(Atlanta) Dan Reeves, who won the Super Bowl as a player with the Dallas Cowboys but was best known for his long career as a head coach with the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons, has died at the age of 77, Saturday.
A statement released by his family through former Falcons media relations director Aaron Salkin said Reeves died of complications from dementia. The family said he passed away “peacefully surrounded by his family in his home in Atlanta.”
“His legacy will continue through his many friends, players and fans as well as the NFL community,” his family said.
Reeves was a versatile player who was instrumental in establishing the Cowboys as one of the powerhouses of the NFL in the 1960s, under the tutelage of Tom Landry. However, it was as a head coach that he left his mark, leading three teams over a span of 23 seasons.
Only 37 years old when he took the helm of the Broncos in 1981, Reeves built a team around star quarterback John Elway and they have reached the Super Bowl three times in 12 years.
The Denver squad were unable to lift the Vince-Lombardi Trophy under Reeves, however, being crushed in all three of their Super Bowl appearances.
After a bitter separation with the Broncos, Reeves moved to New York in 1993 to lead the Giants.
He was fired after four seasons, but quickly fell back on his own in 1997 with the Falcons, returning to Georgia, where he was born and raised.
In only his second season at the helm of a previously unsuccessful team, Reeves guided the Falcons to a 14-2 record and a first Super Bowl appearance.
Reeves once again ran out of the title, losing to Elway and the Broncos. He went 0-4 as a Super Bowl head coach.
Reeves orchestrated a trade that brought Michael Vick to the Falcons and he remained head coach until the 2003 season, when he was fired after the team won just three of their first 13 games.
Reeves concluded his head coaching career with a 190-165-2 record.
Reeves remained in Atlanta after her retirement, most notably serving as an advisor to Georgia State University when she started her football program.