Former Denver Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs dies aged 80

Former Denver Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, a key staff member who helped the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s, has passed away, the team announced. He was 80 years old.

The team said Gibbs died of complications from a stroke and was surrounded by his family in Phoenix.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Alex Gibbs, who has had a profound impact on the Denver Broncos and the National Football League as an offensive line coach. During his 14 years with the Broncos, Coach Gibbs has left a lasting legacy on this league with his innovative blocking patterns and exceptional teaching abilities. He has helped the Broncos at the Super Bowls for three different decades – including back-to-back world championships – while also being forging a reputation for being one of the greatest assistant coaches in NFL history, ”the team said in a statement.

“Our hearts go out to Alex’s wife, Trina, and the entire Gibbs family as well as Alex’s many former players and fellow coaches.”

Gibbs’ zone blocking system helped Denver develop a dominant running game behind Hall of Fame Terrell Davis who helped head coach Mike Shanahan and the Broncos win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII.

Davis was named the NFL’s MVP after the 1998 season, when he rushed for a career-high 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. To culminate this spectacular season, he was named Super Bowl XXXII MVP after racking up 157 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

Gibbs’ coaching career in the NFL began in 1984 and continued until 2013 and included three separate stints with the Broncos. He began his career with four seasons as the team’s offensive line coach before returning in 1995 for a nine-year tenure as an assistant head coach / offensive line coach which ended in completed after the 2003 season. He returned in 2013 as an offensive online consultant.

Gibbs was also an assistant coach for three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06); two seasons each with the Los Angeles Raiders and Shanahan (1988-89), the San Diego Chargers (1990-91), the Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94) and the Houston Texans (2008-09); and one year with the Indianapolis Colts (1992). He was hired by the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, but retired abruptly before the season opener.