Neal Dahlen, the former Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers general manager who was a member of seven Super Bowl winning teams, has died, the Broncos announced Wednesday. Dahlen was 85 years old.
Dahlen, who went 7-0 in Super Bowls, is tied with Tom Brady for the second most Super Bowl wins in NFL history, trailing only Bill Belichick’s eight.
Dahlen’s stellar resume included being a part of Denver’s Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII victories following his role as a member of the San Francisco Empire with Super Bowl victories in 1981, ’84, ’88, ’89 and 1994. He also served as the Broncos’ general manager from 1999-2001.
In 1979, Dahlen began working for the Niners as a coach for a team that went just 2-14. Two years later, Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and the 49ers won the first Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XVI.
Dahlen was with the 49ers from 1979 to 1996.
He became the Broncos’ head quarterback before Denver won its first two Super Bowls led by John Elway, Terrell Davis and Mike Shanahan in the 1997 and ’98 campaigns. After that, Dahlen became the Broncos’ general manager from 1999-2001, with the rebuilding franchise going 25-23 during his tenure.