Dennis Smith Will Be Steve Atwater's Presenter At Hall Of Fame Enshrinement

(CBS4) - Former Broncos safety Steve Atwater revealed who will present him when he's enshrined in the Hall of Fame in August. He revealed the news at a press conference at team headquarters on Thursday.

"I texted him last night, and he agreed. My good friend and mentor Dennis Smith is going to represent me," Atwater said.

Smith was also a safety for the Broncos and made the Pro Bowl six times stretching over 14 seasons (1982-1994) in Denver. Smith and Atwater played together for six seasons in Denver.

"When I came in the league, he took a lot of time getting me up to speed and sharing things with me as a player that I never would have known -- how to go about the game, the right mindset to have," Atwater said on Thursday. "I just learned so much from him and it's a small way for me to say thank you for how much time he spent getting me up to speed and inspiring me. Just watching him play, it was inspiring."

Atwater's bronze bust will be unveiled at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 8, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Atwater has been working for the team as Manager of Fan Development and said Thursday he will continue in that role. He says his return to Colorado after retirement from football and his job working with the Denver Broncos definitely helped him get in.

"But to get that knock? I was totally surprised," Atwater said on Thursday.

Atwater said the Denver Broncos organization deserves to have several more players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He mentioned Randy Gradishar, Karl Mecklenberg, Dennis Smith, John Lynch and Rod Smith.

"This franchise has been overlooked for many years and fortunately we've gotten some players in over the past several years but we've got to keep it going because we still are very much under-represented at the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the history that we've had here at the organization, with the winning ways that we've had," he said. "How could they not have one person (from the "Orange Crush" defense) in the hall? To this day I still don't understand that."