, the "Misssissippi Mud Walk!” Here’s to an unsung hero and one of my favorite Broncos… Sammy Winder #23.”

Goose Gonsoulin, DB

“1960s great, had 40 interceptions and one of the bright spots on defense.”

Mike Harden, S/CB

“Mike Harden played with an attitude, covered well and hit like a MaFa. I remember a time in the mid-80s when the Broncos defense was not so good and Harden would still be out there covering his duties and laying some licks on WRs. IMHO, he was hugely underrated. He was no Louis Wright or Dennis Smith, but he could certainly hold his own among those types of players.

From Wikipedia: Mike Harden was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round (131st overall pick) of the 1980 NFL Draft. He appeared in 128 games, 98 as a starter, at the safety and cornerback positions for the Broncos from 1980 to 1988. He intercepted 33 passes in his nine years with the Broncos.

Harden was fined $5,000 for a hit in the opening game of the 1988 season against division rival Seattle Seahawks that knocked out Steve Largent and resulted in a concussion and the loss of two teeth.

Harden concluded his career with the Los Angeles Raiders during the 1989 and 1990 seasons. During his 11-year NFL career, he intercepted 38 passes for 663 yards and four touchdowns, and recovered 14 fumbles. As of 2017, his 179 interception return yards in 1986 is a Broncos record. On special teams, Harden returned eight punts for 113 yards and a touchdown and returned 26 kickoffs for 414 yards.”

Paul Howard, G

“He was drafted in the third round in 1973, the draft when the Broncos turned the corner. He was a fixture at guard until 1986. Every preseason, you KNEW who would be the starter for 13, yes 13, years! 187 games in his career, all of them as a Bronco.

He didn’t play a "glamour" position, but he was a cornerstone of this team seemingly forever. His duration, stability and steady play warrants consideration from old farts like me.”

Steve Foley, S

“As a member of the Orange Crush Defense, Foley played in the Super Bowl twice. He was a starter in Super Bowl XII against the Dallas Cowboys and played in Super Bowl XXI (his final game) against the New York Giants.

Foley scored two touchdowns in his career, both of which came in 1984. He returned a fumble 22 yards on October 15 against the Green Bay Packers and an interception 40 yards on December 15 against the Seattle Seahawks. These scores were key contributions to Broncos' victories.

As of 2017, his 44 career interceptions remains a franchise record.”

Steve Watson, WR

“Just because, Mr. Reliable.

From wikipedia: Watson played his entire nine-year NFL career in Denver, appearing in 125 games. After recording only six receptions in each of his first two seasons, in 1981 Watson had 60 receptions for a career-best 1,244 yards and league-leading 13 TDs (including a 95 yard reception in game 6, the longest in the NFL that season and 3rd longest in franchise history. His 20.73 yards per catch remains a Broncos franchise record, and earned him a spot in the 1981 Pro Bowl.

Watson had 555 receiving yards during the 9-game strike-shortened season in 1982, hauled in 59 receptions for 1,133 yards in 1983 and a career-best 69 receptions for 1,170 in 1984. The 13-3 Broncos lost to Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs, but Watson had 11 receptions for a franchise record 177 yards. Watson started 31 of 32 games over the next two years, but saw his production fall to 915 yards, then 699.

After starting just one game in the 1987 season, Watson retired with career totals of 353 receptions for 6,112 yards and 36 touchdowns.”

Modern-era Broncos - vote here

Al Wilson, LB

“Not even a debate here.

One of the best leaders the defense has seen.

Until Von Miller came, we had a playoff drought since Al Wilson retired.

Until Von Miller came, our defense was a JOKE in the NFL since Al Wilson retired.

Al Wilson did the "Thursday Dinner" with his teammates and always footed the bill to bring brotherhood to the squad.

Ferocious, smart, line-to-line LB who was a perennial Pro Bowler in an era that had Ray Lewis in his prime!

Dude could play and is in my Top 5 favorite Broncos defensive players of all time.”

Gary Zimmerman, OL

“With him as an NFL HOF member, he shut down everyone on Elway’s blindside, including Derrick Thomas. Before Zimmerman, Elway was getting killed with Russell Freeman as his LT and Thomas was causing the most havoc. When Zim arrived, you never heard Thomas’ name called other than when Shannon Sharpe caused him to meltdown in Arrowhead in ‘98. Plus, remember that he couldn’t lift his shoulders, and he still dominated at the end of his career.”

