The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger of 1970.
The team is one of the most successful teams in NFL history, having won two Super Bowls and six AFC Championships. They play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and have four players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway, Floyd Little, Gary Zimmerman, and Shannon Sharpe.
Rookie coach, Red Miller, along with the Orange Crush Defense (a nickname originating in the early '70's, also the brand of a popular orange-flavored soft drink) and aging quarterback Craig Morton, promptly took the Broncos to their first playoff appearance in 1977, and ultimately first Super Bowl, where they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, 27–10.[6]
In 1981 Broncos owner Gerald Phipps, who had purchased the team in May 1961 from the original owner Bob Howsam, sold the team to Canadian Financier, Edgar Kaiser, Jr., grandson of shipbuilding industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.[7][8]
In 1995, the Broncos debuted a new head coach, Mike Shanahan, and a new rookie running back, Terrell Davis. In 1996, the Broncos were the top seed in the AFC with a 13–3 record, dominating most of the teams that year. The fifth-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars, however, upset the Broncos, 30–27 in the divisional round of the playoffs, ending the Broncos' 1996 run. During the 1997 season, both Elway and Davis would help guide the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory, a 31–24 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Although Elway completed only 12 of 22 passing attempts, throwing one interception and no touchdowns (he did, however, have a rushing touchdown), Davis rushed for 157 yards and a Super Bowl–record three touchdowns to earn the Super Bowl MVP Award – this while overcoming a severe migraine headache that caused him blurred vision.[11] The Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions the following season, defeating the Atlanta Falcons (led by Elway's longtime head coach Dan Reeves) in Super Bowl XXXIII, 34–19. Elway was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards, with an 80-yard touchdown to wide receiver Rod Smith and one interception.
After losing the 2005 season opener, the Broncos won five straight games. Plummer and the Broncos clinched their first AFC West division title since 1998 on December 24, and finished with an 8–0 home record and a 13–3 overall record. The Broncos entered the playoffs for the third consecutive year with the momentum of a four-game winning streak. After a first round bye, the Broncos defeated the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 27–13, denying New England from becoming the first NFL team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships. The Broncos' playoff run came to an end next week, after losing at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, 34–17. Denver turned the ball over four times and were outscored in the first half, 24–3. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL.
The Broncos' defense began the first five games of the 2006 season allowing only one touchdown, an NFL record, but struggled down the season stretch. Plummer led the team to a 7–2 record, only to lose two straight and be replaced by rookie quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler went 2–3 as a starter, and the Broncos finished with a 9–7 record, losing the tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs for the final playoff spot. Cutler's first full season as a starter in 2007 became the Broncos' first losing season since 1999, with a 7–9 record.
The 2008 season ended in a 52–21 loss at the San Diego Chargers, giving the Broncos an 8–8 record and their third straight season out of the playoffs. Mike Shanahan, the longest-tenured and most successful head coach in Broncos' franchise history, was fired on December 30, 2008, after 14 seasons.[12]
Under McDaniels and Orton, the Broncos jumped out to a surprising 6–0 start in 2009. However, the team lost eight of their next ten games, finishing 8–8 for a second consecutive season and missing the playoffs. After the season, Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall was traded to the Miami Dolphins, and the Broncos set a new franchise record for losses in a single season, with a 4–12 record in 2010.[14] On December 6, 2010, McDaniels was fired following a combination of the team's poor record and the fallout from a highly-publicized videotaping scandal. Running backs coach Eric Studesville was named interim coach for the remaining four games of the 2010 season.[15] He chose to start rookie first-round draft choice Tim Tebow at quarterback for the final three games.
