Broncos mourn passing of former general manager, two-time Super Bowl champion John Beake, 87
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Beake, the former general manager who helped guide the Broncos to two Super Bowl championships and five Super Bowl appearances, died. He was 87, the Broncos announced in a statement. The team said Beake made an enduring impact on the organization during more than two decades and offered its deepest condolences to his wife, Marcia, his sons, Chip and Chris, and the Beake family.
Beake served as the Broncos’ general manager for 14 years after beginning a 22-year tenure with the organization in 1979. During his time in the front office, he helped oversee the teams that won Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII, guided the franchise through three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s and helped construct squads that captured seven division titles and made 12 playoff appearances. The NFL credited him as the first upper-level administrator to earn Super Bowl titles as both an administrator and a coach.
Before becoming general manager, Beake held several personnel roles with the Broncos, including director of pro personnel and director of player personnel. He helped acquire quarterback John Elway in 1983, a move that reshaped the franchise’s future. After he left the GM post in 2000, Beake became the Broncos’ vice president of administration before joining the NFL’s league office.
In the league office, Beake served as vice president of player development and as managing director of NFL Europe’s football operations, and he advanced to vice president of football development and operations in 2002. He remained active with the Broncos after retirement as a longtime member of the club’s Ring of Fame committee and helped select players for the franchise’s highest honor. The Broncos said Beake worked in the NFL for more than 30 years and spent more than four decades in football roles.
Beake’s coaching career included stops with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1968-74 and the New Orleans Saints from 1976-77, where he worked as an offensive assistant to Hank Stram. He earned a Super Bowl IV title with Kansas City during that span. He also served as Colorado State’s offensive coordinator for a season, worked as an assistant football coach and head basketball coach at the New York Military Academy and led Nyack High School to three league championships as head coach.
A New Jersey native, Beake graduated from Long Branch High School in 1957 and lettered in football, baseball and track. He lettered four times in football at Trenton State College before earning a master’s degree from Penn State University. Trenton State inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982.
Beake is survived by his wife, Marcia; his sons, Chip and Chris; and his grandchildren, Colin, Giselle, Jack, Emilie, Madeline, Vivienne and Pau. His daughter, Jerilyn, preceded him in death. The Broncos offered their deepest condolences to the Beake family in the team statement.
NFL Sports Blog Take
John Beake built a rare résumé that combined on-field coaching experience with sustained front-office leadership, and that blend helped define a successful era in Broncos history. His role in acquiring John Elway and his stewardship through two Super Bowl titles highlight a tangible legacy in roster construction and organizational continuity. Beake’s later work in the NFL office and on the Broncos’ Ring of Fame committee extended his influence across the league and within the franchise. His passing marks the loss of a central figure in building one of the most successful stretches in Broncos history.