50 Fun Facts About Denver Broncos

Which Broncos kicker set a then NFL record with a 64-yard field goal in the thin Denver air in 2013?

Matt Prater hit it as the first half expired against Tennessee, and Denver, behind at the time, went on to win.

Which team did the Broncos beat 13–10 on September 9, 1960, in the first game in AFL history?

The Boston Patriots lost on a punt-return touchdown by Gene Mingo, a rookie who had made the team without ever playing college football.

What notoriously ugly feature did the Broncos' original 1960 uniforms include?

Vertically striped socks came with the mustard-and-brown kit, and two years later a new coach had them burned in public as the team switched to orange and blue.

Which running back, 'the Franchise', is credited with keeping the team in Denver after signing in 1967?

Floyd Little was the first first-round draft pick the Broncos ever managed to sign, which is how a struggling AFL club came to call him 'the Franchise'.

What was the nickname of the Broncos defense that carried them to Super Bowl XII in 1977?

The Orange Crush got its name from a Denver sportswriter early in 1977, as the defense allowed just 46 points during a 6-0 start.

Who beat the Broncos 27–10 in Super Bowl XII, their first Super Bowl appearance?

The Dallas Cowboys forced eight turnovers in New Orleans, and defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Randy White shared the MVP award.

John Elway refused to play for which team that drafted him first overall in 1983?

The Baltimore Colts took Elway first overall, but he used a Yankees minor-league contract as leverage until they traded him to Denver for Chris Hinton, Mark Herrmann and a first-round pick.

Cleveland back Earnest Byner's goal-line play against Denver in the 1987 AFC title game is remembered by what name?

The Fumble came as Byner was about to score the tying touchdown, and it sent Denver to a second straight Super Bowl.

John Elway's 98-yard march to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game in Cleveland is remembered by what name?

The Drive covered 98 yards in 15 plays to tie the game with 37 seconds left, and Denver won in overtime on a Rich Karlis field goal.

Who beat the Broncos 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV, played in January 1990?

The San Francisco 49ers won as Joe Montana threw five touchdown passes, and Denver had now lost three Super Bowls in four seasons.

Which coach, Elway's former offensive coordinator, returned in 1995 and led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls?

Mike Shanahan left Denver's staff after 1991, won a Super Bowl as the 49ers' offensive coordinator, then came back as head coach and stayed 14 seasons.

Terrell Davis, MVP of Super Bowl XXXII, was drafted in which round in 1995?

Sixth-round pick Davis, the 196th player chosen, ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns in that Super Bowl despite a migraine that kept him out of the second quarter.

Which defending champion did the Broncos beat 31–24 in Super Bowl XXXII for their first title?

The Green Bay Packers, the defending champions, lost 31-24 despite three touchdown passes from Brett Favre; Elway's helicopter spin came on an 8-yard third-quarter run.

Lifting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XXXII, owner Pat Bowlen said what?

'This one's for John!' honoured Elway's long wait for a title; after Super Bowl 50 Elway, by then general manager, raised the trophy and answered 'This one's for Pat!'

Terrell Davis joined an exclusive club in 1998 with what feat?

A 2,000-yard rushing season, 2,008 to be exact, made Davis the league's MVP, but a knee injury four games into 1999 ended his time at the top.

Who coached Atlanta when the Broncos beat the Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII?

Dan Reeves, Elway's head coach in Denver from 1983 to 1992, lost to his old quarterback, who was MVP with 336 passing yards.

The Broncos were later punished for what relating to their 1996–98 seasons?

The league ruled Denver had been circumventing the salary cap by deferring money to Elway and Davis; it took third-round picks in 2002 and 2005 and fined the club nearly $2 million.

Which defending champion did the Broncos beat 27–13 in the 2005 playoffs?

The New England Patriots were chasing a third straight title when Denver knocked them out, helped by a 100-yard interception return that ended a yard short of a touchdown.

Which Broncos head coach's 2009–10 tenure ended amid a videotaping scandal and a 3–9 start?

Josh McDaniels started 6-0 in 2009 but was fired in December 2010 at 3-9, days after the club was fined for an assistant's videotaping of a 49ers walkthrough.

Tim Tebow's 80-yard overtime touchdown pass to beat the Steelers in the 2011 playoffs went to whom?

Demaryius Thomas took the pass on the first play of overtime and ran 80 yards to end it; Tebow's 316 passing yards came on just ten completions.

Which team released Peyton Manning in March 2012, freeing him to sign with the Broncos?

The Indianapolis Colts let Manning go after neck surgery cost him the whole 2011 season, and within two weeks he had a five-year, $96 million deal in Denver.

Who beat the 2013 Broncos 43–8 in Super Bowl XLVIII?

The Seattle Seahawks scored a safety on the first play from scrimmage, and an offense that had just scored a record 606 points managed only eight.

Whose season record of 50 touchdown passes did Peyton Manning break in 2013?

Tom Brady's 50 in 2007 had beaten Manning's own record of 49, and Manning took it back six years later with 55.

Which team did the Broncos beat 24–10 in Super Bowl 50?

The Carolina Panthers, 15-1 in the regular season, were held to 10 points by Wade Phillips's defense; Manning retired a month later with his second ring.

Who was named MVP of Super Bowl 50?

Von Miller had 2.5 sacks and two strip-sacks of Cam Newton, one recovered for a touchdown and the other setting up Denver's clinching score.

Which former Elway backup coached the Broncos to Super Bowl 50, then retired for health reasons?

