Skip to content

Von Miller writes tribute to retired Gary Kubiak

Lucy Nicholson / Action Images

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller wrote a heartfelt letter to his former head coach Gary Kubiak for The MMQB on Tuesday.

Kubiak stepped down as the team's head coach following the conclusion of the regular season due to concerns over his health. In two seasons with the Broncos, Kubiak posted a 21-11 cumulative record, steering the team to victory in Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers.

Miller, the MVP of Super Bowl 50 and a leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate, penned a submission honoring Kubiak.

Coach Kubiak retired on Monday after 23 seasons as a coach and nine as a player in the NFL. He was either a player or coach on all three Broncos teams that won the Super Bowl, most recently a year ago, when he led us to victory over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

He was a leader who was believable, a man of high character who always had a plan. He used to assign me what I call side missions - after team meetings he’d pull me aside and tell me what he needed from me that day, whether it was raising the intensity level at practice or heightening the focus on the details. I was excited and proud to be called on.

The superstar linebacker also praised Kubiak for making him feel accountable:

He treated me like a trusted member of the staff, not a commodity to be monitored and steered into production. Knowing very little about me, he gave me enough rope to hang myself with, while at the same time keeping my goals and aspirations out in front of me. I’ve always been the class clown in school and in locker rooms, but the freedom Kubiak offered made me start thinking about legacies and Hall of Fame speeches. I started doing the little things, like staying at home and resting my body during training camp. He helped me see the light.

At the team level, he did the impossible right out of the gate, winning a Super Bowl in his first season back in Denver. He did that by navigating the thin line between keeping players rested and healthy for January and being competitive on Sundays in the fall. When Kub got here we had the team; he just wanted us to be that team in the playoffs. In that first camp, veteran players would practice one day and have the next day off—a first for almost all of us. I was used to going out there every day, pushing through it, getting to the wall, and pushing through that wall. But coach wanted to keep that wall away, and it worked.

The Broncos are actively looking for Kubiak's replacement but Miller and company will likely take some more time to reflect upon their former coach's impact on the club.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox