50 Fun Facts About Denver Broncos

The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of which league?

They won the very first AFL game but went 39–97–4 over the league's ten seasons and never had a winning year in it.

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

Seven years later they became the first AFL team to beat an NFL side, edging Detroit 13–7 in a preseason game.

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

The mustard-yellow-and-brown kit was so despised that the socks were later burned at a public bonfire.

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

The Syracuse star was the first first-round pick to sign with the AFL Broncos and is now in the Hall of Fame; his 44 is one of three retired numbers.

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

It shared its name with the soft drink; the team went 12–2 before losing 27–10 in the Super Bowl.

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

Denver had reached the game by beating the defending champion Raiders in the AFC title game, igniting that rivalry in its modern form.

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

He threatened to play centre field for the New York Yankees instead; before him the Broncos had used over 24 starting quarterbacks in 23 seasons.

The head coach the Broncos hired in 1981 became the NFL's youngest ever. How old was he?

He and Elway reached three Super Bowls together but fell out over play-calling and the drafting of Tommy Maddox; the coach was fired after 1992.

How far did Elway drive the Broncos to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game in Cleveland?

Fifteen plays in five minutes and two seconds; Denver then won 23–20 in overtime, and did it to the Browns again the next year via 'The Fumble'.

Who beat the Broncos 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV, the most lopsided Super Bowl ever?

It was the third Super Bowl defeat in four years, after 39–20 to the Giants and 42–10 to Washington.

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

He was fired after 14 seasons in 2008 as the longest-tenured and most successful coach in franchise history.

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

The 196th pick out of Georgia ran for 157 yards and a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns against Green Bay while fighting a migraine that blurred his vision.

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

Elway completed just 13 of 22 passes but famously helicoptered for a first down; Davis scored three touchdowns.

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

It saluted Elway's long wait; Bowlen, who bought the team in 1984, entered the Hall of Fame in 2019 after ceding control during his battle with Alzheimer's.

Terrell Davis joined an exclusive club in 1998 by doing what?

He was only the fourth player to do it; a knee injury the next year effectively ended his peak.

In Super Bowl XXXIII the Broncos beat the Falcons 34–19. Who was Atlanta's head coach that day?

Elway's old boss; Elway was MVP with 336 yards and an 80-yard touchdown to Rod Smith, then retired.

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

They had deferred money to Elway and Davis outside the cap; the league took third-round picks in 2002 and 2005 and fined them nearly $2 million.

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

They were the first team to beat the Patriots in a Brady-era playoff game, then lost the AFC title game at home to Pittsburgh.

Which head coach's tenure (2009–10) ended amid a videotaping scandal and a franchise-record 4–12 season?

He had traded Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton and started 6–0 in 2009; interim coach Eric Studesville then handed the ball to Tim Tebow.

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

It came on the first snap of overtime and set a record for the longest overtime play from scrimmage; Tebow threw for exactly 316 yards.

The Broncos signed Peyton Manning in March 2012 to a contract worth how much over five years?

He had missed all of 2011 with neck problems; Denver promptly traded Tebow to the Jets.

How many points did the 2013 Broncos score, an NFL single-season record?

They also set the passing-yards record with 5,572; Manning threw 55 touchdowns, then were routed 43–8 by Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Peyton Manning's 2013 season set a record for touchdown passes. How many?

He also threw for a record 5,477 yards; both marks came in a season that ended with a fifth MVP award.

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

Wade Phillips's defense carried a fading Manning to a third ring in his final game; he retired that March.

Who was named MVP of Super Bowl 50?

The linebacker forced two fumbles that led to both Denver touchdowns; he was traded to the Rams in 2021 as the last non-specialist left from that roster.

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

He had been the offensive coordinator for the two 1990s titles; Vance Joseph followed and went 11–21.

How much did the Walton-Penner group agree to pay for the Broncos in June 2022?

The consortium includes Condoleezza Rice and Mellody Hobson; Greg Penner runs the club day to day.

Which Formula One driver is a minority partner in the Broncos' ownership group?

Rob Walton, the former Walmart chairman, leads the group; his son-in-law Greg Penner is CEO.

Releasing Russell Wilson in 2024 left the Broncos with how much dead-cap money, an NFL record?

They had sent two firsts, two seconds and three players to Seattle for him two years earlier.

Which head coach was fired at 4–11 on Boxing Day 2022, before finishing his first season?

A 51–14 Christmas Day loss to the Rams was the final straw; Sean Payton took over for 2023.

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

The 2024 first-rounder beat out Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham and led a 10–7 season and a playoff win over Buffalo before breaking his ankle.

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

Its successor, opened in 2001, has carried the names Invesco Field, Sports Authority Field and Empower Field at Mile High.

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

Three grey purebreds have played the role since 1993, each turning white with age; the horse-head helmet logo was inspired by him.

Which division rival has historically been the Broncos' most heated opponent?

The rivalry ignited in the 1977 AFC Championship Game; the Raiders led the series 73–56–2 as of 2024, and Shanahan briefly coached them.

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

The cornerback played ten seasons in Denver and is one of the franchise's nine Hall of Famers.

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

He won two rings in Denver and a third with Baltimore before becoming a broadcaster.

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

The former Cardinal was benched for rookie Jay Cutler late in 2006 despite a 7–2 start.

The 2006 Broncos defense, dubbed 'Bad Blue' by Joe Theismann, set what record over the first five games?

The team still finished 9–7 and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker to Kansas City.

What did the Broncos' 2012 comeback from 24–0 down at San Diego on Monday Night Football finish as?

Manning engineered one of the largest comebacks in Monday night history; Denver holds a rare winning record against the Chargers.

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

He was 34 that season; Denver's 12–2 record was then a franchise best.

Who was the Broncos' first head coach to produce a winning season, in 1973?

The former Stanford coach was AFC Coach of the Year for a 7–5–2 mark; player unrest forced his resignation after 1976.

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

He was the first undrafted offensive rookie ever voted to a Pro Bowl and the first undrafted player with 100+ scrimmage yards in each of his first two games.

How many AFC Championships have the Broncos won?

1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013 and 2015; they converted three of them into Super Bowl wins.

Where are the Broncos headquartered?

The Dove Valley facility is where Peyton Manning announced his retirement in March 2016.

The Broncos' 2024 'Mile High Collection' was their first uniform overhaul since which year?

That earlier redesign introduced the navy-and-orange look and the horse-head logo inspired by Thunder.

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

The franchise was granted on August 14, 1959; the Broncos went on to win the first game in AFL history the next year.

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

The game was played at the University of Denver's Hilltop Stadium, which the AFL Broncos used from time to time.

Since the 1970 merger, the Broncos have sold out every home game except two. What was unusual about those?

Even those two had sold out before the strike; the club announces the number of no-shows at home games, and fans boo them.

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

Manning wore it from 2012 until his retirement after the 2015 season, and his name was added to the retired-number banner as an honourable mention.

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

He bet his brother he could get on television by wearing it; painted like a soda can, the barrel made him one of the team's best-known fans.