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The Denver Broncos are a professional American Football team based in Denver , Colorado . They are currently a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) Western Division in the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger . The Broncos were a small-market team that met with little success in their early years, but have since become one of the elite franchises of the league after having advanced to the Super Bowl six times. The Broncos are now widely considered one of the most successful teams in the National Football League -- not only on the field, but also in fan support, measured both in TV ratings and merchandising. In their first four Super Bowl appearances, they suffered successively lopsided defeats, achieving near-legendary status before winning back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 1997 and 1998 under Quarterback John Elway , running back Terrell Davis and coach Mike Shanahan . FRANCHISE HISTORY Broncos won the first-ever American Football League game over the Boston Patriots , 13-10, on September 9 , 1960 . They were the first AFL team ever to defeat an NFL team, on August 5 , 1967 when they beat the Detroit Lions 13-7 in a preseason game. Denver has reached the Super Bowl six times, winning it in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. It is odd to remember a time, then, when Denver was the lowliest of teams, managing its first winning season in 1973 after thirteen years of futility. As such, they were the only original AFL team never to have played in the title game during the upstart league's 10-year history. Denver, in fact, came close to losing its franchise in 1965 , but a local ownership group took control that year and began to build the team. Rookie coach Red Miller , along with the Orange Crush Defense (a nickname originating in the early '70's) and aging quarterback Craig Morton , promptly took Denver to its first playoff appearance – and, ultimately first Super Bowl – in 1977 , where they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys , 27-10. 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 a selected list of other teams, which included Denver. Prior to Elway, Denver had over 24 different starting quarterbacks in its 23 seasons to that point. Elway would remain the quarterback through five Super Bowls, three under head coach Dan Reeves and two under Mike Shanahan , and would end his career as the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII , his last NFL game. The Broncos would lose Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants 39-20, Super Bowl XXII to the Washington Redskins 42-10 and Super Bowl XXIV to the San Francisco 49ers 55-10, the most lopsided Super Bowl in history. In 1995, the Broncos debuted rookie running back Terrell Davis , who, in 1997 would lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory, in Super Bowl XXXII , over the Green Bay Packers 31-24. Although Elway completed only 12 of his 22 passing attempts, throwing one interception and no touchdowns, Terrell Davis was able to overcome a severe migraine headache that caused him blurred vision and rush for 157 yards and three touchdowns Super Bowl XXXII Box Score to earn MVP honors. The Broncos repeated the following year, defeating the Dan Reeves led Atlanta Falcons 34-19 to win Super Bowl XXXIII. Since Elway's retirement following the 1998 season, Denver has only had one losing season (1999) and has made the playoffs as a wild card three times (in 2000, 2003 and 2004), and as a division champion once ( 2005 ). However, they have won only one playoff game since Elway's retirement. Prior to the 2005 season, the Broncos were plagued by early season success followed by late season flops. In both 2003 and 2004 they started the season 5-1 and ended 10-6. In 2005, the Broncos would have a much-improved season, going 13-3 and earning a bye week in the playoffs with the #2 seed in the AFC. They would finally win a playoff game without Elway, defeating the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 27-13, ending the Patriots' 10 game playoff winning streak. The following weekend, the hosting Broncos were defeated at home by the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship by a score of 34-17. In the years since Elway's retirement, it has become obvious that the Denver fans and media expect Elway-like perfection from the quarterback position. Both Brian Griese and Jake Plummer have faced severe scrutiny in attempting to replace Elway as the team’s quarterback. Elway’s jersey remains the most frequently worn at Invesco Field At Mile High , with the crowd generally voicing their loudest ovations when his name is mentioned or shown. Many members of the media have run stories and articles on the pressures that come with playing quarterback in Denver, as most fans believe no player will ever live up the standard set by Elway. Elway’s overwhelming popularity in Colorado is generally contributed to a number of factors including the extensive length of time spent on the team at the league’s premier position, his leading of 4th quarter comebacks (Elway ranks 1st in NFL history), his community work throughout the state, and retiring directly after 2 Super Bowl wins including his final game in which he was Super Bowl MVP. 2005 Season After losing their first game 34-10 to the Miami Dolphins on September 11 , the Broncos won 5 straight games, defeating the San Diego Chargers 20-17, the Kansas City Chiefs 30-10, the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-7, the