Dan Reeves, who led the Dallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl as a player, and later many more teams as a head coach, has passed away. On Saturday, New Year’s Day, Reeves died at 77, reportedly from dementia complications.
His family stated that he passed away “peacefully and surrounded by his loving family at his home in Atlanta.” Reeves carried with him a successful career, both with his accolades as a player and as a head coach with four super bowl appearances with multiple teams.
Dan Reeves began his football career in 1965 and spent eight years playing running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Reeves stood alongside the team with the Cowboy’s 1972 Super Bowl victory against the Dolphins.
Under Tom Landry, Reeves finished his time in the NFL with almost 2,000 rushing yards and 42 total touchdowns. Landry appointed Reeves as a player-coach during his time with the team, reflecting Reeve’s early passion for leadership. Reeves would also serve four years as the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys.
At 37 years old, Reeves became the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Reeves also found himself head coach of the Falcons and Giants during his 23 seasons of coaching. He reached the Super Bowl three times with the Broncos, however, losing all three.
In 1997, the Falcons and Reeves lost the Super Bowl to the Broncos, but it marked the first-ever NFC championship win for the Falcons. Reeves left his position as head coach with a record of 190-165-2. The NFL also recognizes Dan Reeves as the only person to ever appear in more than one Super Bowl, both as a player and coach.
The Denver Broncos were completely revolutionized with Reeves’ oversight on quarterback John Elway. Reeves and Elway sent the Broncos to the Super Bowl three times, regarded as one of his biggest achievements in Reeves’s long career.
Elway started upon hearing of Reeve’s passing, “The football world lost a heckuva coach and man today in Dan Reeves…with Dan, you knew you were going to be in every game. You always had a chance with him on your sideline. As the head coach, Dan was tough but fair. I respected him for that.”