Trevor Pryce, DE

“Trevor played 121 games over the course of 9 seasons with Denver. He made 4 Pro Bowls and 1 All Pro. According to PFR.com’s AV metric (which isn’t great, but is still a decent summary), he accumulated an average of 78, which is just behind Al Wilson (125 games, average of 80). The guy was a stud while he was in Denver.”

Howard Griffith, FB

“He helped make TD TD and was instrumental in Denver’s first SB win (you know, that one where Eddie Mac “tattooed” Brian Williams on his back and Griffith got the first down).”

John Mobley, LB

Because without his pass deflection of Brett Favre’s 4th-and-6 pass on the 31-yard line in Super Bowl 32, it is highly possible John Elway and the Broncos went home with another loss.

That was Mobley's best season where he had 132 tackles and four sacks and was an All-Pro. During his career, Mobley played in 105 career games, starting 102 of them, including two Super Bowls, during which he made 608 career tackles, 10.5 quarterback sacks, and five interceptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Also, docllv named her black Lab after him and his Campbell’s Soup commercials were funny.

Jason Elam, K

“The dude was money. And by money, I mean over 80% of the time, points went on the board. You need leg? How does 63 yards sound? Mile high air you say? Then you also need to take into consideration his massive cajones (unconfirmed).

Fun wiki facts: Elam holds NFL records for best extra point conversion percentage (.995), most consecutive seasons with at least 100 points (15), fastest to 300 successful field goals, and fastest to 1,600 and 1,700 points.2 Elam was also the first player in NFL history to score at least 200 points against three or more teams: the San Diego Chargers (222), Oakland Raiders (215) Kansas City Chiefs (203). Elam is tied with Steve Christie, Jason Hanson, and Jim Breech for the most overtime field goals with nine." -wikipedia

Also, he apparently married a Broncos cheerleader.

The list of members enshrined in the MHR Hall of Fame includes many of the best at their position, now it’s time for that list to include our greatest kicker of all time (sorry Rich Karlis, you and your naked foot were inspiring, but you will have to settle for #2).”

Tyrone Braxton, S

“He was a stalwart in the Denver secondary for years, and was an important part of the defense on the first two Super Bowl winning teams. While he only made a single Pro Bowl in his career, he was a very underrated player.”

Darrent Williams, CB

“Taken from this world far too early, he was well on his way to being a terrific cover corner for the Broncos, as well as a very decent punt returner.

Had he not been shot, I believe he would still be playing at a fairly high level, and possibly still for the Broncos. His energy in the field was almost unmatched, and that smile was bright enough to light the world. As a second year player, he picked off 4 passes including a pick six and recorded 86 tackles (75 solo).

He was one of my favorite players at the time, and I’ll never forget him dancing on the field before punt returns trying to get hyped for his next big play.

R.I.P. D-Will. You’ll never be forgotten.”

Sportsperson Of The Year - vote here

Von Miller, OLB

“I don’t think you could find another player on last year’s team that truly gave it his all 16 games – and performed at a high level at the same time – even while the team was struggling. Other people on here will remember all the PFF accolades he notched from the season – from sacks to pressures to basically just scaring the bejeezus out of any and all quarterbacks. Even when he’s not getting a sack, he’s terrifying the offense. And even while the defense was worn out and pushed to its limit with a stagnant offense, Miller was constantly building his teammates up and talking about himself needing to do more. Aside from playing offense, I doubt there is more that guy could do. [He can do the FOX TROT for crying out loud!!] I love Von’s attitude about football, about this team and about trying to always be better.”

“He’s not just providing leadership for the D, but for the entire team, doing everything he can to coach up and encourage younger players on both sides of the ball. Love how he engages with the fans as well. He’s been out there firing them up, and signing autographs every day, not just the assigned day for his position group. And he does his share for the community as well with Von’s Vision, football camps for kids, and other charitable causes.”

DeMarcus Ware, OLB

“The huge impact he’s had on Von Miller alone is enough reason for him to get this. He opened Von’s eyes and turned his career completely around. Just think about the player we had before Ware came in… Suspension, wanting to party with the Seahawks after the Super Bowl… he was on a bad trajectory. Ware showed him the work it takes to be a Hall-of-Famer and Von has taken that to a whole new level.