Washington Redskins 21-19, and the two-time defending champion New England Patriots 28-20 on October 16 before losing to the New York Giants on October 23 by a final score of 24-23. They then beat the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles 49-21 on October 30 . In that game, the Broncos became the first team in NFL history to have two players, Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell , rush for over 100 yards and another player, Jake Plummer , pass for over 300 yards in a single game. They then beat the Oakland Raiders on November 13 31-17. They beat the New York Jets on November 20 27-0. It was the first time the Broncos had shut out a team at home since the Carolina Panthers on November 9 1997 . They played the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day , November 24 , winning a very hard fought game in overtime 24-21. The key play that led to Jason Elam 's 24-yard game winning field goal was a 55 yard run by Ron Dayne who filled in for the injured Tatum Bell. They lost to the Chiefs 31-27 on December 4 , but defeated the Baltimore Ravens the following week 12-10. On December 17, the Broncos defeated the Buffalo Bills 28-17. On Christmas Eve 2005, the Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West division title as they finished 8-0 at Invesco Field beating the Oakland Raiders 22-3. On December 31 , 2005 , the Broncos got win number 13 by going on the road and sweeping their division rivals, the Chargers, with a final score of 23-7. The Broncos entered their third consecutive year in the playoffs with the momentum of a four game winning streak. With a record of 13-3, they were tied with the Seattle Seahawks for second overall in the league, behind the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts. They were seeded number two in the AFC behind the Colts. On January 14 , 2006 , the Broncos defeated the two-time defending champions, the New England Patriots, 27-13, ending the Patriots chance of becoming the first NFL team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships. The last team with a chance of winning three consecutive Super Bowls before the Patriots were the Broncos themselves. The Broncos' run came to an end by losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship 34-17 on January 22 , 2006. Their strength of controlling the ball collapsed with 4 turnovers. They were outscored in the first half 24-3 and were not able to come from behind to win in the second half. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL . 2006 Season In 2006 the Denver Broncos had high hopes among the league in being able to compete for the Super Bowl title. The Broncos defense started off the first five games of the season allowing only one touchdown, an NFL record, but struggled down the season stretch. Jake Plummer , the starting quarterback as the seasons' inception, led the team to a 4-1 record only to lose 4 straight and be replaced by rookie quarterback Jay Cutler , drafted in the first round out of Vanderbilt. Cutler's first game as a starter was at home; he compiled over 200 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a loss. Cutler would go on to lead Denver to two victories and three losses as a starter. The most impressive win was over the Arizona Cardinals . During the game, Cutler launched a 68-yard touchdown to Javon Walker on the 3rd play from scrimmage. The Broncos' season ended with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which eliminated the team from playoff contention. Cutler was knocked out of part of the game from a blow he took from a 49er defender, giving him a concussion. 2007 The 2006-2007 off-season began tragically. Cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in his H2 limousine on New Years Day , just a few hours after the Broncos last game of the 2006 season. Just weeks later, on February 24, Broncos 3rd string running back Damien Nash collapsed and died following a celebrity basketball game. The Broncos traded running back Tatum Bell and offensive tackle George Foster to the Detroit Lions for former Pro Bowl cornerback Dre' Bly to compensate for the unfortunate loss of Williams. In addition to the trade for Bly, the Broncos had made a trade to the Miami Dolphins for Dan Wilkinson , only to have that trade voided because Wilkinson did not show up to Denver for his scheduled physical. Denver added running back Travis Henry , wide receiver Brandon Stokley , and tight end Daniel Graham through free agency. The team released linebacker Al Wilson during the month of April for health and salary cap reasons. The Broncos also added punter Todd Sauerbrun to help their special teams THE SHANAHAN ERA The team's current head coach is , Olandis Gary , Mike Anderson , Clinton Portis , Reuben Droughns and Tatum Bell have all posted 1000-yard rushing seasons in Denver with Davis shattering the 2,000 yard barrier in 1998 . In 2005 , Mike Anderson rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in five seasons. Anderson's backfield mate, Tatum Bell, fell 79 yards short of 1,000 with 921 while missing a game to injury. Had Bell been able to gain 1,000 yards he and Anderson would have been the first two running backs in over 20 years to break 1,000 yards in a single season on the same team. Due to Denver's success with running backs, the question can be made, "Is it Denver's system, or their running backs, that are responsible for the huge numbers year-in and year-out?" In an attempt to answer this question, Football Outsiders did a study