Randy Gradishar, NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2024, speaks during a news conference at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 58 football game Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas. The San Francisco 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 on Sunday. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

From Champion High School, it takes a little over an hour to get to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

Despite a lengthy resume of stats and accolades that many NFL players never reach, the journey to Canton took Champion native Randy Gradishar much longer.

But now, 35 years after he became eligible and three past appearances on the ballot, the wait is finally over for the former Denver Bronco.

A member of the Champion Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame (1983), the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (1987), the GTE Academic Hall of Fame (1992), and the College Football Hall of Fame (1998), on Thursday, it was announced that the linebacker would be inducted again, this time into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The way he found out is something Gradishar will never forget.

In fact, for a while, the 1978 Defensive Player of the Year thought that he had been passed by once again.

Gradishar received a call from Broncos CEO Greg Penner asking to stop by the team facility and discuss the legacy of the “Orange Crush,” as the Walton-Penner Group, who officially purchased the Broncos in August of 2022, were trying to learn about more of the team’s history.

Upon arriving, Gradishar and Penner had a brief discussion, featuring an apology or two from the Broncos’ CEO, leading Gradishar to believe that he was about to receive the disappointing news. As they walked into a different room of the Broncos’ facility, Gradishar was mobbed by camera flashes and the press, which is when Gradishar knew what had happened.

“All of a sudden, there’s like 25-30 media people with microphones, cameras flashing going on, and then I realized, well, this is it. I’m going in there,” Gradishar said. “They say that they surprised me, but I say they tricked me. I even told the owners last night at a party here at the Super Bowl, ‘You guys really tricked me.’ That was a lot of fun. And they did a great job with that. I’ve been waiting a couple of years to take it in and thinking that I would be able to get in. Finally, two Fridays ago, that happened. I had the opportunity to talk to the media people then I turned to my right and all of a sudden I see (former Broncos linebacker) Tom Jackson and (former Broncos defensive back) Billy Thompson. These guys were guys that I played with, so the Broncos lined these guys up to come in and help celebrate because they were part of the Orange Crush.

“That was a very, very exciting day. And now even actually being getting ready for the Super Bowl, it’s just been great. Great opportunity to celebrate being honored as one of a little over 300 guys, out of over 1000s out of the history of NFL players. I think I’m No. 373 going in, so it’s just a great honor and also a real blessing for me to actually now know that I’ll be headed to Canton in August.”

The drafting of Gradishar helped usher in an era of football that Broncos fans hadn’t seen in the 14 years before his arrival. Following his selection, Gradishar and the Orange Crush defense made waves throughout the NFL during the late 70s, with three straight playoff appearances — the first playoff appearances in franchise history — in 1977, 1978, and 1979, and the team’s first AFC Championship in 1977.

In his time with the Broncos, Gradishar is estimated to have 2,049 career tackles, averaging more than 200 tackles per season during his 10-year career. From 1974 to 1983, each year of his career, Gradishar led the Broncos in tackles.

The former Golden Flash was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro, and was the 1978 Defensive Player of the Year.

Despite not playing football until ninth grade — the inaugural year of Champion’s program — Gradishar quickly garnered interest from colleges. One man took a particular interest in the linebacker, namely Ohio State coach Woody Hayes.

Even though looking back, Gradishar thinks Hayes was more interested in recruiting his father than him.

“I went up (to the high school) and spent about an hour and 15 minutes or so with Woody Hayes, and his last question for me was, ‘What does your dad do?’ And I said he owns a grocery store, not two miles down the street. And Woody, he was always an energetic kind of guy, so he says ‘Well, let’s go see him.’ So we drove down to my dad’s store. We walked back by the meat, because that’s what my dad was working, and we had to wait a few minutes because he was serving the customers. He had sliced a pound of bologna, and when he finished slicing for the customer, all of a sudden, he’s talking to my dad.

“I’m just standing there and it was a little over an hour I think, and then he took off. Then I turned to my dad and said ‘Dad, he didn’t even mention my name.’ They were both in World War II, so that’s all they talked about was World War II. They were both in the Philippines. I thought that was interesting that he never even mentioned my name and then some time later, after that, after his visit, I realized that he was recruiting parents, recruiting my father to get me to go to college and go to Ohio State.”

After four years in Columbus, Gradishar was selected 14th overall in the 1974 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

Upon hearing the news, Gradishar admitted he had to look on a map to see where Colorado was. Now, Colorado is where he built a legacy, where he calls home, and where Gradishar also serves as the Broncos’ uniform inspector for home games, which he’s done since the 2014 season.

Soon however, Gradishar will return to Northeast Ohio where it all started.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in August in Canton. Providing his introduction at the ceremony is Jackson, a Cleveland native and fellow Orange Crush member.

byauger@tribtoday.com