Family Memories with Red Miller

It's the best place to chill out on a hot summer afternoon; Broncos Super Bowl Coach Red Miller's memory-filled basement.

From the floor lamp, made by a fan out of old Orange Crush cans during his Broncos run to the Super Bowl in '77- '78, to a publicity photo taken of Red himself with a live, jungle cat during his brief stop with the Denver Gold, everything is neatly, and proudly, on display.


"There's about forty years of football here", he declares. Then, pointing to a photo, he laughs. "That's the first team I coached. Astoria High. 1951. I taught three biology courses. Three phys ed classes. I coached football, basketball, and track. And, I coached my Golden Gloves team. I made $2700 and I was proud to have it. You can see how much I love the game!"

It's also easy to see how much Miller loves his family.

He brags on his five grandchildren. Then, is asked about the oldest, Taylor Ritzel. She's an NCAA championship rower at Yale. And, he's quick to pick up the magazines touting her success. Ritzel was recently named to the national team, and if she stays on course, she'll be the first Olympian in the family.

Ritzel was the one who nicknamed him "Dad-Dad" when she couldn't pronounce grandpa. And, looking at family photos, you can feel the connection between the two.

"In this one I'm telling her a story, but, she's not listening. I guess some things never change! In this one, she didn't like wearing this costume. She was going to quit. But, I wouldn't let her."

That "never-give-up-mentality" seems to be Dad-Dad Red's legacy.

"That's what he always taught me, to give it everything", Ritzel explains. And, when you tell her that you think she has her grandfather's smile. She laughs and says, "I hope so."

Then, when you tell Dad-Dad the same thing, his reaction is an exact match to hers, "I hope so", he says. "No one ever told us that before."