[Editor’s note: This article has been updated with statistics from the 2020 NFL season for active players.]
What if Phillip Lindsay, Christian McCaffrey and Calais Campbell could combine forces and represent Denver on a territorial all-star team for the ages?
Welcome to Homegrown Legends, a series of mythical all-star rosters composed of the best players in pro football history from each current NFL market. This is a new twist on the age-old debates about which states and cities produce the best football talent.
We have envisioned the NFL’s greatest superstars representing their hometowns, states and regions with lineups that transcend the history of football. Below, the best professional players from Denver and the state of Colorado are represented through the prism of an all-time Broncos dream team.
To explain the background of our Homegrown Legends, we discuss their high school and college roots in the article below. However, the selections were based strictly on NFL performance. In most cases, hometown eligibility was determined by where an athlete played the majority of his high school career. Each team’s territorial draft area is slightly different, and we explain our selection methodology in detail in this article.
So suspend your disbelief and imagine these superstars teaming up to rep the Mile High City on the field.
More teams:
Dal / NYG / Phi / Was // Chi / Det / GB / Min // Atl / Car / NO / TB // Ari / LAR / SF / Sea //// Buf / Mia / NE / NYJ // Bal / Cin / Cle / Pit // Hou / Ind / Jax / Ten // Den / KC / LV / LAC
- Doug Farrar: Ranking the 32 Homegrown Legends rosters
QB Dutch Clark
Clark played seven seasons for the Portsmouth Spartans-Detroit Lions franchise in the 1930s, including two seasons in which he also served as head coach and general manager. A six-time first-team All-Pro, he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns three times and won an NFL championship in 1935. Clark, who attended Central High in Pueblo and Colorado College, was named to the 1930s NFL All-Decade Team, the league’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
WR Vincent Jackson
At 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, Jackson provided a stern physical challenge for opposing defensive backs over the course of his 12-season career. An alum of Widefield High School in Colorado Springs and the University of Northern Colorado, the three-time Pro Bowler caught 540 passes for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns during his time with the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
FLEX Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey is a gifted running back, but given the composition of our roster, we’re also asking him to follow in the footsteps of his father and line up as a wideout. It probably won’t be a difficult adjustment for the former Valor Christian High star — he has caught 303 passes for 2,523 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons.
The son of former Broncos receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey, Christian recorded 5,443 yards from scrimmage and scored 39 touchdowns in his first three pro seasons. He was limited to three games last season due to injuries, registering 374 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.
FLEX Austin Ekeler
Similar to McCaffrey, Ekeler is a dynamic running back who also can line up as a receiver. Through four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Eaton High and Western State alum has totaled more receiving yards (2,079) and receiving touchdowns (16) than rushing yards (1,901) and rushing touchdowns (nine). That adds up to 3,980 yards from scrimmage and 25 total touchdowns since 2017.
RB Phillip Lindsay
There’s no need for imagination to picture this Denver native in a Broncos uniform. Two years ago, Lindsay became the first undrafted offensive rookie in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl — rushing for 1,037 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. An alum of Denver South High and the University of Colorado, Lindsay followed up his rookie success with 1,011 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2019. Lindsay, who rushed for 502 yards and one touchdown for Denver in 2020, signed with the Houston Texans in March 2021.
TE Daniel Graham
A two-time Super Bowl champion (XXXVIII and XXXIX), Graham attended Jefferson High in Denver and won the John Mackey Award as the top college tight end in the nation at the University of Colorado. A first-round draft pick by New England in 2002, he won two Super Bowls in five seasons with the Patriots before coming home to play four seasons for the Broncos. He would record 224 receptions for 2,490 yards and 25 touchdowns during his 11 NFL seasons, which also included stops in Tennessee and New Orleans.
OT Tony Boselli
Boselli, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, is one of the pillars of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. A member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team, he grew up in Boulder and attended Fairview High. Boselli was selected in the 2002 expansion draft by the Texans but injuries led to his retirement before he could ever play for the new team. The USC alum has been named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in each of the past four years.
OT Nate Solder
Solder was born in Denver and played high school football at Buena Vista before going on to play college football for the University of Colorado. He spent the first seven years of his career with the New England Patriots and won two Super Bowls before joining the New York Giants 2018.
Solder opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but he signed a new contract with the Giants in March 2021.
G Chris Foote
Like Boselli, Foote (left, No. 66) attended Fairview High in Boulder and played college ball at USC. Foote played eight NFL seasons with the Baltimore Colts, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, earning most of his playing time on special teams. He also played two seasons in the rival USFL with the Los Angeles Express and Tampa Bay Bandits. Foote played in 104 regular-season NFL games and six postseason contests.
G Pat Matson
After attending Lakewood High School and the University of Oregon, Matson went on to have a 10-year pro career with the Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. He started 96 of the 132 games in which he appeared and served as the Bengals’ player representative during the 1974 NFL players strike.
