Broncos Fire Shanahan After 14 Seasons

The Denver Broncos fired longtime head coach Mike Shanahan today after a late-season flop that left the team out of the playoffs, the Denver Post reports. Shanahan had been coach for 14 years and led the team to two Super Bowl wins. The Broncos, however, have only one playoff victory since the second of those championships—and the departure of John Elway—in 1999.

"I appreciate the 21 years that Mike Shanahan has given to the organization as an assistant and head coach, and the two Super Bowl wins in that time," said owner Pat Bowlen, who had previously called Shanahan his coach for life. "His contributions hold a special place in Broncos history." Denver lost its last three games of the season, missing the playoffs for the third straight year.
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