Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos were a charter member of the American Football League in 1960, and their early years were defined by losing, low budgets, and the ugliest uniforms in professional sports history — vertically striped socks that became legendary for all the wrong reasons. The team played at Bears Stadium, a minor league baseball park that would eventually be expanded into Mile High Stadium.

The Broncos lost far more than they won in the 1960s, posting a winning record just once in the decade. But the franchise survived — no small feat in a league where teams in other cities folded or relocated. Denver's fans were loyal from the start, filling the stadium with a fervor that exceeded what the on-field product deserved.

The franchise cycled through coaches and quarterbacks without finding a winning formula, but the AFL years laid the groundwork for what was to come. By the time the AFL-NFL merger was completed in 1970, the Broncos had established a foothold in Denver that would grow into one of the most passionate fan bases in all of professional sports.

The 1970s brought the Broncos their first taste of genuine success. The hiring of Red Miller as head coach in 1977 coincided with the maturation of one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history. The "Orange Crush" — named after the popular soft drink and the team's orange jerseys — was led by linebacker Randy Gradishar, defensive end Lyle Alzado, and a ferocious unit that suffocated opposing offenses.

The 1977 season was transformative. The Broncos went 12-2, won the AFC Championship, and reached Super Bowl XII — the franchise's first appearance on football's biggest stage. Denver lost to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10, but the season changed the franchise's identity forever. The Broncos were no longer a lovable loser; they were a legitimate contender.

Craig Morton provided competent quarterback play, and the combination of the Orange Crush defense and a rabid home-field advantage at Mile High Stadium — where the crowd noise and the altitude made life miserable for visiting teams — established Denver as one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. The template was set: great defense, passionate fans, and a belief that something special was brewing in the Mile High City.

On May 2, 1983, the Denver Broncos acquired John Elway from the Baltimore Colts in a trade that would alter the trajectory of the franchise forever. Elway, the first overall pick who had refused to play for Baltimore, brought a rocket arm, scrambling ability, and a competitive fire that burned hotter than anyone in the building.

Under head coach Dan Reeves, Elway led the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in four years (1986, 1987, 1989) — and lost all three, each more painful than the last. But the journey to those Super Bowls produced moments of pure magic. "The Drive" — Elway's 98-yard march against the Cleveland Browns in the 1986 AFC Championship Game — remains one of the most iconic performances in NFL history.

The Super Bowl losses were devastating: 39-20 to the Giants, 42-10 to the Redskins, and 55-10 to the 49ers. The last two were blowouts that raised uncomfortable questions about whether Elway and the Broncos could ever win the big one. Throughout the early 1990s, the Broncos remained competitive but could not break through to another Super Bowl. The narrative hardened: Elway was one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, cursed to never win a championship.

The arrival of head coach Mike Shanahan in 1995 and the emergence of running back Terrell Davis changed everything. Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme turned Davis into a battering ram, and the offense became a balanced, devastating machine that could run or pass with equal efficiency.

The 1997 season was the year Denver finally broke through. The Broncos went 12-4, and Elway — now 37 years old, with nothing left to prove except the one thing that had eluded him his entire career — led Denver into Super Bowl XXXII against the defending champion Green Bay Packers. The Broncos were 11.5-point underdogs. They won 31-24, powered by Terrell Davis' 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Elway's third-down helicopter dive — his body spinning through the air after a hit near the goal line — became the defining image of his career. The monkey was off his back.

The 1998 season was even better. The Broncos went 14-2, Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and won the MVP award, and Denver demolished the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway, named Super Bowl MVP in his final game, retired as a champion. It was the perfect ending to one of football's greatest stories.

Replacing John Elway was, predictably, impossible. The Broncos cycled through quarterbacks — Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow — without finding a long-term answer. Shanahan's tenure ended in 2008 after consecutive losing seasons, and Josh McDaniels' brief, turbulent stint (2009-2010) produced controversy and a 11-17 record.

The brightest post-Elway moments came from Jake Plummer, who led the 2005 Broncos to a 13-3 record and the AFC Championship Game, and from Tim Tebow's improbable 2011 playoff run. Tebow, who won games through sheer willpower and an unconventional style, threw an 80-yard overtime touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round — one of the most electrifying plays in franchise history.

But Tebow's magic had a shelf life. The Broncos were bounced by the Patriots the following week, and the front office — now led by John Elway himself as general manager — knew that winning a championship required a different kind of quarterback. They found one in the most unlikely of places.

In March 2012, the Denver Broncos signed Peyton Manning — the greatest quarterback of his generation, recovering from neck surgery, at age 35. It was the most significant free-agent signing in NFL history, and Manning rewarded Denver's faith with four extraordinary seasons.

The 2013 season was historically great on offense. Manning threw for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards — both NFL records — and the Broncos went 13-3 with the highest-scoring offense in league history (606 points). But Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks was a nightmare: the Seahawks' defense demolished Denver 43-8 in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever played.

Manning's final season in 2015 was a study in contrasts. His arm was fading, his mobility was gone, and the offense was a shadow of its former self. But the defense — led by Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and Chris Harris Jr. — was historically dominant. Denver went 12-4, and in Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers, the defense overwhelmed MVP Cam Newton in a 24-10 victory. Von Miller, with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble, was named Super Bowl MVP. Manning walked off into the sunset as a champion for the second time.