Legendary Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Collier died at his home in Littleton on Monday night, the team announced. A cause of death was not provided. He was 91 years old.
As an architect of the Orange Crush defense, Collier spent 20 seasons in Denver (1969-1988), where he innovated the 3-4 base defense. His defensive philosophy played a part in the Broncos making three Super Bowl appearances during his tenure.
“Collier’s loyalty to the Broncos extended beyond the playing field as a Ring of Fame Selection Committee member for more than 20 years dedicated to recognizing our all-time greats,” the team said in a statement. “As we celebrate the extraordinary life and career of Joe Collier, our hearts go out to his three children (Joel, Julie and Lisa) along with his entire family and many friends.”
Collier spent three seasons (1969-71) as Denver’s defensive backs coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 1972, a position he held for 16 years. He had the second-longest tenure among coaches in franchise history, trailing only former head coach Mike Shanahan (21 seasons).
With Collier as the defensive coordinator, the Broncos ranked second in touchdowns allowed (258), and sixth in rushing yards per game (123) and touchdowns per game (2.15). Denver was also eighth in points allowed per game (18.9), interceptions (356) and opponent passer rating (67.6).
“I think the one thing that really separated him from most coaches I’ve been around is how much respect he had from the players,” Shanahan told The Denver Post. “His knowledge for the game surpassed most people. He was using multiple defenses multiple defensive fronts when people weren’t doing that at that time.”
Collier coached a handful of players who are now in the team’s Ring of Fame, including Rich “Tombstone” Jackson, Paul Smith, Billy Thompson, Tom Jackson, Louis Wright, Dennis Smith, Karl Mecklenburg, Simon Fletcher and Randy Gradishar. The latter will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.
Collier was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
In 2020, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who was a defensive assistant for the Broncos in 1978, told reporters that his time working with Collier was a valuable learning experience.
“Not everybody looks at it quite the same way, but Joe was very skilled at analyzing offenses and what they did and when they did it,” Belichick said. “He was good at anticipating. He did an excellent job of setting that up. I broke down the games for him, but the way he had me do it was a little different than the way I had done it in Baltimore. It gave me a lot of insight there.”
Born on June 7, 1932, Collier played college football at Northwestern, where he broke Big Ten Conference records in 1952 by totaling 650 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches.
A Rock Island, Ill. native, Collier began his coaching career at Western Illinois (1957-59) before jumping to the NFL to be an assistant coach for the Boston Patriots from 1960-61. After serving as a linebackers and defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills from 1962-65, Collier spent three seasons as the team’s head coach, compiling a 13-16-1 record. He helped the Bills win the AFL Eastern Division in 1966.
Following his 20-year tenure in Denver, Collier spent two seasons as a defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He retired from the NFL after the 1992 season.
Collier is survived by his three children (Joel, Julie and Lisa), four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
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