In the pro football world, 2021 ended on a sad note with the death of John Madden. Well, 2022 is going to start on as sad of a note as it was revealed that former head coach Dan Reeves passed away at the age of 77 due to “complications from a long illness.”
Reeves played for the Dallas Cowboys in the late 60s and early 70s, appearing in Super Bowl’s V and VI. Along with seven more Super Bowl appearances as an assistant or head coach, Reeves has the third most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history (behind Bill Belichick and Tom Brady). And in those nine appearances, Reeves won two (VI and XII).
It’s in coaching where Reeves is best known for. He coached for the Cowboys as an assistant in the 70s and then took charge of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons. While he didn’t win a Super Bowl as a head coach, his Broncos made it to the Super Bowl three times in four seasons in the late 80s. With the Falcons, Reeves made it to one final Super Bowl, ironically losing to the Broncos.
Many paid tribute to the coaching great.
So sad to hear about the passing of Dan Reeves, my next book will make a strong case for him to be included in the Hall of Fame. It's an injustice he does not have a gold jacket.
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) January 1, 2022
[NFL]