to determine whether the system or the players were responsible for the success. Their results discovered some evidence that Denver's system of and the Redskins respectively, after leaving the Broncos. In the post-Elway years, Shanahan has taken the Broncos to the playoffs several times. The 2000 season ended with a Wild Card loss at the Baltimore Ravens. The 2003 and 2004 seasons ended with lopsided losses at the Indianapolis Colts, also in the Wild Card round. In the 2005 season, the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots in the divisional round and advanced to the AFC Championship game, losing at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. LOGO AND UNIFORMS today.]] When the Broncos debuted in 1960, their original uniforms were vilified by the public. It consisted of brown helmets, brown pants (some had a satin sheen, some didn't), white and mustard yellow jerseys, and vertically striped socks. The club eventually got rid of these jerseys two years later, and celebrated the occasion by holding a public bonfire to burn the striped socks. The team then unveiled a new logo featuring a bucking horse, and changed their team colors to orange, blue, and white. The 1962 uniform designed by Laura North-Allen , consisted of white pants, orange helmets, and either orange or white jerseys. In 1968, the Broncos debuted a design that became known as the "Orange Crush". Their logo was redesigned so that the horse was coming out of a "D". Also, the helmets were changed to blue, thin stripes were put onto the sleeves, and other minor modifications were added. From 1969 to 1971, and again from 1978 to 1979), the team wore orange pants with their white jerseys. The club then radically changed their logo and uniforms in 1997, a design that they continue to use to this day. The current logo is a profile of a horse's head. They wear "Broncos Navy Blue" jerseys instead of orange ones. This new uniform design also features a streak that runs down the sides of both the jerseys and the pants; it's orange on the blue jerseys and blue on the white jerseys. When they debuted, these uniforms were vilified by the press and fans, until the Broncos won their first ever Super Bowl in the new design. The team also introduced blue pants with orange stripes to be worn with blue jerseys. These pants are primarily worn for prime-time home games. An oddity of their pants are that the home white pants have an orange stripe, but the road white pants have a navy blue stripe. The Broncos have also introduced an alternate orange jersey with a navy blue stripe going up the side. The jerseys were first used in 2002 against the Indianapolis Colts and last used in the 2004 game against the Oakland Raiders in the downpour of snow. Many believe that the jersey is only to be used in the snow, such as the 2002 and 2004 games. Owner Pat Bowlen has frequently said he would like to see the Broncos in orange once a year, however, the Broncos have not worn these jerseys since the 2004 season. HOME FIELD For most of their history they played in flooring instead of Concrete , which may have given the Broncos an advantage over opponents. Since 2001, they have played at Invesco Field At Mile High , built next to the former site of the since demolished old Mile High Stadium. Sportswriter Woody Paige , along with many of Denver's fans, however, often refuse to call the new stadium by its full name, preferring to use Mile High Stadium because of its storied history and sentimental import. The Colorado altitude has also been attributed as part of the team's home success. The stadium displays multiple references to the stadium's location of 5,280 ft. (1 mile) above sea level, including a prominent mural just outside the visiting team’s locker room. Many believe the physical and mental aspects of competing athletically with less air to breathe affects the performance of visiting teams. TRAGEDIES IN EARLY 2007 Cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed around 2 a.m on West 11th Avenue and Speer Boulevard in downtown Denver on January 1 , 2007 . He was in a Hummer H2 Limousine . Team spokesman Jim Saccomano said police called him about 2 A.M. from the scene and told him three people had been shot, and the 24-year-old Williams had been killed. His death came hours after the Denver Broncos were eliminated from the playoff race. A little after 2 A.M., a white Hummer limousine was fired on from a white 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe that pulled up along its side, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. As many as a dozen bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the vehicle. One window was blown out and four others had bullet holes. Javon Walker was also in the limousine but he was not injured. Brandon Flowers and Nicole Reindl were injured but not killed. {Link without Title} Williams was the second starting corner for Denver, playing with Champ Bailey and others in the Denver secondary. In his 2 year career, he had 1 sack and 6 interceptions, returning 2 of them for touchdowns. He was a second round pick in the 2005 Draft out of Oklahoma State University . He started 9 games in his rookie year, most in franchise history for a rookie CB. A mere 50 days after the fatal shooting, Running Back Damien Nash collapsed and died suddenly on February 24 , 2007, following a charity Basketball game in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri . Cause of death is yet to be determined. SEASON-BY-SEASON RECORDS
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