Gary Kubiak, Elway's backup for nine seasons and later his offensive coordinator, stepped down after 2016 following a complex-migraine episode that hospitalised him in October.

A fortune from which retail giant bought the Broncos for $4.65 billion in 2022?

Walmart heir Rob Walton headed the buyers, who took over from the trust that had run the team since Alzheimer's forced owner Pat Bowlen to step aside in 2014.

Which Formula One driver joined the Broncos' new ownership group as a minority partner in 2022?

Lewis Hamilton bought in that August, saying he was honoured to serve as an example of the value of more diverse leadership across all sports.

Which quarterback did the Broncos release in 2024, two years after trading two first-round picks for him?

Russell Wilson cost Denver two first-round picks, two second-round picks and three players, lasted two seasons, and signed with Pittsburgh after his release.

Which Broncos head coach was fired at 4–11 on December 26, 2022, before finishing his first season?

Nathaniel Hackett was dismissed the day after a 51-14 Christmas loss to the Rams, with Jerry Rosburg finishing the season before Sean Payton's 2023 arrival.

Bo Nix became the first Broncos quarterback since Elway in 1983 to do what?

Start Week 1 as a rookie: Nix, a first-round pick in 2024, won the job in camp and went 10-7, taking Denver to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.

Which venue was the Broncos' home from 1960 until 2000?

Mile High Stadium had a 9-million-pound east stand that slid 145 feet on a thin sheet of water, so the ground could change shape for different sports.

Thunder, the Broncos' live mascot who gallops after touchdowns, is what breed of horse?

Thunder is a purebred Arabian, and to lead the team out at Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey the horse was flown east in a cargo plane.

Which AFC West franchise did the Broncos beat 20-17 in the 1977 AFC Championship Game?

The Las Vegas Raiders, then based in Oakland and the defending champions, lost 20-17 in Denver on January 1, 1978, sending the Broncos to their first Super Bowl.

Which Broncos great came to Denver in 2004 in a trade that sent Clinton Portis to Washington?

Champ Bailey later made what was then the longest non-scoring play in NFL history, a 100-yard interception return in the 2005 playoffs that ended a yard short of the end zone.

Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe was drafted by the Broncos in which round, out of Savannah State?

Seventh-round pick Sharpe, the 192nd player chosen, retired 14 seasons later as the all-time leader among tight ends in catches, yards and touchdowns.

Which quarterback led the Broncos to a 13–3 record and their first AFC West title in seven years in 2005?

Jake Plummer, a former Cardinal, threw 18 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2005, then lost the job to rookie Jay Cutler late in 2006.

What is the name of the Broncos' costumed horse mascot, who shares duties with the live horse Thunder?

Miles had a forerunner in Huddles, a costumed horse once played by a teenage Michael Hancock, who grew up to be mayor of Denver.

Which team led the 2012 Broncos 24–0 at halftime on Monday Night Football, only to lose 35–24?

The San Diego Chargers watched Denver score 35 unanswered points after the break, part of an eleven-game winning streak that carried the Broncos to a 13-3 finish.

Which Broncos QB started Super Bowl XII after earlier playing for the team that beat them?

Craig Morton became the first quarterback to start Super Bowls for two franchises, but his old team harried him into a string of turnovers and he was pulled in the third quarter.

Until John Ralston's 1973 team, the Broncos had never had what?

A winning season finally came in 1973 under Ralston, a two-time Rose Bowl winner at Stanford, yet he resigned three years later after a 9-5 campaign.

Which undrafted local rookie running back became a Pro Bowler for Denver in 2018?

Phillip Lindsay, undrafted out of Colorado, ran for 1,037 yards and became the first undrafted offensive rookie voted to a Pro Bowl, only for a wrist injury to end his season days later.

Rich Karlis, whose overtime field goal won the 1986 AFC title game for the Broncos, was known for kicking how?

Barefoot: Karlis was the last NFL kicker to go without a shoe full-time, and he did it in Cleveland in January for the kick that sent Denver to the Super Bowl.

Where are the Broncos headquartered?

The Dove Valley headquarters carries an Englewood, Colorado address; Peyton Manning announced his retirement there in March 2016.

In their 1997 redesign, the Broncos swapped orange home jerseys for which main color?

Navy blue stayed the home color until 2012, when orange returned as the primary jersey; the 1997 look itself lasted until the 2024 overhaul.

What business was Broncos founder Bob Howsam in when he was awarded the AFL franchise in 1959?

Minor league baseball was Howsam's trade with the Denver Bears; he sold the Broncos after one losing season and later built Cincinnati's Big Red Machine as general manager.

In August 1967 the Broncos became the first AFL team to beat an NFL team, defeating whom in a preseason game?

The Detroit Lions lost 13-7 after star tackle Alex Karras joked that he would walk home from Denver if an AFL team beat them; he flew back with the team.

The only Broncos home games from 1970 through 2024 that failed to sell out featured what?

Replacement players filled in for two home games during the 1987 strike, the only break in a sellout run that began in 1970.

Whose retired No. 18 was re-issued to Peyton Manning with the original owner's blessing?

Frank Tripucka, the Broncos' first quarterback, said Manning was welcome to the retired No. 18, and Elway thanked him publicly at the signing.

Superfan Tim McKernan started wearing a barrel to Broncos games in 1977 to win a bet worth how much?

McKernan won $10 from his brother by getting on television in the barrel, then kept wearing it to games for thirty years, until 2007.