Denver Bronco fans who enjoyed the team’s 24-6 win over arch rival Oakland on Sunday likely saw that small measure of pleasure dashed upon learning that head coach Gary Kubiak has retired after his second season.
It is a bitter pill for the faithful to swallow, an unwelcome exclamation point on a 9-7 season that means last year’s Super Bowl champions did not qualify for postseason play.
The Broncos did play spoiler on Sunday. The win denied the hated Raiders the AFC West title and an opening round playoff bye. But given a choice between victory and retaining Kubiak, we think most fans would keep the coach.
Other than current Broncos general manager John Elway, it is hard to find an individual who has been more loyal and contributed more to the team’s status as one of the NFL’s most successful franchises.
Drafted in the eighth round of the 1983 draft by Denver, the quarterback from Texas A&M was overshadowed when Elway, the No. 1 overall draft pick the same year, forced a trade from Baltimore.
Kubiak played nine seasons, largely as Elway’s backup, and was his roommate in camp and on the road. He was also an astute student of the game.
After his playing career, Kubiak was an assistant coach at Texas A&M and for the 49ers. He returned to Denver and served as head coach Mike Shanahan’s offensive coordinator for 11 years.
All told, Kubiak was part of seven Super Bowls, winning three as an assistant coach (with Denver and San Francisco), and winning Super Bowl 50 as Denver’s head coach.
Kubiak, 55, has struggled with the immense stress of the job. He left the stadium in an ambulance following a Broncos loss to Atlanta on Oct. 9, and spent the night in the hospital due to a complex migraine condition.
Kubiak also suffered what was diagnosed as a “mini-stroke” in 2014 when he was the Houston Texans’ head coach.
It is ironic that only by retiring has Kubiak finally stepped out of Elway’s shadow; in terms of Broncos lore, he deserves his own place in the sun.
We wish him health and happiness.
