When a governor is serving as your hype man and a mayor is volunteering himself as your aide for the afternoon, you’re having a pretty good day.
When the day itself is proclaimed in your honor, all the better.
That was Friday on the west steps of the state capitol for Randy Gradishar.
The Broncos legend and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee soaked in a sunny May 3 afternoon that Gov. Jared Polis named Randy Gradishar Day after the linebacker who wore No. 53 in the middle of Denver’s defense for one of its most dominant decades.
“Having this opportunity to come out and have Randy Gradishar Day with the governor and the mayor and just in Colorado people appreciating this, it’s just really humbling for me,” Gradishar said afterward. “Having the opportunity to be recognized this way and knowing that finally the Pro Football Hall of Fame is here is a real blessing.”
Polis spoke while wearing one of the Broncos’ new uniforms with the No. 24 and “Polis” on the back and said the only reason he didn’t wear his signed Gradishar jersey is because he’d had it framed and hung in his office.
He read the official proclamation, which included some of Gradishar’s career statistical highlights and nodded to many of Gradishar’s off-the-field pursuits, like decades of work with Colorado youth and military personnel.
A sizable group of Broncos fans and onlookers gathered in front of the orange-and-blue arc of balloons set up for the event, which also included Broncos cheerleaders, the drum line and, of course, “Miles” the mascot in addition to friends and former teammates of Gradishar’s and team executives.
“He’s someone I spent my entire childhood watching,” Denver mayor Mike Johnston said of Gradishar. “But as the governor said, the amazing thing about Randy is he’s not just a legend on the field, he’s been a legend off the field. He’s stayed in this city, he’s given back, he’s done everything he can to pull up the next generation of players but more than anything the next generation of young people and the next generation of fans.”
Gradishar will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in August, the endpoint to a 35-year wait. Gradishar grew up in Ohio not far from Canton, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and recently went to the Hall for the first time since knowing he’d be joining its ranks this summer.
This day, Polis said, was meant to be a kickoff to the summer Gradishar’s been waiting on for so many years.
“It’s overwhelming to me right now,” Gradishar said.
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