Mike Shanahan was sacked Tuesday as coach of the Denver Broncos, a team he guided to two Super Bowl titles and built into a perennial contender in the National Football League.

The move came two days after Denver completed a late-season collapse that saw them lose their final three games to hand the AFC West division title to the San Diego Chargers.

Denver had a three-game lead over San Diego in the AFC West with three games to play.

The two teams met in their final game of the regular season on Sunday, when San Diego triumphed 52-21.

"After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interest of the Denver Broncos," owner Pat Bowlen said. "This is certainly a difficult decision, but one that I feel must be made and which will ultimately be in the best interest of all concerned."