When you look back at Dan Reeves’ legendary career, two words immediately come to mind – winning and leadership.

Reeves attended the University of South Carolina, and began his NFL career as a running back with the Dallas Cowboys. After playing eight years for the Cowboys, Reeves was hired as an assistant coach for the team under his mentor, Tom Landry. This job proved to be an invaluable learning experience for Reeves; while serving as assistant coach he helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl appearances, including a win in Super Bowl XII.

In 1981 – at the young age of 37 – Reeves got the opportunity he was waiting for when he was named head coach and vice president of the Denver Broncos. While at Denver, Reeves made one of the wisest decisions in sports history when he acquired Hall of Fame quarterback and East-West Shrine Game alumni John Elway. With Elway’s offensive skill set and Reeves’s playmaking mastery, it was a perfect football marriage. During his 12-year tenure with the Broncos, Reeves guided his team to five divisional titles, three AFC championships, and three Super Bowl appearances.

Reeves moved on to coach the New York Giants from 1993-1996. The new position was not going to be an easy task, given that he was taking over a team that went 6-10 during the 1992 season. However, the players instantly bought into Reeves’ philosophy and improved their record to 11-5. After the 1993 season, the NFL awarded Reeves coach of the year honors.

In 1997, Reeves returned to his home state of Georgia to coach the Atlanta Falcons. Ironically, it was the same job he had interviewed for 20 years previously, but this time it was meant to be. In Reeves’s second year with the Falcons, he guided them to their best record in franchise history at 14-2. Reeves missed the final two regular season games after undergoing heart surgery, but he returned to the sidelines just three weeks later to lead the Falcons to their first ever Super Bowl. Reeves would go on to earn all the NFL’s top coaching awards that year.

During his 22 years as an NFL head coach Reeves won 201 games, which ranks him seventh all-time amongst all coaches. Most recently, Reeves played an active role in starting Georgia State University’s football program. Currently, Reeves travels the country sharing his leadership experience and inspiring people to achieve success in all facets of life. In addition, he works as an NFL analyst for the Westwood One radio network.

Reeves and his high school sweetheart Pam have been married for 46 years and have three children.

In Wade Phillips’ 34 years of coaching, the one consistent aspect is his ability to immediately improve teams.

Phillips had the benefit of learning the craft of coaching from his father, Bum Phillips, who was a long-time college and NFL coach. Phillips coached with his had dad for over 12 years, including stints with the Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints. In 1985, Bum retired from coaching and Phillips filled in as the interim coach for the remaining four games of the Saints’ season.

From 1986-1988, Phillips worked as the defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his time with the Eagles, Phillips was responsible with mentoring Hall of Famer defensive end Reggie White.

In 1989, Dan Reeves hired Phillips to be the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. Four years later, Phillips was named the head coach of the Broncos. In his first year as head coach Phillips led the Broncos to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

Phillips became the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 1995. During his three years as the Bills’ coordinator, Phillips developed a reputation around the NFL for creating one of the most complex defense-oriented schemes. In 1998, after Marv Levy was let go, the Bills handed the head coach position to Phillips.

The decision proved to be a wise choice, as Phillips led the most successful campaign of a first-year head coach in Bills history, taking a 6-10 team to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth. During the 1999 season, the Bills led the NFL in total defense and won 11 games. The Bills compiled an impressive 29-19 record during Phillips’ three years as a head coach in Buffalo.

In 2002, Phillips reunited with his long-time friend Dan Reeves and became defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. The defense finished with 47 sacks, the second-most in the franchise’s history. Later in the season, Phillips was named the interim head coach and won two out of the three last games.

From 2004 to 2006, Phillips served as defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. Under the direction of Phillips, the Chargers improved their defense every year and became one of toughest defenses to run against. Given Phillips’ success as a defensive coordinator, it was only due time before he got another shot at a head coaching opportunity.

That opportunity came in 2007 when Wade Phillips was announced as the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Phillips became the only Cowboys head coach in franchise history with previous coaching experience on the high school, collegiate and professional levels in the Lone Star State.

In his first year, Phillips refused to let the pressure of coaching Dallas faze him and led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and an NFC East championship. In 2009, the Cowboys had a record of 11-5 and Phillips won his first playoff game as an NFL head coach.

Phillips is looking forward to being part of the East-West Shrine Game® in support of Shriners Hospital for Children® and coaching against his long-time friend Dan Reeves