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How Denver Broncos NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar has family ties to Pueblo

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How Denver Broncos NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar has family ties to Pueblo


Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar learned of his Pueblo ties on January 29, 1974 — the same day he was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Gradishar had just capped off his senior season at the Ohio State University with a 42-21 Rose Bowl victory over the USC Trojans. Denver Broncos coach John Ralston called the consensus All-American linebacker to inform him that he was the Broncos’ choice for the 14th pick in the draft.

“After I hung up with Coach Ralston, I called home and talked to mom and dad,” Gradishar told the Chieftain. “At the end of the conversation… I find out that my father was born in Pueblo.”

Here’s how the Broncos legend stays connected to the Steel City decades after his retirement from football.

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‘Orange Crush’ linebacker maintains relationship with city of father’s birth

Gradishar’s father Jim grew up in the Eilers neighborhood near the corner of Mesa and Egan avenues. Jim, his parents and his siblings moved to northeast Ohio during the Great Depression. However, their cousins remained in Pueblo.

Like Pueblo, the northeast Ohio cities of Warren and Youngstown were steel manufacturing cities. While his siblings worked in steel, Jim started a grocery store in Champion Township north of Warren after returning from World War II. Randy was born in 1952 and began working at his father’s grocery store at age 11.

“I just know in my heart that it was all God-directed the way it was going because I didn’t even start playing football until ninth grade,” Gradishar said. “We ended up my senior year with like 25 guys on the football team… My high school football coach sent out films for me and then all of a sudden, I got recruited by a few schools.”

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Gradishar tallied 320 total tackles — 155 solo and 165 assisted — at Ohio State between 1971 and 1973, according to a 2022 Ohio State football media guide. He was named to the consensus All-American team twice and finished sixth in the 1973 Heisman Trophy voting.

When Gradishar began playing for the Broncos, his parents — Jim and Ann Gradishar — often flew to Denver to watch their son at Mile High Stadium before driving down to Pueblo and catching up with Jim’s cousins. Randy got the chance to visit the Pueblo Gradishars during the offseason.

Around the time of the 1977 NFL season — the season the Broncos made their first Super Bowl appearance — Gradishar and a few Broncos teammates worked with former University of Southern Colorado Coach Mike Friedman to organize a five-day football camp in Pueblo.

It was at the camp in Pueblo that Gradishar encountered a surname just one letter off from his own — Gradisar. Gradishar didn’t think much of the similar spelling at first but eventually found out that the two families are distantly related.

The names Gradisar and Gradishar both come from the Slovenian name Gradišar with the “š” sounding like an “sh,” according to Ben Gradishar, a Pueblo resident and a second cousin once removed to the Hall of Fame linebacker.

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“We’re all ‘Gradisars’ but we inadvertently got an ‘h’ added at Ellis Island in the 1880s… Now there is ‘Gradisars’ and ‘Gradishars,’” Ben Gradishar told the Chieftain.

All ten of Randy Gradishar’s NFL seasons were played with the Denver Broncos. He retired with 2,049 tackles, seven Pro Bowl appearances and the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. He also grabbed 20 career interceptions and recovered 14 fumbles.

Gradishar is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024. He will be enshrined with fellow inductees Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis at a ceremony on Aug. 3.

Post-retirement, Gradishar has kept busy working in public relations with Phil Long Dealerships but said he makes visits to Pueblo “relatively often.”

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“That was pretty special knowing that there is family here and having the opportunity to know them as cousins,” Gradishar said. “Having that connection, again, goes way back to 1974 knowing that I was coming to Denver, Colorado and that my father was born in Pueblo.”

New PCC President: Chato Hazelbaker selected as next president of Pueblo Community College

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com



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Denver, CO

Roaming dogs attempted to rip pet cat apart in Denver Heights

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Roaming dogs attempted to rip pet cat apart in Denver Heights


SAN ANTONIO – Two roaming dogs in the Denver Heights neighborhood nearly ripped a cat apart. The cat’s owner, Aaron Salinas, said she survived, but he still has questions.

“It’s just one of those things you really don’t know how to process in the moment,” Salinas said. “It’s not one emotion. It’s pretty much all the emotions.”

Since the attack, Chai, a 4-year-old cat, has gone into surgery three times. The incident happened on the East Side, and the attack only stopped after a neighbor threw a water bottle at the animals.

Salinas said he found Chai about an hour later and immediately took her to get help.

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“There is a systematic problem within the city,” Salinas said.

This animal attack is far from the first dog attack in San Antonio, a topic KSAT 12 has reported on in the past. In some cases, dog attacks in the city have led to the loss of limbs. Some have also died.

“I put all accountability on the lack of human response or human prevention,” Salinas said.

After the incident, Salinas said he called 311 and shared his story online. After that happened, it caused a community uproar, Animal Care Services said.

ACS said for a week, it searched through the Denver Heights neighborhood for those dogs.

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Michael Shannon, the interim ACS director, said they found seven roaming dogs. Two of those matched the description of this attack.

“It’s a big problem,” Shannon said. “We’re out there every day addressing dangerous situations and bringing in aggressive dogs off the street.”

ACS confirmed that one of the dogs involved in this attack was chipped, but a spokesperson said the owner did not reclaim it. Shannon said both of those dogs have since been euthanized.

The agency said it expects to add two new spay and neuter clinics by early 2025. Shannon said he hopes this helps with ongoing issues.

The photo used as a thumbnail in the video is courtesy of Aaron Salinas.

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Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.



