Dan Reeves

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For other people named Dan Reeves, see Dan Reeves (disambiguation)

Dan Reeves
Date of birth	January 19, 1944 (1944-01-19) (age 64)
Place of birth	Rome, Georgia
Position(s)	Head Coach Half back
College	South Carolina
Career Highlights
Career Record	190-165-2
Championships       Won	1998 NFC Championship 1989 AFC Championship 1987 AFC Championship 1986 AFC Championship
Stats
Playing Stats	DatabaseFootball
Coaching Stats	DatabaseFootball
Team(s) as a player
1965-1972	Dallas Cowboys
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1972,1974-1980 1981-1992 1993-1996 1997-2003	Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos New York Giants Atlanta Falcons

Daniel Edward Reeves (born January 19, 1944 in Rome, Georgia) is a former American football player and head coach.

[edit] Early life

Reeves was born in Rome, Georgia, and grew up in Americus, Georgia. He attended the University of South Carolina, where he played quarterback from 1962-1964 and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977^[1].

[edit] Playing career

Over eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Reeves collected 1,990 rushing yards and 1,693 receiving yards. His best year came in 1966, when he rushed for seven touchdowns, good for second in the league. Reeves threw a touchdown pass in the Cowboys' losing effort in the notorious "Ice Bowl;" the 1967 Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys made the playoffs every year of Reeves's playing days, reaching the Super Bowl twice and culminating in a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in 1971.

[edit] Coaching career

Worn down by multiple injuries, Reeves began serving on the sidelines as a player/coach in 1970 and after his full retirement in 1972 he took a job on the team as the running backs coach. After leaving the sport for a business position in 1973, he returned to the Cowboys again in 1974 as running backs coach, and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1977. The Cowboys made 3 more Super Bowls during Reeves' tenure as an assistant coach, earning him another ring in 1977 with a win over the Denver Broncos.

In 1981, the 37 year old Reeves was made head coach and Vice President of the Denver Broncos, making him at the time the youngest head coach in the league. Over the next 12 years, Reeves led the Broncos to a 110-73-1 regular season record (7-6 playoff), six playoff appearances, and three appearances in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Reeves was never able to win the big game with the Broncos. Friction between him and John Elway led to his departure from Denver, but he would still find opportunities to coach. His problems with Elway would come back to haunt him later in his career, in Super Bowl XXXIII when Elway handed Reeves his fourth Super Bowl defeat as a head coach.

In 1993, Reeves took over as head coach of the floundering New York Giants. In his first season at the helm, the Giants went 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time in three years, giving the fans and team hope that Reeves was the answer to the team's troubles. For his efforts, Reeves was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press. Reeves led the Giants to a 9-7 record in 1994, finishing the season with six consecutive victories after a seven game losing streak. It wasn't enough, however, for the Giants to reach the playoffs. Reeves' fortunes turned the next year as his team finished 5-11, and after a 6-10 1996 season he was fired. He finished with a 31-33 record as Giants coach.

In 1996, Reeves took on his biggest challenge yet by accepting the head coaching job of the Atlanta Falcons. The year before the Falcons had gone 3-13, and they had done little to improve their personnel. Yet by 1998, Reeves led the team to a 14-2 record and his record 9th Super Bowl appearance on the sidelines. That year was particularly tumultuous for Reeves, who underwent open heart surgery to repair three blocked arteries midway through the season. Although the team lost Super Bowl XXXIII by a 34-19 margin against Reeves's old team the Denver Broncos, Reeves was widely hailed for the team's turnaround, and was again awarded the Coach of the Year honor. Again, however, Reeves failed to maintain the level of excellence he had attained early in his post, and he was fired with three games remaining in the 2003 season.

Reeves' career coaching record is 201-174-2, including an 11-9 record in the playoffs. His 201 wins are currently the most ever by a coach that did not win a Super Bowl.

On December 12, 2005, Reeves was hired as a talent consultant for the NFL's Houston Texans. The Texans' new head coach (as of January 2006) is former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and quarterback Gary Kubiak, who was drafted in the eighth round of the 1983 Draft by then-Broncos coach Reeves.

Recently, Reeves has played an active role in the starting of Georgia State University's football program.

[edit] Television career

Reeves currently covers NFL games as a color analyst (teamed with play-by-play man Bill Rosinski) for the second Sunday afternoon game on Westwood One radio network. Including working on the radio broadcast Dan Reeves speaks at corporate and football events around the country.

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] See also

• History of the New York Giants (1979-1993)
• History of the New York Giants (1994-present)