- 1960
- 1983
- 1996
- 1997
- 2001
- 2012
- 2015
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Denver Broncos Team Formation
In the summer of 1959, Bob Howsam, owner of minor league baseball’s Denver Bears, had a problem. He’d expanded Bears Stadium to 34,000 after Denver was named a charter member of the Continental League, a proposed third major league. However, the league died when the established major leagues granted expansion franchises to two of its cities (New York and Houston) ... -
Trade for Elway
Quarterback John Elway 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) unless he was traded to one of a selected list of other teams, which included Denver. During the ... -
Super Bowl XXXII Winner 1997
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1997 season. The Broncos defeated the Packers by the score of 31–24. The game was played on January 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium ... -
Super Bowl XXXIII Winner 1997
During the 1997 season, Elway and Davis helped guide the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory, a 31–24 win over the defending champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Although Elway completed only 13 of 22 passes, throwing one interception and no touchdowns (he did, however, have a rushing touchdown), Davis rushed for 157 yards and a Super ... -
John Elway as Executive
Following the 2010 season, Joe Ellis was promoted from Chief Operating Officer to team president, while John Elway returned to the organization as the team’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations. -
Arrival of Peyton Manning
On March 20, 2012, the Broncos and quarterback Peyton Manning reached an agreement on a 5-year contract worth $96 million. The following day, the Broncos traded Tim Tebow and a seventh-round draft selection to the New York Jets in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round draft selections. Shortly after acquiring Manning, the Broncos also signed tight ends Joel Dreessen and Jacob ... -
Super Bowl 50 Winner 2015
Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers 24–10 to earn their third Super Bowl title. The Broncos took an early lead in Super Bowl 50 and never trailed. ...
History of the Broncos
The Denver Broncos are one of the most iconic teams in the NFL. Founded in 1960, they have a long and storied history that has seen them win three Super Bowls, six AFC Championships, and numerous division titles. The team is currently owned by Pat Bowlen, who purchased it from Edgar Kaiser Jr. for 78 million dollars in 1984.
In their early years as an American Football League (AFL) franchise, the Broncos were led by legendary head coach Lou Saban and quarterback Frank Tripucka to two AFL Championships before joining forces with the National Football League (NFL) during its merger with rival league AFL before 1970 season. Under Coach John Ralston’s leadership, the team won back-to-back Division titles but failed to make much noise on a national level until 1977, when Red Miller was hired as Head Coach. Under his guidance, Quarterback Craig Morton led them through an impressive 12–2 regular season record, resulting in the first-ever Super Bowl appearance against Dallas Cowboys, where they lost 27–10.
After several seasons of struggle due to lousy draft picks & coaching changes, Dan Reeves took over as Head Coach & General Manager at the start of the 1981 Season, marking a new era for the Denver Bronco's football program. The addition of star players like John Elway & Gary Zimmerman and talented veterans including Steve Atwater and Karl Mecklenburg helped set up a foundation for success that followed throughout the 90's decade leading up to the 3rd super bowl victory after the 1998 Season under Mike Shanahan's leadership.
Since then, there have been various coaches coming in & out, but overall performance remained consistent throughout the 2000s resulting in 6 more playoff appearances between 2003 - 2015, including 4th Superbowl victory after the 2015 season under Gary Kubiak's coaching tenure ending the drought since the last championship 18 years ago! As current owners look forward to future competitiveness within the highly competitive NFL landscape, the Denver Broncos will continue striving towards excellence just like in the past 60+ years!
Broncos Products
Established
1960
City
Denver
League History
1970 - Present / National Football League
1960 - 1969 / American Football League
Team History
1960 - Present / Denver Broncos
Nickname
Broncos - The Denver Broncos have been a part of the NFL since 1960, and their name has become synonymous with football excellence. But where did this iconic nickname come from? Let’s look at the origin story behind one of the most beloved teams in professional sports.
In 1959, when it was announced that Denver would get an AFL (American Football League) expansion team, fans were asked to submit potential names for consideration. Among them were “Broncos,” which had already been used by local high schools and colleges to reference Colorado's western heritage and rugged outdoor lifestyle. This suggestion won out over others such as "Mustangs" or "Outlaws," but why?
Legend has it that Bob Howsam Jr., who owned minor league baseball's Denver Bears at Mile High Stadium, suggested “Broncos” because he thought it sounded tough—like his players! He also liked how similar its spelling was to Chicago Bears—a team he admired greatly due to their success in professional football during those days. Whatever his reasoning, Broncos stuck around until today as one of America's favorite sports nicknames!
The rest is history: after joining forces with John Ralston in 1961, they went on to win two Super Bowl titles (1997 & 1998) under Mike Shanahan; made several playoff appearances throughout the John Elway era; reached four consecutive AFC Championship games between 2011-2014 under Peyton Manning; and currently stand atop NFL standings thanks primarily due their recent acquisition of quarterback Drew Lock just last year 2020 season.
With so much success both on-and-off field these past few decades, there should be no doubt why Broncos are now considered among top-tier franchises within National Football League - all thanks original selection back then 1959!
Championship
Super Bowl 3
2016, 1999, 1998
Stadium
2019 - Present / Empower Field at Mile High
2016 - 2019 / Broncos Stadium at Mile High
2011 - 2016 / Sports Authority Field at Mile High
2001 - 2010 / Invesco Field at Mile High
1960 - 2000 / Mile High Stadium
Owner
2022 - Present / Walton-Penner Family Group
1984 - 2022 / Pat Bowlen Trust
1981 - 1984 / Edgar Kaiser
1961 - 1981 / Gerald Phipps
1960 - 1961 / Bob Howsam
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
7 / John Elway
18 / Frank Tripucka
18 / Peyton Manning
44 / Floyd Little
*Blue is this team’s history
