Broncos History 1960–1980
The Denver Broncos' inaugural period from 1960 to 1980 marked the franchise's foundational era, shaped by on-field struggles, financial instability, and the gradual construction of the organizational stability that would define the team's later success. The franchise began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), competing in an era when professional football in Denver was far from certain to succeed. During these two decades, the Broncos moved from a poorly equipped expansion team with limited resources to a competitive organization capable of postseason appearances, including their first Super Bowl berth following the 1977 season. The period established Denver as a viable professional sports market and created the infrastructure that would support the franchise's long-term growth. Specific developments included the tenures of coaches Frank Filchock, Lou Saban, and Red Miller; the careers of players such as Floyd Little, Randy Gradishar, and Craig Morton; and the evolution of Bears Stadium into Mile High Stadium as the team's permanent home.
History
AFL Origins and the 1960s
The Denver Broncos were established in 1960 as one of eight founding members of the American Football League, a new league formed to challenge the National Football League's dominance over professional football in the United States.[1] The franchise's early years were difficult. Facilities were inadequate, finances were tight, and the team had no established infrastructure for scouting or player development. The Broncos played their home games at Bears Stadium, a baseball facility shared with minor league operations that seated roughly 34,000 and offered few amenities suited to professional football.[2]
Frank Filchock served as the franchise's first head coach, leading the team through the 1960 and 1961 seasons. His tenure produced losing records in both years, and the Broncos finished 4-9-1 in 1960 and 3-11 in 1961 before Filchock was dismissed.[3] The team's problems went beyond coaching. Denver couldn't consistently attract top professional talent, and the AFL itself was still fighting for credibility against the older league. Jack Faulkner replaced Filchock in 1962, and the Broncos showed modest improvement, finishing 7-7 that year before declining again. The team cycled through Mac Speedie and Ray Malavasi as head coaches across the mid-1960s, compiling a combined record that rarely gave fans reason for optimism. From 1960 through 1966, the Broncos posted only one winning season.
Still, the AFL's existence gave Denver something it couldn't have had otherwise: a professional team at all. The league's willingness to plant franchises in non-traditional markets meant cities like Denver, Buffalo, and Kansas City gained footholds in professional football before the NFL would have considered them viable. The AFL's competitive player market, including its own draft beginning in 1961 and aggressive signing of college talent, helped Denver slowly build its roster depth. The league's television contract with ABC also brought revenue that stabilized franchises like the Broncos during lean years.
The AFL-NFL Merger and the Saban Era
The AFL-NFL merger, announced in 1966 and fully completed in 1970, placed the Broncos in the American Football Conference's AFC West division alongside the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and later the Seattle Seahawks.[4] The transition changed the competitive landscape for Denver significantly. The AFC West was one of the league's tougher divisions, and the Broncos spent the early 1970s trying to find footing against established rivals. But before the merger was even complete, a key hire reshaped the franchise.
Lou Saban became head coach in 1967, not 1968 as sometimes cited, and his arrival represented a genuine shift in organizational culture.[5] Saban brought discipline and a structured approach to player development that the franchise had lacked since its founding. His first draft class included running back Floyd Little from Syracuse, a selection that proved transformative. Little went on to become one of the AFL's and early NFL's most productive runners, rushing for 6,323 yards in his Broncos career and earning a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2010.[6] A cornerstone. Little gave Denver an offensive identity it had never had.
Saban's tenure wasn't without instability. He stepped away from the head coaching role after the 1971 season, citing personal reasons, and John Ralston was hired in 1972. Ralston brought an energetic, college-oriented coaching style from Stanford, and his six seasons in Denver produced steady if unspectacular results. The Broncos posted three consecutive winning seasons from 1973 to 1976, a remarkable stretch for a franchise that had spent most of its existence below .500. Ralston's tenure also coincided with the drafting of several players who would form the core of the team's late-1970s success, including linebacker Randy Gradishar in 1974 and linebacker Tom Jackson in 1973.
The Orange Crush and the 1977 Season
Red Miller replaced Ralston as head coach in 1977, and the effect was immediate. The Broncos finished the regular season 12-2, won the AFC West division title, and advanced to Super Bowl XII, the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance.[7] That season made the team's defense famous. The unit, anchored by Gradishar, Jackson, linebacker Bob Swenson, cornerback Louis Wright, and safety Bill Thompson, became known as the "Orange Crush" for its aggressive style and the team's orange uniforms. The Orange Crush allowed the fewest points in the AFC that season and imposed a physical style that defined Denver football for the rest of the decade.
Craig Morton, acquired in a trade from the New York Giants in 1977, provided the leadership the quarterback position had long lacked in Denver. Morton had been a capable but inconsistent starter earlier in his career, but in Denver he found a system and a supporting cast that brought out his best football. He threw for 1,929 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season, managing games effectively rather than being asked to carry the offense on his own.[8] Wide receiver Haven Moses gave Morton a reliable target, catching 168 passes during his Broncos career and serving as a steadying influence in the locker room.
