Neal Dahlen, a former executive for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers who was a member of seven Super Bowl-winning teams, has died, the Broncos announced Wednesday. Dahlen was 85.
Dahlen, who was 7-0 in Super Bowls, is tied with Tom Brady for the second-most Super Bowl wins in NFL chronicle, trailing only Bill Belichick’s eight.
Dahlen’s stellar resume included being part of Denver’s back-to-back Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII triumphs following his role as a member of San Francisco’s dynastic run with Super Bowl victories in the 1981, ’84, ’88, ’89 and 1994 seasons. He also served as the Broncos general manager from 1999-2001.
In 1979, Dahlen began working for the Niners as a coaching administrator for a team that went just 2-14. Two years later, Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and the 49ers won the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XVI.
Dahlen was with the 49ers from 1979 through 1996.
He moved on to become the Broncos director of player personnel ahead of Denver winning its first two Super Bowls with John Elway, Terrell Davis and Mike Shanahan at the forefront in the 1997 and ’98 campaigns. Thereafter, Dahlen became the Broncos general manager from 1999-2001, with the rebuilding franchise going 25-23 during his tenure.