:''For other people named Dan Reeves, see
Dan Reeves (disambiguation)''
'Daniel Edward Reeves' (born
January 19,
1944 in
Rome, Georgia) 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. Also, he holds the distinction of being the first visiting coach to ever lead his team to a playoff victory at
Lambeau Field.
Early life
Born in
Rome,
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.
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 league, and threw a touchdown pass in the Cowboys' losing effort in the notorious "
Ice Bowl;" the 1967 Championship Game against the
Green Bay Packers. 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.
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 surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his nasal cavity 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.
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. Including working on the radio broadcast Dan Reeves speaks at corporate and football events around the country. He has also expressed recent interest in making a return to coaching, possibly hinting at the
Dallas Cowboys' head coach opening, which was previously held by
Bill Parcells.
On April 12th 2007, Reeves accepted a position with
Georgia State University in Atlanta, to assist in the decision making process and fundraising for a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly D1-AA) football team, that will compete in the
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) football league.
http://www.georgiastatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12700&ATCLID=860535
See also
★
History of the New York Giants (1979-1993)
★
History of the New York Giants (1994-present)