Every interview I’ve seen about Ware discussing it has simply blown me away. Not to mention, he’s a great community guy and a good person all around.”

Chris Harris Jr., CB

“He has been a pro’s pro since his arrival as an UDFA, quickly becoming a stalwart on the defense. He has been a top 5 CB and team leader while remaining humble. The fourth down play he made against the Pats in the 2015 AFCCG may have allowed Denver to win that game.

As a "team" guy it must be remembered that when he signed his contract extension he did so at a "hometown discount". This allowed JE the freedom to sign and keep the players that help keep the team competitive. This cannot be underestimated nor overlooked.

In the community he has the Chris Harris Jr Foundation. The foundation has the annual Underdog Academy football and cheer camp, the Underdog Success Program, Holidays with the Harrises, as well as his Shop with a Jock event.

In addition he went to KU and the final thing, the cherry on top, I wear his jersey on game days.”

docllv

“I am flattered by the nomination though I doubt I deserve it compared to the work these players have done.

Thank you, however, for the recognition; it’s much appreciated. :)”

Former MHR Authors - vote here

Kyle Montgomery

“Quality AND Quantity. The guy put out a LOT of good Broncos news. Miss him.”

Sayre Bedinger

“I always enjoyed his even-keeled take on all things Broncos, and he managed to sneak in more than a few "exclusives" in terms of inside info or direct player input.”

Steve Nichols (Hoosier Teacher)

“I am assuming he is in the Hall of Fame. If he isn’t then we might as well nickname him TD. His MHR University articles were superb.”

Doc Bear

“It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure he was on Staff – not just a member. His "positional requirements" and "somatotype" breakdowns were fantastic pieces which provided insight to players/prospects, team and scheme needs, and were instrumental in helping to understand the reasons for success/failure on any given play or at a position group generally.”

Brian Shrout

“Among other things, I loved how he brought the "historical" aspect of the Broncos to the fore. He would do games recaps from 30, 40, 50 years ago. Remember When… and Remember Where… and Remember Who… type articles.

Also, he always dug deep on special topics with his Water-Cooler Quarterbacks series.”

MHR Members - vote here

KRONK-00

“When he comments, he always has something interesting to say.”

“He always gets my jokes and wordplays. Plus, he seems to know a thing or two about competition, coaching and this game of football.”

retro-grouch

“Always a very intelligent poster.”

spock

“His comments are always logical, enlightening, sometimes entertaining, and never mean spirited.”

Dr. Cyanide28

“He always provides great insight on the depth of our roster and throughout the season. And has some of the best knowledge when it comes time for draft season.”

“His draft analysis is one of the main reasons I started paying attention to the comment section and eventually decided to join in. As such, I second this motion.”

Colinski

“Very sharp and insightful. Quite serious and respectful in his engagement. Always bringing "teaching moments", and especially helpful when it came to roster math. He used to contribute a fair amount, and when he teamed up with some of the other MHR heavy-weights (which was usually the case), it was quite often an excellent conversation to read.”

WillyBFree2Bronc

“I haven’t seen anything from him for a couple of years now, so I hope he’s doing well. He lived on MHR, commented everywhere, and drove a lot of conversations.”

Zach Eckels

“Zach comments on a variety of articles and always does so with thought and insight, keeping responses measured and logical when part of a controversial topic. Too often there’s not enough of that around here.”

Fabio Broncos

He created and runs his own website in Brazil to grow the Broncos fanbase.

Created my favorite Broncos logo.

Created a show.

Spoke only Portuguese when he first started coming to MHR, and learned English so he could read and comment on MHR. He doesn’t drop in here very much any more, but he racked up nearly 6500 comments before he got busy with launching his Broncos site.

I’d say that’s a pretty deserving candidate.

CH74

“He stubbornly refuses to give up his job/security/future to spend more time commenting (or traveling to Denver for training camp [scatback!]), but he chimes in often enough during the season.

Had his great series (in collaboration with DocLLV) on the offensive line that was massively instructive, as well as other moments of worthy football perspective.”

JakeCunio

“Jake comments often on a variety of articles and with interesting insight while always doing so with professionalism (even in the midst of name-calling and bickering over the QB controversy posts).”

Idahobronc

“Have always respected his point of view on things.”