Orange Crush Defense
Encyclopedia
Orange Crush Defense was the 3-4 defense
3-4 defense
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers.The 3–4 defense declined in popularity over the years, but has found renewed use by modern professional and college football teams. The 3–4 defense is so named because it involves 3...

 of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 during the 1970s.

It was one of the top defenses of its time with linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

s Randy Gradishar
Randy Gradishar
Randy Charles Gradishar is a former college and professional American football linebacker who played in the 1970s and 1980s. Randy Gradishar is currently the Director of Corporate Communications for the Phil Long Dealerships in Colorado...

 and Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (American football)
Thomas Louie "Tom" Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an NFL analyst for ESPN and a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos.-College:...

, with Gradishar as a potential Hall of Famer. Other key Crushers were defensive linemen Barney Chavous
Barney Chavous
Barney Lewis Chavous is a former American football defensive end/defensive tackle in the NFL. He played his entire thirteen year career with the Denver Broncos from 1973-1985. He ranks third on the Broncos' all-time sacks list with 75 and is tied with Tom Jackson for third in Broncos' career...

, Lyle Alzado
Lyle Alzado
Lyle Martin Alzado was a professional American football defensive lineman of the National Football League famous for his intense and intimidating style of play....

, and Rubin Carter
Rubin Carter (football player)
Rubin Carter is a former defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos, and a former College football head coach. He is the father of Andre Carter...

, linebackers Bob Swenson
Bob Swenson
Robert Charles Swenson played college football for the University of California. He joined the National Football League in 1975 as an undrafted free agent and played professional football as a linebacker for the Denver Broncos. Commenting on the draft for Sports Illustrated in 1978, Swenson said...

 and Joe Rizzo
Joe Rizzo
Joe Rizzo is a former linebacker of the Denver Broncos. He played for the Broncos from 1974 to 1980 and was a starter in Super Bowl XII and member of the Orange Crush Defense. He had 9 career interceptions. He was part of one of the most dominant linebacking corps in NFL history...

, and defensive backs Billy Thompson and Louis Wright.

Joe Collier
Joe Collier
Joel D. Collier is a former American football coach. He was head coach of the American Football League's Buffalo Bills from 1966 through part of 1968, compiiling a 13–16–1 record....

 was the defensive co-ordinator, defensive line coach Stan Jones (HOF '91), and head coach Red Miller
Red Miller
Robert "Red" Miller is a former professional football coach with the Denver Broncos.- Early life and career :Miller was born and raised in Macomb, Illinois and attended Macomb Public Schools and Western Illinois University, where he was later a star player and coach for the Leathernecks football...

.

In their Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...

 season in 1977, The Crush had the NFL's number-one defense against the rush though the Broncos were 27th out of 28 teams against the pass.

The team derived their name from their orange, blue and white uniforms and a popular soft drink, Orange Crush
Orange Crush
Crush is a carbonated soft drink brand, originally marketed as an orange soda, which was invented by California beverage and extract chemist Neil C. Ward. Most flavors of Crush are caffeine-free.-History:...

.

The Orange Crush uniforms were replaced in 1997 by the team's current Nike/Perisco Blue uniforms.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK