The Denver Broncos are mourning the death of legendary defensive coordinator Joe Collier after the architect of the ‘Orange Crush’ defense died at age 91 on Tuesday.
Collier, who was also the head coach of the Buffalo Bills (1966-1968), passed away at his home in Littleton, Colorado, and is survived by his longtime partner Sue Henry and his three children: Joel, Julie and Lisa.
He was hired by the Broncos in 1969 and worked for the franchise for 19 years (until 1988). He first served as Denver’s defensive backs coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator.
A statement released by the Broncos on X, Tuesday, read: ‘The architect of the famed Orange Crush defense, Joe Collier is one of the most impactful coaches in the history of the Denver Broncos and regarded among the best defensive coordinators of all-time.
‘He was an innovator in the NFL with his 3-4 defense, helping the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances during a legendary career with our franchise that spanned more than two decades.
‘Intelligent, modest and soft-spoken, Collier provided steady leadership to five different head coaches as the Broncos emerged as perennial contenders in the 1970s and 1980s.
‘His profound influence on countless players and coaches in Denver included 12 Broncos Ring of Famers, 11 Pro Bowl selections and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar.
‘Collier’s loyalty to the Broncos extended beyond the playing field as a Ring of Fame selection Commitee member for more than 20 years dedicated to recognizing our all-time greats.
‘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 friends.’
Collier influenced several notable head coaches during his decade in pro football, including longtime New England coach Bill Belichick, who worked under Collier in 1978 with the Broncos and had what he called a great ‘learning experience.’
‘I learned to see the game through the eyes of Joe Collier and… Joe, how he had me break it down for him, I could see how he looked at it as a defensive coach. That was valuable,’ Belichick said in a 2020 phone call in the buildup to a Broncos-Patriots game.
‘Not everybody looks at it quite the same way, but Joe was very skilled at analyzing offenses and what they and when they did it,’ Belichick continued. ‘He was good at anticipating very well. 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 that the way I had done it in Baltimore. It gave me a lot of insight there.’
One of Collier’s areas of expertise was situational defense, according to Belichick.
‘That certainly stayed with me – red-area defenses and goal-line defenses. They had some of the best goal line – for me, [they had] as good of goal-line defenses as we’ve seen in the National Football League — them and the Vikings were certainly two of the best,’ Belichick said.
‘And the way that Joe played goal line, that’s definitely something there that I learned a lot about there, as well. That was a great year, a great experience. Loved working for the Broncos in ’78.’