C Dalton Risner
Risner currently plays left guard for the Broncos, but he spent time at center during his college career at Kansas State. The graduate of Wiggins High started all 16 games for Denver in 2019 and made the Pro Football Writers Association’s All-Rookie Team. He started all 16 games for the Broncos last season as well.
DL Aaron Smith
A one-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, Smith totaled 322 tackles and 44 sacks during his 13-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith, who attended Sierra High School in Colorado Springs and the University of Northern Colorado, ranks eighth on Pittsburgh’s all-time sack list. He played in 160 regular-season NFL games and 13 more postseason contests.
DL Calais Campbell
With six career Pro Bowl selections, Campbell is a clear choice to serve as team captain on our defense. He was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2019, and he also won the Bart Starr Award for character and leadership last season. The Denver South High alum has totaled 92 sacks and more than 700 tackles in his career and is a member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team. After spending his first 12 pro seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2008-16) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2017-19), Campbell recorded 28 tackles and four sacks in 12 games with the Baltimore Ravens last season.
DL Mike Gann
An alum of Lakewood High School, Gann went on to become a standout at Notre Dame who was then selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft. He would spend his entire nine-year career with the Atlanta Falcons, starting all 118 games in which he appeared. He recorded 23½ sacks, 11 fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns in his career.
DL Lamarr Houston
Houston spent time with the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans over eight NFL seasons, totaling 271 tackles and 30 sacks. The alum of Doherty High in Colorado Springs is a defensive end in this 4-3 defense but could also play as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 lineup. A second-round pick out of the University of Texas in 2010 by Oakland, he started 60 of a possible 64 games in four seasons with the Raiders. Houston played three full seasons with the Bears, battling knee injuries, and split his final NFL season between the Bears and Texans in 2017.
LB Sean Moran
Moran cut his teeth at Overland High in Aurora before attending Colorado State. He started his eight-year NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and later joined the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers. Moran played both as a defensive lineman and as a linebacker, recording 139 tackles, 10½ sacks and two interceptions in 120 games as a pro.
LB Greg Biekert
Biekert played nine years with the Raiders before joining the Minnesota Vikings for the final two seasons of his career. The Longmont High School and University of Colorado alum totaled 1,096 tackles, seven interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and 16 sacks in his career. He never missed a game in his pro career and started in all but five of them after his rookie season.
CB Brian Kelly
After attending Overland High in Aurora, Kelly spent most of his pro career with the Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl XXXVII in the 2002 season. He was an important part of Tampa Bay’s defense that year, tying for the NFL lead with eight interceptions. In 11 pro seasons, Kelly totaled 426 tackles, 22 interceptions and 100 pass breakups.
CB Gary Glick and Fred Glick
We’re going with a brotherly tandem to share the second cornerback spot. Gary Glick (above left) played in the pre-Super Bowl era and won an AFL championship with the San Diego Chargers in 1963. The graduate of Poudre High in Fort Collins spent time with four different teams from 1956-63, totaling 14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries as a pro.
Younger brother Fred Glick (right) also a Poudre High alum, earned three AFL All-Star nods and won an AFL championship with the Houston Oilers. He totaled 30 interceptions as a pro with the Oilers and the NFL’s Cardinals and later won a Grey Cup as coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League in 1984.
CB Alex Molden
After being awarded All-State Class 5A first-team honors at Sierra High School in Colorado Springs, Molden went on to earn second-team All-American recognition at the University of Oregon. He was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft and went on to spend eight years in the NFL with three teams, totaling 296 tackles, eight sacks and 12 interceptions.
S Dick Anderson
Anderson spent his entire 10-year career with the Miami Dolphins, winning two Super Bowls in the 1970s. The Boulder High alum was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. Anderson was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1973 after leading the league with eight interceptions. He totaled 34 interceptions and recovered 16 fumbles in his career.
S Jack Christiansen
After growing up in Cañon City, Christiansen attended Colorado A&M (now Colorado State) before going on to have an eight-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions. In the pre-Super Bowl era, Christiansen won three NFL titles (1952, 1953, 1957) while earning six All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl nods. He led the NFL in interceptions in two seasons (1953, 1957), totaling 46 interceptions in his career. Christiansen is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade Team and the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
K Daniel Carlson
Place-kicker Daniel Carlson attended The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs and went on to become the leading scorer in Southeastern Conference history at Auburn. As a pro, Carlson has converted 69 of 82 field-goal attempts (84.1%) with a long of 54 yards in his first three seasons. He was nearly flawless last season, connecting on 33 of 35 field-goal attempts (94.1%) and 45 of 47 extra points (95.7%) for the Las Vegas Raiders.
P Tom Rouen
Rouen, who attended Heritage High in Littleton, played nine-plus seasons of his 13-year NFL career with the Broncos after playing collegiately at both Colorado State and Colorado. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Rouen was named to the Broncos’ 50th Anniversary Team in 2009.
