Who is Randy Gradishar? Meet Broncos Hall of Fame linebacker, star of 'Orange Crush' defense

Randy Gradishar was the soul of the "Orange Crush" defense. 

After a prolonged wait, Gradishar will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, He was nominated by the senior committee. Gradishar joins Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis in this year's class. 

Gradishar played 10 seasons for the Denver Broncos from 1974-83 and was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He put up prolific tackling statistics at the college and pro level, and that effort will finally be recognized in Canton this weekend. 

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Where did Randy Gradishar go to college? 

Gradishar was a high school star at Champion (Ohio) High School, and he had an interesting encounter with legendary coach Woody Hayes on the telephone. Talk of Fame Two recalled the conversation when the school called Gradishar's house. 

"(They) said, 'There's coach Woody Hayes here, and he'd like to talk to you,'" Gradishar recalled. "I said, 'OK, I can come up there.' Then I hung up the phone, and I said, 'Who's Woody Hayes?' I had no clue."

Gradishar would go on to be a star for the Buckeyes, one Hayes would label, "the best linebacker" he ever coached. Gradishar was a linebacker at Ohio State from 1970-73, and he was a three-year starter from 1971-73 (freshmen were ineligible). The Buckeyes were 19-2-1 and made back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances in Gradishar's final two seasons. 

Gradishar finished with 330 career tackles – including 165 unassisted tackles – and he finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1973. 

Randy Gradishar career stats with Broncos 

Denver selected Gradishar with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He became a mainstay at linebacker and renowned for his hard-nosed play. 

Gradishar finished with a franchise record 2,049 tackles in those 10 seasons. He had 20 interceptions, including five seasons with at least three interceptions. He also finished with 19.5 sacks. According to Broncos.com, only 10 linebackers in NFL history have at least 20 interceptions and 13 sacks. 

Gradishar also was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. 

What is the 'Orange Crush' defense?

Denver sports writer Woody Paige coined the team "Orange Crush" – after the popular soft drink – to describe the 1977 Denver Broncos’ defense under head coach Red Miller and defensive coordinator Joe Collier. 

The Broncos finished 12-2 and allowed just 10.6 points per game that season. The defense featured five Pro Bowl selections in Gradishar, linebacker Tom Jackson, defensive end Lyle Alzado, cornerback Louis Wright and safety Bill Thompson. Dallas defeated the Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. 

That was the final year before the NFL season expanded to 16 games. The Baltimore Ravens set the NFL record for a 16-game season when they allowed just 10.3 points per game in 2000. 

Tom Jackson will present Randy Gradishar 

Tom Jackson – who played linebacker for Denver from 1973-86 – is the presenter for Gradishar at the Hall of Fame. Jackson and Gradishar were teammates for 10 seasons in Denver. 

Jackson was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and played in two Super Bowls, but he is best known for his work in broadcasting with ESPN’s Chris Berman on "NFL Countdown" and "NFL Primetime."  

Where does Gradishar rank among career tackles? 

Gradishar does not show up on the NFL leaders list because solo tackles and assists were not tracked until 1994. Total tackles have been tracked since 1987. 

That unofficial total of 2,049 tackles would be up there with the all-time leaders. Baltimore’s Ray Lewis had 2,059 total tackles (solo plus assists), followed by London Fletcher (2,039), Junior Seau (1,847) and Jesse Tuggle (1,805), according to Pro Football Reference. 

How many Ohio State players are in Pro Football Hall of Fame? 

Gradishar is the 10th former Ohio State football player to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former Ohio State coach Paul Brown also is enshrined. NFL Films founder Ed Sabol was a swimmer at Ohio State. The list of football players is as follows: