Orange Crush 6 -0 Is Colorado's Weather

Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was a professional American football defensive lineman of the National Football League who played 15 seasons for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders. He was drafted in the 4th round (79th overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at Yankton College.

Throughout his career, Alzaldo was famous for his intense and intimidating style of play. In 196 career games, he racked up 112.5 sacks and earned two Pro Bowl selections in 1977 and 1978. He would spend his last years in the league with the Oakland Raiders where he would win a championship in Super Bowl XVIII. Alzado died after a battle with cancer in 1992 at the age of 43.

Orange Crush Defense was the 3-4 defense of the Denver Broncos during the 1970s. It was one of the top defenses of its time with Linebackers Randy Gradishar and Tom Jackson, with Gradishar as a potential Hall of Famer.

Other key Crushers were defensive linemen Lyle Alzado, and Rubin Carter, linebackers Bob Swenson and Joe Rizzo, and defensive backs Billy Thompson and Louis Wright. Joe Collier was the defensive co-ordinator, defensive line coach Stan Jones (HOF '91), and head coach Red Miller.

In their Super Bowl XII season in 1977, The Crush had the NFL's number-one defense against the rush though the Broncos were 27th out of 28 teams against the pass.

The team derived their name from their orange, blue and white uniforms and a popular soft drink, Orange Crush.

The Orange Crush uniforms were replaced in 1997 by the team's current Nike/Perisco Blue uniforms.