After the season, Joe Ellis was promoted from the Chief Operating Officer to team president, while John Elway was named the team's Executive Vice President of Football Operations on January 5, 2011. In this capacity, Elway will report to Ellis and will oversee the position held by the General Manager (Brian Xanders) and head coach positions. On January 13, 2011, the Broncos hired former Carolina Panthers' coach John Fox as the team's 14th head coach.[16][17]
After a 1–4 start to the 2011 season, it was announced on October 11, 2011, that Tim Tebow would replace Kyle Orton as the Broncos' starting quarterback. In his first start, Tebow would lead the Broncos in a come-from-behind 18–15 overtime victory over the Miami Dolphins, after being down 15–0 with under three minutes to go in the game.[18] On November 22, 2011, Kyle Orton was waived and since the quarterback change, the Broncos have gone 7–1, including four consecutive game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime vs. the New York Jets in Week 11, against the San Diego Chargers in Week 12, against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13, and against the Chicago Bears in Week 14.
The team is one of the most successful teams in NFL history, having won two Super Bowls and six AFC Championships. They play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and have four players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway, Floyd Little, Gary Zimmerman, and Shannon Sharpe.
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Franchise history
For more details on this topic, see History of the Denver Broncos.
Further information: List of Denver Broncos seasons
1960–1969: AFL era
The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14, 1959 when minor league baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an American Football League charter franchise.[1] The Broncos won the first-ever American Football League game over the Boston Patriots, 13–10, on September 9, 1960. On August 5, 1967, they became the first ever AFL team to defeat an NFL team after beating the Detroit Lions, 13–7, in a preseason game.[1] However, the Broncos were largely not successful in the 1960s, compiling a record of 39–97–4 in the league.[2] Denver came close to losing its franchise in 1965, but a local ownership group took control that year and began to rebuild the team.[3] However, the team's first superstar, "Franchise" Floyd Little, due to his signing in 1967 and his Pro Bowl efforts on and off the field, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver. They were the only original AFL team never to have played in the title game during the upstart league's 10-year history, as well as the only original AFL team never to have a winning season while a member of the AFL.[4]1970–1982: "Orange Crush"
In 1972, the Broncos hired former Stanford University coach John Ralston as their head coach.[5] The following year, 1973, he was UPI's choice as AFC Coach of the Year after Denver achieved its first-ever-winning season at 7–5–2. In five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston guided the team to winning seasons three times, the franchise's only three winning seasons up to that time. Even though Ralston finished the 1976 season with a winning record of 9–5, the team, as was the case in Ralston’s previous winning seasons, still failed to qualify for the playoffs. Following the 1976 season several prominent players publicly voiced their discontent with Ralston’s leadership which soon led to his dismissal by the team owner.Rookie coach, Red Miller, along with the Orange Crush Defense (a nickname originating in the early '70's, also the brand of a popular orange-flavored soft drink) and aging quarterback Craig Morton, promptly took the Broncos to their first playoff appearance in 1977, and ultimately first Super Bowl, where they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, 27–10.[6]
In 1981 Broncos owner Gerald Phipps, who had purchased the team in May 1961 from the original owner Bob Howsam, sold the team to Canadian Financier, Edgar Kaiser, Jr., grandson of shipbuilding industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.[7][8]
1983–1998: John Elway era
Quarterback John Elway, who played college football at Stanford, arrived in 1983. Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the first pick of the draft, Elway proclaimed that he would shun football in favor of baseball (he was drafted by the New York Yankees to play center field and was also a pitching prospect), unless he was traded to a selected list of other teams, which included Denver.[9] Prior to Elway, Denver had over 24 different starting quarterbacks in its 23 seasons to that point.[10] Elway would remain the quarterback through five Super Bowls, with the Broncos winning two of them. The Broncos lost Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants, 39–20; Super Bowl XXII to the Washington Redskins, 42–10; and Super Bowl XXIV to the San Francisco 49ers, 55–10, the latter of which is, to date, the most lopsided scoring differential in Super Bowl history.In 1995, the Broncos debuted a new head coach, Mike Shanahan, and a new rookie running back, Terrell Davis. In 1996, the Broncos were the top seed in the AFC with a 13–3 record, dominating most of the teams that year. The fifth-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars, however, upset the Broncos, 30–27 in the divisional round of the playoffs, ending the Broncos' 1996 run. During the 1997 season, both Elway and Davis would help guide the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory, a 31–24 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Although Elway completed only 12 of 22 passing attempts, throwing one interception and no touchdowns (he did, however, have a rushing touchdown), Davis rushed for 157 yards and a Super Bowl–record three touchdowns to earn the Super Bowl MVP Award – this while overcoming a severe migraine headache that caused him blurred vision.[11] The Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions the following season, defeating the Atlanta Falcons (led by Elway's longtime head coach Dan Reeves) in Super Bowl XXXIII, 34–19. Elway was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards, with an 80-yard touchdown to wide receiver Rod Smith and one interception.
