Derek wolfe family

From the very beginning of his career until the end with the Denver Broncos, defensive end Derek Wolfe made opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks fear him. He was a beast up front and brought a physical presence to the team, was a key member of the greatest defense in NFL history, and put his name in the Super Bowl history book.

And while Wolfe was never named for any annual defensive awards, Pro Bowls, or All-Pros, his career didn’t need any of those titles to prove how vital he was to the team.

The Broncos would make Derek Wolfe a member of the Broncos in the 2012 NFL Draft when they selected him in the second round. He would be selected alongside five other players that would end up being teammates in Super Bowl 50. Wolfe played all four years of collegiate football with Cincinnati, and capped off his senior year being named Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named as a first-teamer on the All-Big East team and an All-Pro second-teamer.

Derek Wolfe would actually be a but of a steal for the Broncos amid projections that put him in the first round.

•

Denver Broncos | News

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Derek Wolfe arrived in Denver in the spring of 2012, he was a kid with something to prove.

"When you come from nothing, it makes you fight," he said at his introductory press conference in 2012. "It puts a chip on your shoulder."

He was fresh out of the University of Cincinnati and looking for a home. For a young man whose upbringing wasn't easy, Denver represented a chance to put down roots. To form relationships with teammates. To form a family.

He leaves Denver eight years later as a man after reportedly signing with the Ravens — and those bonds are as strong as they can be.

In nearly a decade in the Mile High City, Wolfe won more than 60 games and a Super Bowl.

He solidified lifelong bonds with teammates.

He endeared himself to the community.

He got married and had a child.

In professional sports, we rarely have the opportunity to watch a player grow.

Contracts are too short. The competition is too stiff. The injuries are too serious.

But over the eight years since Denver selected him in the second

•

Denver Broncos | News

"I never asked them to do that, and I really appreciate it," Wolfe says of the fans' response. "… I don't know, it gives me energy. It would always give me energy going out there. …

"It didn't matter if I made a tackle 20 yards downfield, they didn't care. They'd start howling for me any time my name was called. When I talk about the love that showed me and continue to show me, it's just unbelievable."

After a neck injury in 2013 cast doubt on his future in the game, Wolfe recovered, played all 16 games the following season and then was part of one of the most dominant defenses in franchise and league history in 2015. Equally punishing vs. the run and pass, Denver's defense that season was stingy, ruthless and opportunistic with takeaways, and it made plays when the team needed it most.

"That season will go down as my favorite season," Wolfe says. "I know we won a Super Bowl, but even if we hadn't won a Super Bowl, that group of guys, the tightness that we had and the kind of fun that we were having, that was special, man. That was something specia