clarinews@clarinet.com (MIKE RABUN, UPI Sports Writer) (01/19/90)
DENVER (UPI) -- When it comes to the Super Bowl, Dan Reeves is the only .300 hitter in the history of the NFL. ``I've wondered in the past why the good Lord has been so good to me,'' said the coach of the Denver Broncos. ``I've played against so many great players who have never had the chance. And all of a sudden I look up and this will be my eighth Super Bowl. That's unbelievable.'' Reeves played in two Super Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys, was a member of the Cowboys coaching staff for three more and will be making his third trip as the Broncos head coach when Denver meets the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 28. That's 8 out of 24 for a .333 appearance average. Miami Coach Don Shula has been to the Super Bowl six times (once with the Baltimore Colts) and this will be the sixth for Denver assistant coach Charlie Waters (the first five coming with the Cowboys). And does it ever get to be routine? ``Heavens, no,'' Reeves said. ``This is what you work all year for. I feel honored to be there that many times and hopefully this won't be the last time. ``It is just as exciting every time you come. I remember the first one I was ever in. We played Baltimore in the Orange Bowl and I was out there getting ready for the game and looked over on the other side of the field and saw a guy who I had idolized all my life. ``Here we were playing for the world championship against Johnny Unitas. I had to start pinching myself to see if it was real. ``And the young players we have today, no question about it, will feel the same way. They will be playing against people they have looked up to like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. ``We do have a lot of young players and these last two playoff games have really helped them get a feeling for what it is all about. But no matter how much you try to tell them how great it is and about all the hoopla and all that, they will still be in awe when it happens. You can't explain to a player who has never been there what it is like. ``The ring you can win will be with you forever. If you're married, the money will be gone in a hurry. It may be gone before you get it.'' Reeves' most enjoyable Super Bowl moments are easy to figure. ``The two world championships have been the most meaningful,'' Reeves said. ``There is no question about it. But I can't wear those rings here in Denver. There is no love lost for Dallas here. I learned that the first week I came here (eight years ago). ``But I remember the Denver-Dallas game (Super Bowl XII) very well. I was in the press box as the offensive coordinator and I will never forget how fired up Denver was for that game. They came out on the field all excited and the fans were into it. I thought there was no way we had a chance because of how fired up they were. But our defense played great that day.'' Reeves has been on the losing side in five Super Bowls and two of them haunt him more than the others. ``The Washington Super Bowl (a 42-10 loss two years ago) was the most frustrating, without question,'' Reeves said. ``Of course, that may be because it was the last one. ``I remember our first one in Dallas against Baltimore was a pretty bad feeling, too, because the ball that went through my hands was intercepted to set up the winning field goal. I couldn't sleep for a bunch of nights after that one. ``Of course, the pass was really, really high. Craig Morton (who threw the pass) always says that the pass was about head high. But it was way up there. And the longer time goes by, the higher it gets.''