From player to head coach: Kubiak’s vast impact on the Broncos

It’s been more than three decades since Gary Kubiak phoned home from Denver Broncos minicamp and said, “I have no chance.”

The rookie, selected as the only quarterback by Denver in the 8th round of the 1983 NFL Draft, Kubiak had to throw next to fellow rookie, and first overall draft pick, John Elway for a day, who had been traded to the team by the Baltimore Colts.

“That’s what I remember. Fortunately, it worked out and I was able to hang around awhile,” Kubiak said two years ago during a press conference introducing as the Broncos newest head coach.

It was a return to the organization that gave Kubiak his start, and one that saw him win back-to-back Super Bowls as offensive coordinator — with his new boss, now-general manager John Elway, under center.

“There was no doubt when I got off the plane yesterday that I was home,” Kubiak said at the time.

Two years later, Kubiak will reportedly step away from his role as the Broncos head coach, citing his family’s concerns over the coach’s health.

In early October, “flu-like symptoms” sent Kubiak to the hospital shortly after Denver’s 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and the coach was later diagnosed with a “complex migraine condition, according to the team.

Kubiak would miss the Broncos next game against the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football before returning the following Monday.

But the health scare paralleled another medical event in November 2013 that left Kubiak hospitalized. Then the head coach of the Houston Texans, Kubiak collapsed while running off the field after the first half of a game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Kubiak suffered a transient ischemic attack — often referred to as a TIA or mini-stroke — and missed a game. He was dismissed as head coach of the team later that season.

At his introductory press conference, Kubiak said the incident opened his eyes to his own health, calling the episode “scary.”

“I probably ran myself into the ground a little bit. I think I learned a lot from that. I’m doing great, I’m feeling fine. Hopefully I look OK. But I’m doing fine, I worked through that,” Kubiak said at the time.

The following season saw Kubiak take a reduced role, as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, in which he led the team to a top-10 finish in terms of total offense.

And that’s when his longtime friend and teammate Elway came calling.

“He was at the top of the list, there is no question. I think that with the relationship that we’ve talked about that everybody knew I had with Gary, that he was definitely at the top of the list,” Elway said during his introductory press conference on Jan. 19, 2015.

Elway said at the time that Kubiak fit with the organization best because he knew he had the drive to win world championships, a goal the first-year Broncos coach would deliver the following February.

Kubiak was able to navigate through a difficult 2015 season that saw the decline of Peyton Manning, along with a world-class defense, to a Super Bowl title. It was the first time a head coach who had also played for the team achieved such a feat.

Before that, as the offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Shanahan, Kubiak helped Elway and company to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999.

During the 11 seasons (1995-2005) Kubiak was offensive coordinator in Denver, the club ranked first in the NFL in scoring (24.8 points per game) and total yards (360.3 yards per game).

The Broncos during that period also averaged 141.5 yards per game on the ground, and Kubiak’s offense produced five 1,000-yard rushers, including 1998 MVP Terrell Davis.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.