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Broadway in downtown Denver shut down for more than an hour during morning rush, but nobody knows why

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Broadway in downtown Denver shut down for more than an hour during morning rush, but nobody knows why


Broadway shut down for more than an hour during morning rush

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Broadway shut down for more than an hour during morning rush

00:22

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Slow traffic on Broadway isn’t unusual on weekday mornings, but Thursday was particularly frustrating for drivers as they approached the state Capitol. Despite a sign warning of only an approaching left lane closure, it turns out the entire street was closed between Colfax and 14th Street. 

Broadway was closed from approximately 7:30 a.m. to  8:30 a.m.  Denver police officers routed drivers east and west on Colfax to get around the closure.

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Broadway was shut down in downtown Denver but nobody seems to know why.

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CBS News Colorado asked the Denver Police Department why Broadway was closed, but the media relations unit told us they had no calls for service and that perhaps the closure was due to an event. CBS News Colorado checked with the Civic Center Conservancy, but they were unaware of any events on Thursday morning. 

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DOTI, which is Denver’s Department of Traffic and Infrastructure, has not yet responded to requests for information. Neither has RTD, which operates the Civic Center Station a block-and-a-half away.

Colorado State Patrol has jurisdiction over the state Capitol, but they also had no knowledge of the closure.

CBS News Colorado will continue to seek answers, but it’s looking like this closure may remain a mystery.

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Broncos 2024 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 4

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Broncos 2024 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 4


It took six games, but the Broncos finally won a game in September under head coach Sean Payton.

Denver beat Tampa, 26-7, on Sunday and for the first time all season, every aspect of the team seemed to be clicking. The defense came up with a season-high seven sacks and a pair of takeaways. And running back Tyler Badie may be the answer to the team’s stagnant run game.

Now, can they replicate that performance against the Jets on Sunday?

Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 4:

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The Athletic (No. 28) | Last week: No. 30

“Bo Nix was Sunday’s best rookie quarterback”

“And he’s been the second-best this season. The competition is not as tough as we imagined it would be in April, but still. Nix is second among all quarterbacks this season in rushing (107 yards) and was efficient from the pocket Sunday as Denver got its first win. With Caleb Williams’ struggles, Nix is behind only Jayden Daniels in terms of rookie quarterback value so far,” Josh Kendall writes. See the full rankings.

Bleacher Report (No. 27) | Last week: No. 30

“The first two professional starts for rookie quarterback Bo Nix of the Broncos were rough. But Sunday in Tampa, the former Oregon and Auburn standout gave Denver fans some signs of what the future might hold under center in the Mile High City.” See the full rankings.

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CBS Sports (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30

“Sean Payton showed he owns the Bucs with Todd Bowles as coach. That was a clinic. Bo Nix is getting better,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.

ESPN (No. 27) | Last week: No. 30

“Coach Sean Payton admitted it has been difficult finding a running back rotation that works, especially if Tyler Badie’s flashes are a sign of something bigger. Badie leads the team’s backs with 86 yards on only 10 carries, while Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin are each averaging just 2.2 yards per carry. Much like we saw from Badie in training camp, he patiently waits for openings before popping a big run — such as the 43-yarder in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers. But Payton has said he typically leans on two-back rotations, whether it’s ‘right, wrong or indifferent.’ Trying to kick-start an inconsistent run game with three backs has proved challenging,” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.

NFL.com (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30

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“Bo Nix played his best NFL game, top to bottom, and he looked remarkably comfortable at times — especially compared to the more chaotic feel the offense had in Weeks 1 and 2. The offensive line protected Nix well, and he made quality snap decisions and delivered very catchable balls more often than not. The run game did just enough, thanks to Nix’s scrambling, Jaleel McLaughlin’s miracle TD early and Tyler Badie’s fine work in the fourth quarter. And how about Denver’s defense? Patrick Surtain II clamped down on Mike Evans, and the front pressured Baker Mayfield relentlessly, to the tune of seven sacks and 18 pressures, per Next Gen Stats. Mayfield threw 33 times, but the longest pass play Denver allowed was for just 13 yards. This win was much-needed after the Broncos let a pair of close games slip away to start the year,” Eric Edholm writes. See the full rankings.

Pro Football Focus (No. 28) | Last week: No. 27

“The Broncos got off the mark in the win column with a competent and convincing win against the Buccaneers, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix earning a 74.1 grade. The defense has been equally impressive through three games and is eighth in EPA per play allowed (-0.173),” Thomas Valentine writes. See the full rankings.

Pro Football Talk (No. 21) | Last week: No. 29

“Well, now things are getting interesting,” Mike Florio writes. See the full rankings.

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Sports Illustrated (No. 27) | Last week: No. 31

“I appreciated Sean Payton’s willingness to take the ball off the coin toss and place the game on Bo Nix’s shoulders. Nix has had by far the most ruthless start for rookie quarterbacks in terms of opponents — Seattle, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and the Jets in Week 4 — and he has turned in two close losses and Sunday’s win,” Conor Orr writes. See the full rankings.

USA Today (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30

“Maybe they’re due a little more respect after facing three teams with a combined 8-1 record, the lone loss the Broncos’ shocking shellacking of the Bucs on Sunday,” Nate Davis writes. See the full rankings.

Yahoo! Sports (No. 28) | Last week: No. 30

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“Running back Tyler Badie had 70 yards on nine carries Sunday. Javonte Williams has 52 yards on 24 carries through three games. Bo Nix had a nice breakout Sunday. He still needs support from the run game, and maybe Badie will be the next man up for that job,” Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.

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