Mike Shanahan

Mike Shanahan became the eleventh head coach in Broncos history on January 31, 1995, coming to Denver from the 1994 world champion San Francisco 49ers, where he served as offensive coordinator from 1992-94. In 1996 Shanahan led the Broncos to a 13-3 record and the AFC Western Division title, tying the club record for wins in a season and leading the NFL in total offense, that after having rewritten the Denver record books in Shanahan's first year. In 1995 he improved the Broncos to an 8-8 mark while stamping the Denver offense with his signature as the most productive unit in the AFC, finishing third in the NFL. The two seasons under Shanahan have produced the most prolific two-year total offense statistics in Broncos history.

San Francisco's three-year average under Shanahan's direction was the most-productive offense in the history of pro football. San Francisco's quarterback Steve Young rewrote many NFL passing records and was named the NFL most valuable player twice in his three years under Shanahan's guidance. During his NFL career, Shanahan has been a part of teams that have played in seven AFC or NFC Championship Games, in addition to his four Super Bowl appearances, three with Denver and Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco.

In his 22 seasons coaching in the NFL and at the college level, Shanahan's teams have participated in postseason playoffs or bowl games 16 times. A driving force behind the Broncos' offense for all three of the team's most recent Super Bowl appearances (following the 1986, 1987, and 1989 seasons), he first came to Denver in 1984 as wide receivers coach. Shanahan was Broncos' offensive coordinator from 1985-87, and then returned to Denver as quarterbacks coach on October 16, 1989, after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988 and through the first four games of the 1989 campaign. His record with the Raiders was 8-12.

Shanahan began his coaching career at Oklahoma in 1975-76, also coaching at Northern Arizona (1977), Eastern Illinois (1978), and Minnesota (1979), before moving on to Florida (1980-83), where he led the Gators to an NCAA-record 4,540 yards as assistant head coach in 1983. During his tenure on the college level, Shanahan's teams had a combined record of 77-29-3 (.720), including national championship seasons at Oklahoma in 1975 and at Eastern Illinois in 1978.

Shanahan was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on August 24, 1952. He attended East Leyden High School in Franklin Park and was a wishbone quarterback/defensive back at Eastern Illinois, graduating in 1974 with a degree in physical education. He earned a master's degree there in 1975.