Former Broncos defensive end Brison Manor has died, the team announced Wednesday. He was 70.
Manor helped the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1977. He appeared in 13 games in the regular season and all three postseason games as Denver advanced to Super Bowl XII before losing to the Cowboys.
He had four sacks in the regular season and recovered a fumble in the AFC Championship Game win over the Raiders.
Manor was with the Broncos from 1976-84 before a trade to Tampa during the ’84 season, finishing his career appearing in six games with the Bucs that season.
He appeared in 113 games in his career, starting 36, and totaled 23 sacks.
Manor’s most productive season came in 1979 when he started all 16 games for the Broncos and totaled 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. A year later, he started another 15 games, posting a fumble recovery and two sacks.
During his tenure with the Broncos, Manor appeared in five postseason games in three playoff trips.
Manor began his college career at Pratt Community College in Kansas, where he earned junior college All-America honors before accepting a scholarship to play at the University of Arkansas. In Fayetteville, Manor worked with then-Arkansas defensive line coach and future Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson.
Manor posted 173 total tackles across his junior and senior seasons.
The Jets made Manor a 15th-round pick in 1975, but he did not make their team. He signed with the Broncos a year later, but missed the season with an injury.
Manor was inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor in 2011 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
