Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, competing in the NFL as a member of the AFC West.
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 2024
Lore & Background
The team began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and joined the NFL as part of the merger in 1970. The Broncos are currently owned by a syndicate headed by former Walmart chairman Rob Walton and current Walmart chairman Greg Penner. Since 2001, the Broncos have played their regular season home games at Empower Field at Mile High; Denver previously played its home games at Mile High Stadium from its inception in 1960 through the 2000 season. The Broncos were barely competitive during their 10-year run in the AFL and their first three years in the NFL. They did not have a winning season until 1973 and qualified for their first playoffs in 1977, eventually advancing to Super Bowl XII that season. From 1973 to 2016, the Broncos suffered only eleven losing seasons and won 3 Super Bowls, becoming one of the NFL's most successful teams. They have won eight AFC Championships and three Super Bowl championships (XXXII, XXXIII, 50). The Broncos have nine primary members enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway, Floyd Little, Shannon Sharpe, Gary Zimmerman, Terrell Davis, Champ Bailey, Steve Atwater, and Randy Gradishar, along with late club owner Pat Bowlen. According to Forbes, the Broncos are valued at $6.8 billion in September 2025 making them the thirteenth most-valuable team in the NFL.
Reader's Guide
The Broncos were founded on August 14, 1959, when minor league baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an AFL charter franchise. The Broncos won the first-ever AFL game over the Boston Patriots 13–10, on September 9, 1960. Seven years later on August 5, 1967, they became the first-ever AFL team to defeat an NFL team, with a 13–7 win over the Detroit Lions in a preseason game. However, the Broncos were not successful in the 1960s, winning more than five games only once (7–7, 1962), compiling a record during the ten seasons of the AFL. Denver came close to losing its franchise in 1965, until a local ownership group took control. The team's first superstar, Floyd Little, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver. The Broncos were the only original AFL team that never played in the title game, as well as the only original AFL team never to have a winning season while a member of the AFL. In 1972, the Broncos hired John Ralston as head coach. In 1973, he was UPI's AFC Coach of the Year, after Denver achieved its first winning season at 7–5–2. In five seasons, Ralston guided the team to three winning seasons. Following the 1976 season, several prominent players voiced discontent with Ralston, which led to his resignation. Red Miller was hired and along with the Orange Crush Defense and quarterback Craig Morton, took the Broncos to a 12–2 regular-season record and their first playoff appearance in 1977, and ultimately their first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XII, in which they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys 27–10. In 1981, owner Gerald Phipps sold the team to Edgar Kaiser Jr. In 1984, the team was purchased by Pat Bowlen, who placed team ownership into a family trust sometime before 2004 and remained in day-to-day control until his battle with Alzheimer's disease forced him to cede the team to Joe Ellis in 2014. Dan Reeves became head coach in 1981. Quarterback John Elway arrived in 1983 via a trade. Reeves and Elway guided the Broncos to six post-season appearances, five AFC West divisional titles, three AFC championships and three Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXI, XXII and XXIV), all losses. Reeves was fired after the 1992 season and replaced by Wade Phillips, who was fired after a mediocre 1994 season. In 1995, Mike Shanahan returned as head coach. The team went 8–8 in 1995.
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