John Beake

John Beake
Beake, c. 1974
Personal information
Born(1938-12-20)December 20, 1938
Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 2026(2026-10-17) (aged 87)
Career information
CollegeTrenton State College
Pennsylvania State University
Career history
Coaching
Operations
  • Denver Broncos (1979–1980)
    Director of pro personnel
  • Denver Broncos (1981–1983)
    Director of player personnel
  • Denver Broncos (1984)
    Assistant general manager
  • Denver Broncos (1985–1998)
    General manager
  • Denver Broncos (1999–2000)
    Vice president of administration
  • NFL Europe (2001–2003)
    Managing director of football operations
Awards and highlights
Executive profile at Pro Football Reference

John E. Beake (December 20, 1938 – October 17, 2026) was an American professional football executive who served as general manager of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 1998.

Early life and education

Beake was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, on December 20, 1938. He graduated from Long Branch High School in 1957 and Trenton State College in 1961. He then earned a master's degree from Penn State, where he served as a graduate assistant under Rip Engle.

Coaching

Beake was the head basketball and assistant football coach at New York Military Academy from 1963 to 1964. He then spent four seasons as the head football coach at Nyack High School, where he compiled a 24–4–4 record and won three league champions. In 1968 he was hired as an assistant coach by the Kansas City Chiefs. In his seven seasons in Kansas City, the Chiefs won three division titles, one conference championship, and Super Bowl IV. After one season as the offensive coordinator at Colorado State, Beake rejoined his Chiefs' former boss, Hank Stram, as the offensive backfield coach for the New Orleans Saints.

Executive

In 1979, Beake joined the Denver Broncos as director of pro personnel. He was promoted to director of player personnel in 1981 and then assistant general manager in 1984. Shortly thereafter, the Broncos were sold and general manager Hein Poulus resigned. After going without a general manager for the 1984 season, the Broncos promoted Beake on February 18, 1985. Sitting third in the team's power structure behind the owner and head coach, Beake ran the administrative side of the Broncos, focusing on contract negotiations. During Beake's tenure as GM, the Broncos appeared in five Super Bowls, winning two of them (XXXII and XXXIII). On March 3, 1999, Beake was reassigned to the position of vice president of administration and Neal Dahlen succeeded him as general manager. He left the Broncos organization the following year to become the National Football League's vice president of player development and managing director of football operations for NFL Europe. In 2002 he was promoted to vice president of football development and operations. The NFL announced Beake's retirement on March 9, 2004.

Death

Beake died on October 17, 2026, at the age of 87.

References

  1. ↑ "John Beake". Pro Football Archives. Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Bronco GM takes Jersey in stride". Asbury Park Press. January 14, 1999.
  3. 1 2 3 '76 New Orleans Saints (PDF). p. 12. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Pro Football Transactions". The New York Times. August 21, 1968.
  5. 1 2 Schefter, Adam (November 1, 2000). "Beake ends tenure in Denver". Denver Post. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. February 1, 1981.
  7. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. March 14, 1984.
  8. 1 2 "Managing without". Chicago Tribune. July 11, 1984 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. February 19, 1985.
  10. ↑ Sanchez, Joseph (July 16, 1989). "Dan Reeves: A coach with clout. He controls his own destiny in Bronco power structure". Denver Post.
  11. ↑ "How the Denver Broncos are Organized". USA Today. January 29, 1988.
  12. ↑ "John Beake". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. March 4, 1999.
  14. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. January 11, 2002.
  15. ↑ "Transactions". Desert News. March 10, 2004.
  16. ↑ "Broncos mourn passing of former GM and two-time Super Bowl champion John Beake". www.denverbroncos.com. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  17. ↑ Henderson, Devon; Kosmider, Nick (October 17, 2026). "John Beake, Broncos GM and architect of John Elway-led championship teams, dies at 87". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 18, 2026.