Super Bowl XII, played on January 15, 1978, in New Orleans, ended in a 27-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys' defense, led by Harvey Martin and Randy White (named co-MVPs), neutralized Morton effectively and exposed the Broncos' offensive limitations on the biggest stage.[9] Disappointing. But the season itself represented a watershed moment in franchise history, proving to Denver's fans and the broader NFL that the organization had become a legitimate contender.
The Late 1970s and the Close of an Era
The Broncos remained competitive through 1978 and 1979 under Red Miller, making a second playoff appearance in the 1978 season before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team's record slipped to 10-6 in 1978 and 10-6 again in 1979, respectable performances that showed the franchise wasn't a one-year wonder but also revealed that the Orange Crush defense was aging and that offensive inconsistency remained a problem.[10] By 1980, the team slipped to 8-8, and Miller was dismissed after the season. The franchise was transitioning again. But it was doing so from a position of credibility it hadn't possessed in 1960.
Bears Stadium, renamed Mile High Stadium in 1968 following significant expansion, grew to hold over 75,000 fans by the late 1970s, one of the largest capacities in the NFL.[11] The expansion reflected the franchise's commercial growth and the city's deepening investment in professional football. Season ticket waitlists developed during the 1977 season and persisted for decades afterward. That demand showed something concrete: Denver had become a football city.
Notable People
Players
Floyd Little remains the defining player of the franchise's first two decades. Drafted in the first round in 1967, Little played nine seasons in Denver, rushing for over 6,300 yards, making five Pro Bowl appearances, and leading the NFL in rushing in 1971 with 1,133 yards despite playing on a team with limited offensive talent around him.[12] His impact on the franchise extended beyond statistics. Little chose to stay in Denver during years when the team was struggling, lending stability and credibility to an organization that desperately needed both.
Randy Gradishar, drafted in the first round out of Ohio State in 1974, became the centerpiece of the Orange Crush defense. He played 10 seasons with the Broncos, recorded 20 interceptions, and was selected for seven Pro Bowls.[13] Gradishar's football IQ and consistency at middle linebacker set the tone for the defensive unit, and his long-overdue induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame came in 2024. Tom Jackson, who played alongside Gradishar as an outside linebacker from 1973 to 1986, brought a different energy: pass-rushing ability and vocal leadership that made him a fan favorite throughout his career.
Otis Armstrong, a running back drafted in the first round in 1973, led the AFC in rushing in 1974 with 1,407 yards, a franchise record at the time.[14] Injuries shortened his effectiveness after that peak season, but his 1974 performance remains one of the franchise's best individual offensive seasons of the era. Wide receiver Haven Moses played for Denver from 1972 to 1981, providing consistent production and serving as Craig Morton's primary target during the 1977 championship run.
Coaches
Lou Saban's contribution to the franchise is difficult to overstate despite a coaching tenure that spanned parts of only five seasons. Saban introduced systematic player development, overhauled the team's scouting approach, and identified Floyd Little in the 1967 draft, a selection that anchored the franchise for nearly a decade. His departure left a gap, but the organizational practices he established persisted under subsequent coaches.
Red Miller's impact was concentrated in a shorter window but was equally significant. He arrived in 1977 with a direct coaching style and an ability to manage veteran players effectively. Miller's decision-making during the 1977 season, particularly his management of the Orange Crush defense and his integration of Craig Morton, produced the best single season in franchise history to that point. His dismissal after 1980 closed the chapter on the franchise's first genuine competitive era.
Culture and Community Impact
The Broncos' existence proved important to Denver's civic identity in ways that became clearer over time. In a city where professional sports had a limited history before 1960, the team provided a consistent focal point for community attention through two decades of mostly mediocre and occasionally exciting football. Local newspapers, particularly the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, covered the team extensively even during losing years, building an audience that expanded rapidly when the team started winning.
Early attendance at Bears Stadium was modest, reflecting the team's poor performance and the facility's limited capacity. It wasn't a great environment. But expansion and renovation projects in the late 1960s and 1970s transformed the stadium into one of the NFL's largest venues, and the fanbase grew with it. The 1977 playoff run produced the loudest and most sustained enthusiasm Denver sports fans had shown for any team up to that point. Radio broadcasts carried games to rural Colorado communities hours from Denver, building a statewide fan base that the team still enjoys. Local businesses, schools, and civic organizations incorporated the Broncos into their own identities during the late 1970s, and the team's orange color scheme became shorthand for Denver itself.
By 1980, the franchise's transformation from an underfunded AFL curiosity to an NFL playoff contender reflected Denver's own growth from a mid-sized western city into a major metropolitan area. The two decades of Broncos football had built something durable: a fan culture, a competitive organization, and an expectation of excellence that would shape everything the franchise did afterward.[15]