Joe Rizzo (American football)

Joe Rizzo
No. 59
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1950-12-17) December 17, 1950 (age 73)
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Glen Cove
(Glen Cove, New York)
College:Kings Point
NFL draft:1973 / round: 15 / pick: 369
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • Denver Broncos Super Team 20
  • ECAC All-America
  • USMMA Hall of Fame
NFL record
  • 3 interceptions in a game by a linebacker (tie)
Career NFL statistics
Games played:81
Interceptions:9
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Joe Rizzo (born December 17, 1950) is a former linebacker of the Denver Broncos. He played for the Broncos from 1974 to 1980 and was a starter in Super Bowl XII and member of the Orange Crush Defense.[1] He had 9 career interceptions. He was part of one of the most dominant linebacking corps in NFL history. Known as the Orange Crush, it consisted of, Joe Rizzo, Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson and Bob Swenson. The corp was named the 9th best linebacking corps in NFL history by nfl.com. Joe was also voted by Bronco fans as one of the top 10 linebackers in the 50-year history (1959–2009) of the Denver Broncos.

A commercial real estate broker since 1984, Joe owns a commercial real estate firm and resides in Wilmington, NC.

  1. ^ Armstrong, Jim. "Price of playing the game", The Denver Post, 1 September 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2020.