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Coach who brought Broncos to 1st Super Bowl dies at 89

Related Topics: Denver Broncos, Super Bowl

Red Miller, the fiery head coach who led the Denver Broncos to their first Super Bowl, has died after complications from a stroke. He was 89.

Miller coached the Broncos from 1977-80 and compiled a 42-25 record. He's best known as the architect of the Orange Crush defense, and the coach who ended decades of losing and turned the Broncos into contenders.

They went 12-2 in 1977, made their first playoff appearance and got to the Super Bowl, where they fell 27-10 to the Cowboys.

Along the way, Miller helped create a rivalry with the Oakland Raiders, making no bones about his hatred of the franchise that had gone 24-2-2 against Denver over the previous 14 seasons.