Fangio paid his dues before landing his first head coaching job at age 60. In addition to his four years as the Bears' defensive coordinator, he racked up 15 seasons in the same position with the 49ers, Texans, Colts, and Panthers. He was also in charge of Stanford's defense in 2010. 

Fangio has a mind-blowing lack of head coaching interviews on his resume. Before being hired by Denver, Fangio was sought out for a top job just three times. The first, with the Chargers, was in 1997 - meaning he waited 22 years between his first interview and finally becoming a head coach.

As the leader of the 49ers defense that powered San Francisco to three straight NFC title games, Fangio earned an all-time great nickname. It even stuck in Chicago, with Khalil Mack saying Fangio has an "Italian mafia kind of swag."

The Bears' defense had an insatiable hunger for the football. It's a desire stoked by Fangio, whose scheme is predicated on pressuring offenses into mistakes. He's had the NFL's top-ranked takeaway defense twice since 2011 and also owns finishes of fourth, sixth, and 13th over that time.

While the rest of the league zigs by trying to unearth the next Sean McVay, the Broncos opted to zag with a defensive-minded coach. Of the six filled vacancies around the league - Bruce Arians, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt LaFleur, Freddie Kitchens, and Adam Gase - Fangio is the only hiring who doesn't have an offensive background.