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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. —** Broncos alumni and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater and John Lynch will join the Broncos' and Patriots' team captains as honorary captains for the coin toss of Sunday's AFC Championship Game.
It's a stage befitting the trio, who each won in this round en route to at least one Super Bowl for each player.
Atwater played in four conference-title games, winning three; Lynch played in three, winning one; and Davis won both AFC Championship Games in which in he played.
The three are part of a group of 15 players being considered for the Hall of Fame's 2016 class, which will be decided on Feb. 6 during "NFL Honors," an awards special on the eve of the Super Bowl.
SAFETY STEVE ATWATER (first-time Hall of Fame finalist: Class of 2016)
Atwater played the first 10 seasons of his 11-year career with the Broncos after being selected by the club in the first round (20th overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft from the University of Arkansas.
Atwater was voted to a franchise record-tying seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 1990-96, and his eight career Pro Bowl selections are the second most by a player in Broncos history. A member of the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team as chosen by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, Atwater was named an All-Pro selection three times (first-team – 1991-92; second-team 1996) by the Associated Press.
In 167 career regular-season games (166 starts), Atwater totaled 1,356 tackles (854 solo), 24 interceptions (408 yds.) and five sacks (34 yds.). He also started 11 postseason games for the Broncos—the second most in team history—and contributed 37 tackles (26 solo), one interception and one sack.
He played in three Super Bowls and four conference championship games in his career while helping the Broncos win the third-most total games (109) in the NFL during his 10 seasons with the franchise.
RUNNING BACK TERRELL DAVIS (second-time Hall of Fame finalist: Classes of 2015-16)
The Denver Broncos' all-time leading rusher, Davis spent his entire eight-year career with Denver after being selected by the club in the sixth round (196th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft from the University of Georgia.
He rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons, including the 1998 campaign in which he totaled the fourth-most rushing yards (2,008) in a season in NFL history and a team-record 21 rushing scoring to earn league MVP honors.
The three-time Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection (1996-98) finished his career with a franchise-record 7,607 rushing yards and 60 rushing touchdowns on 1,655 carries (4.6 avg.) in 78 regular-season games (77 starts) as a key member of the Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams (1997-98).
SAFETY JOHN LYNCH (third-time Hall of Fame finalist: Classes of 2014-16)
Lynch, a nine-time Pro Bowler and a four-time Associated Press All-Pro selection, played 15 NFL seasons, including his final four years (2004-07) with the Broncos.
In 224 career regular-season games (191 starts), he totaled 1,227 tackles (789 solo), 13 sacks (109 yds.), 26 interceptions (204 yds.), 100 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries. He added 71 tackles (41 solo), two interceptions (7 yds.) and 11 passes defensed in 12 career postseasons starts.
He spent the first 11 years of his NFL career with Tampa Bay before joining the Broncos as a free agent in 2004, and was named to the Pro Bowl following each of his four seasons in Denver. Lynch saw action in 60 regular-season games (59 starts) for the Broncos and totaled 304 tackles (215 solo), seven sacks (69 yds.), three interceptions (4 yds.), 26 passes defensed, nine forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
He was the recipient of both the Bart Starr Award and the Byron "Whizzer" White Award in 2006 recognizing his off-the-field efforts in the community, including his work through the John Lynch Foundation.
