Editing Dan Reeves (section)

==Coaching career==
Reeves, a protégé of [[Tom Landry]], became the youngest [[head coach]] in the NFL when he joined the [[Denver Broncos]] in [[1981 Denver Broncos season|1981]] as vice president and head coach. After acquiring quarterback [[John Elway]] in a trade, Reeves guided the Broncos to six post-season appearances, five divisional titles, three AFC championships, and three Super Bowl appearances ([[Super Bowl XXI]], [[Super Bowl XXII]], and [[Super Bowl XXIV]]) during his twelve-year tenure. He was the only AFC coach in the decade of the 1980s to lead his team to consecutive Super Bowl berths, and his Broncos appeared in the Super Bowl three times during a span of four years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milehighreport.com/2017/2/2/14479322/dan-reeves-hall-of-fame|title=MHR Radio: Why isn't Dan Reeves in the Hall of Fame?|date=February 2, 2017|accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> Reeves and Elway did not always see eye-to-eye, to the point where quarterback [[Tommy Maddox]] was drafted by the Broncos in the first round of the [[1992 NFL Draft|1992 draft]]. This came off the heels of the [[1991 Denver Broncos season|1991 season]] in which Reeves had fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach [[Mike Shanahan]] for "insubordination", as Reeves felt that Shanahan was driving a wedge between him and Elway, who said in 1990 that his relationship with Reeves was "the worst."<ref name="sfgate1">{{cite web|author=Ira Miller, Chronicle Staff Writer |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/BAD-BLOOD-Reeves-Shanahan-and-Elway-bring-2950910.php |title=BAD BLOOD / Reeves, Shanahan and Elway bring their respective feuds into Super Bowl mix |publisher=Sfgate.com |date=January 25, 1999 |accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2019/04/24/john-elway-ribs-broncos-for-drafting-tommy-maddox-in-1992/ |title=Denver Broncos: John Elway ribs team for drafting Tommy Maddox in 1992 |publisher=Broncoswire.usatoday.com |date=April 24, 2019 |accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> Reeves was fired after the [[1992 Denver Broncos season|1992 season]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Denver Broncos fire Dan Reeves|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19921229&id=s5YtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mqUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6865,10311359|access-date=January 28, 2017|work=The Tuscaloosa News|agency=Associated Press|date=December 29, 1992|page=3B}}</ref> and replaced by his protégé and friend [[Wade Phillips]], who was previously the Broncos' defensive coordinator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2017/12/21/washington-redskins-tried-trade-john-elway-1991-denver-broncos/ |title=NFL news: Washington Redskins tried to trade for John Elway in 1991 |publisher=Broncoswire.usatoday.com |date=December 21, 2017 |accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> Upon the death of Reeves in 2022, Elway stated that Reeves was a "winner" and said he owed a good deal of his career to Reeves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/01/01/kiszla-broncos-dan-reeves-appreciation/|title = Kiszla: Why Dan Reeves might be the most underappreciated legend in Broncos history|date = January 2022}}</ref>

Reeves was hired as head coach by the [[New York Giants]] for the [[1993 New York Giants season|1993 season]]. In his first season, he led the Giants to an 11&ndash;5 record and a berth in the playoffs. Reeves's 1993 season record is the best ever for a first-year Giants coach, and he was named the 1993 [[Associated Press]] Coach of the Year after helping them improve from a 6&ndash;10 record in [[1992 New York Giants season|1992]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91610328/a-giant-honor-the-ap-chooses-reeves-as/ |title=A Giant Honor: The AP chooses Reeves as Coach of the Year |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=January 7, 1994 |accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> Reeves was fired after the Giants went 5&ndash;11 in [[1995 New York Giants season|1995]] and 6&ndash;10 in [[1996 New York Giants season|1996]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91610175/giants-fire-dan-reeves/ |title=Giants fire Dan Reeves |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=December 23, 1996 |accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref>

In 1997, Reeves was named the head coach of the [[Atlanta Falcons]]. Under his command the team, which had finished the [[1996 Atlanta Falcons season|1996 campaign]] with a 3&ndash;13 record, steadily improved. After going 7&ndash;9 in his first season in [[1997 Atlanta Falcons season|1997]], the Falcons went 14&ndash;2 in [[1998 Atlanta Falcons season|1998]], going on to capture their first [[NFC Championship]]. He became the third coach (after [[Bill Parcells]] and [[Chuck Knox]]) to lead three different franchises to the playoffs.<ref name="sfgate1"/> Reeves coached the Falcons to a 12&ndash;2 record before being hospitalized for the final two regular season games to undergo [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|quadruple-bypass heart surgery]] in December. Reeves managed to return to the sidelines just three weeks later to lead the Falcons to victory against the [[1998 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] in the [[1998 NFC Championship Game|NFC Championship Game]]. During [[Super Bowl XXXIII]], Reeves's Falcons were pitched against his former team, the defending champion [[1998 Denver Broncos season|Denver Broncos]] whose quarterback Elway was in his final season that had Shanahan as head coach. The Falcons lost, 34–19.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs98/news/1999/990131/01078787.html|title=No tears, no blame in Falcons locker room|website=www.espn.com}}</ref> In the process, Reeves earned the NFL's top coaching awards as he was named the 1998 [[NFL Coach of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91604569/reeves-picked-best-for-second-time/ |title=Reeves picked best for second time |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=January 3, 1999 |accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> In [[2003 Atlanta Falcons season|2003]], after winning just three of the first thirteen games, Reeves was fired and the Falcons replaced him with [[Wade Phillips]] as interim coach for three games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1682856|title=Reeves beats owner to the punch|date=December 10, 2003|website=ESPN.com|accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref>

In 2007, Reeves had an active role in the startup of [[Georgia State University]]'s [[Georgia State Panthers football|football program]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://georgiastatesports.com/news/2007/4/15/860535.aspx|title=Dan Reeves Hired as Football Consultant|website=Georgia State University|date=April 15, 2007|accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> In January 2009, Reeves interviewed with the [[San Francisco 49ers]] for their offensive coordinator job.<ref name="Cowboys not working with Reeves">{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3884953|title=Cowboys not working with Reeves|publisher=ESPN|date=February 5, 2009|accessdate=January 1, 2022}}</ref> After negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys, Reeves became a consultant for the team in February 2009. This role was short-lived, lasting two days before Reeves turned in the keys to his office and left. Reeves and the Cowboys could apparently not reach conclusions as to Reeves's role with the team. In the days following, it was revealed that the dispute came down to a contract clause specifying a number of hours per week to be worked, which Reeves deemed insulting.<ref name="Cowboys not working with Reeves"/>