With Randy Gradishar's induction at age 72, the 'Orange Crush' finally gets into Canton

DENVER (AP) — About the only time Randy Gradishar ever disappointed his teammates was when he first arrived in Denver as the Broncos' first-round draft pick in 1974.

Eagerly awaiting the arrival of the man Ohio State coach Woody Hayes called “the best linebacker I ever coached,” were members of the budding “Orange Crush” ensemble that would soon join Minnesota's “Purple People Eaters," Dallas' “Doomsday" and Pittsburgh's “Steel Curtain” as one of the predominant defenses in the NFL.

Gradishar and nose tackle Rubin Carter, drafted a year later, would become the twin pillars of the “Orange Crush” defense that served as the Broncos’ backbone in the late 1970s and early 1980s and the driving force in their first Super Bowl appearance after the 1977 season, where they lost to Dallas 27-10.

Aside from what he'd bring to the field, his teammates wondered what kind of muscle car he might have spent his signing bonus on and if the rumbling V-8 engine or thumping subwoofers would announce his arrival from blocks away.

Gradishar instead rolled up in his father's creaky station wagon, the kind with the wooden side panels that were ferrying families across the country in the 1970s.

“We were like, ‘Who is this guy?’” recalled Tom Jackson with a hea...