1999–2008: post-Elway era
John Elway retired following the 1998 season, and Brian Griese started at quarterback for the next four seasons. After a 6–10 record in 1999, the Broncos recovered in 2000, earning a Wild Card playoff berth, but losing to the Baltimore Ravens. After missing the playoffs the following two seasons, former Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Jake Plummer replaced Griese in 2003, and would lead the Broncos to two straight 10–6 seasons, earning Wild Card playoff berths both years. However, the Broncos went on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts in back-to-back seasons and were blown out by more than 20 points in each game, allowing a combined 90 points.After losing the 2005 season opener, the Broncos won five straight games. Plummer and the Broncos clinched their first AFC West division title since 1998 on December 24, and finished with an 8–0 home record and a 13–3 overall record. The Broncos entered the playoffs for the third consecutive year with the momentum of a four-game winning streak. After a first round bye, the Broncos defeated the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 27–13, denying New England from becoming the first NFL team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships. The Broncos' playoff run came to an end next week, after losing at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, 34–17. Denver turned the ball over four times and were outscored in the first half, 24–3. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL.
The Broncos' defense began the first five games of the 2006 season allowing only one touchdown, an NFL record, but struggled down the season stretch. Plummer led the team to a 7–2 record, only to lose two straight and be replaced by rookie quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler went 2–3 as a starter, and the Broncos finished with a 9–7 record, losing the tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs for the final playoff spot. Cutler's first full season as a starter in 2007 became the Broncos' first losing season since 1999, with a 7–9 record.
The 2008 season ended in a 52–21 loss at the San Diego Chargers, giving the Broncos an 8–8 record and their third straight season out of the playoffs. Mike Shanahan, the longest-tenured and most successful head coach in Broncos' franchise history, was fired on December 30, 2008, after 14 seasons.[12]
2009–present: post-Mike Shanahan era
On January 11, 2009, two weeks after Mike Shanahan was fired, the Broncos hired former New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the team's new head coach.[13] Three months later, the team acquired quarterback Kyle Orton as part of a trade that sent Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears.Under McDaniels and Orton, the Broncos jumped out to a surprising 6–0 start in 2009. However, the team lost eight of their next ten games, finishing 8–8 for a second consecutive season and missing the playoffs. After the season, Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall was traded to the Miami Dolphins, and the Broncos set a new franchise record for losses in a single season, with a 4–12 record in 2010.[14] On December 6, 2010, McDaniels was fired following a combination of the team's poor record and the fallout from a highly-publicized videotaping scandal. Running backs coach Eric Studesville was named interim coach for the remaining four games of the 2010 season.[15] He chose to start rookie first-round draft choice Tim Tebow at quarterback for the final three games.
After the season, Joe Ellis was promoted from the Chief Operating Officer to team president, while John Elway was named the team's Executive Vice President of Football Operations on January 5, 2011. In this capacity, Elway will report to Ellis and will oversee the position held by the General Manager (Brian Xanders) and head coach positions. On January 13, 2011, the Broncos hired former Carolina Panthers' coach John Fox as the team's 14th head coach.[16][17]
After a 1–4 start to the 2011 season, it was announced on October 11, 2011, that Tim Tebow would replace Kyle Orton as the Broncos' starting quarterback. In his first start, Tebow would lead the Broncos in a come-from-behind 18–15 overtime victory over the Miami Dolphins, after being down 15–0 with under three minutes to go in the game.[18] On November 22, 2011, Kyle Orton was waived and since the quarterback change, the Broncos have gone 7–1, including four consecutive game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime vs. the New York Jets in Week 11, against the San Diego Chargers in Week 12, against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13, and against the Chicago Bears in Week 14.
