By the numbers: Gary Kubiak a shoo-in for Broncos Ring of Fame

On Friday, a day after former Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak announced his retirement from the NFL, his former assistant Wade Phillips made the case that his former boss should be enshrined in the Houston Texans Ring of Honor.

Said Phillips:

Texans fans please don’t forget Gary Kubiak was the first coach to win the division (twice)and the only coach to win a playoff game( twice). Those are Houston Ring of Honor credentials!

— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) January 22, 2021

But — and no offense intended — the two-person Texans Ring of Honor truly doesn’t hold a candle to the roster of Hall of Famer and NFL legends that grace the façade of Empower Field at Mile High.

And in taking a look back at the career Kubiak assembled — as a player, coach, and executive — it’s clear that “Koobs” deserves a spot up among the other Broncos Ring of Fame members.

Here’s the numbers to prove it:

•••

119: Gary Kubiak’s playing career wasn’t necessarily anything to write home about, but the young gunslinger was a formidable backup to a Pro Football Hall of Famer named John Elway

In nine seasons as the Broncos backup quarterback, Kubiak played in 119 games — including five starts for a 3-2 all-time record.

His 14 career touchdown passes won’t go down in the record books, but in Elway’s mind the two were truly “equals.”

•••

1995-2005: In his 11 seasons as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Kubiak conducted one of the most prolific offenses in the entire NFL.

From 1995 until 2005, only twice did Kubiak’s offenses finish outside the top 10 in total yards (1999 and 2001).

In terms of points, Kubiak’s offenses ranked outside the top 10 in the NFL just once — 1999.

During that span, the Broncos running game produced 10 seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. The only season without one during Kubiak’s tenure: 2001, when Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson combined for 1,379 yards

•••

50: As in, Super Bowl 50.

Not only did Kubiak help deliver Denver it’s third world championship — along with Peyton Manning’s curtain-call second win — Kubiak made history as the first player to play in and serve as the head coach for a Super Bowl team with the same franchise.

Kubiak also earned the distinction of being just the seventh head coach to reach the Super Bowl in his first year with a team.

•••

3-0: Despite taking the Broncos to the postseason just once in his two seasons as the team’s head coach, Kubiak certainly made his playoff time count.

Not only did “Koobs” deliver on the organization’s third world championship, his flawless 3-0 record makes him the only coach in team history to never have lost in the postseason.

•••

.686: Because of the small sample size, Kubiak ranks only sixth in Broncos history in terms of total wins by a head coach (regular season and postseason).

However, Kubiak’s .686 winning percentage as head coach ranks second only to John Fox, at .690, and ahead of Ring of Famers Red Miller (.627) and Dan Reeves (.596) and all-time winningest Denver head coach Mike Shanahan (.616).