10 Amazing Fun Facts About Broncos You Never Knew: Saddle Up for a Wild Ride!
1. Original Logo: An Emaciated Equine Mascot
Broncos enthusiasts, hold your horses: the team's original logo wasn't always a fierce horse with a mane that would make Fabio envious. Nay, it was a subpar stallion and a gridiron-unkempt jockey: The earlier logo depicted a gaunt, orange horse being ridden by an equally orange-clad football player. This emaciated equine mascot was eventually replaced by the striking "D" logo we know today, both designed by Edwin Taylor. Sadly, the only recognition Taylor received for his creations was a letter of thanks and a few Broncos mementos.
Source => kdvr.com
2. Orangish-Blue Uniforms: Inspired by the Cleveland Browns
When the Broncos put their game face on, it turns orangish-blue: The Denver Broncos ditched their old brown and gold uniforms in the early 1960s for a new color scheme inspired by head coach Jack Faulkner, who admired Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns' professionalism. Sporting the now-iconic orange, blue, and white ensemble, they debuted this flashy attire on September 7, 1962, in a home game against the San Diego Chargers. The helmet logo, initially a blue horse concocted by a local sportswriter, eventually traded its hue for white to step up its visibility game on black and white TVs of the time.
Source => denverbroncos.com
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3. Baseball Beginnings: Broncos' Minor League Connection
In a twist of Rocky Mountain high-dentity crisis: the Denver Broncos, reigning horse-lords of the football realm, can actually trace their lineage to the proud swing and thwack of Colorado's minor league baseball saga! That's right, sports fans: from 1947 to 1992, the mighty Bears/Zephyrs minor league baseball teams thrilled the masses, winning their way into history with twelve regular-season crowns and six majestic postseason championships, all while researching the dubious art of playing baseball a mile above sea level.
Source => denverpost.com
4. Mile High Home-Field Advantage: Roaring Crowds and Thin Air
While the acclimated athletes pummel pigskins in the thin air and the roaring crowd leaves opponents feeling a bit like Celine Dion at a death metal concert: the Denver Broncos boast a stellar home-field advantage at Empower Field at Mile High. This 76,125-seat football mecca opened in 2001 in Denver, Colorado, replacing the old Mile High Stadium, and has hosted countless events, including Barack Obama's iconic 2008 DNC acceptance speech, with a hefty $30 million renovation in 2012 for a shiny new HD LED video board that's added sparkle to the south end zone.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
5. Super Bowl 50: A Defensive Dream Team
In a twist that not even M. Night Shyamalan could concoct, the Denver Broncos pulled off a magnificent ensemble performance in Super Bowl 50 that could sweep entire award categories at the Oscars: Behold! They became the first NFL team to boast four defensive players (Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and Chris Harris Jr.) selected to the Pro Bowl in a single season, with Von Miller clinching the coveted Super Bowl MVP title for his 2.5 sack and two forced fumble extravaganza.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
6. The Broncos' Legacy: Three Super Bowl Championships
When they're not busy horsing around in the Mile High City, the Denver Broncos are galloping towards victory like a wild stampede: The team boasts three Super Bowl championships, enjoys the loyalty of the spirited "Broncos Country," and shares their stadium with events ranging from concerts to college football matches – all while being one of the original American Football League members that joined the NFL in 1970.
Source => professionalwomanmag.com
7. Mascot Mania: Thunder the Arabian Horse
From "wild horses couldn't drag me away" to "horses leading a stampede," the Denver Broncos truly horsed around with their audacious mascot choices, making sure neither pyrotechnics nor pom-poms could scare them off the gridiron: In fact, the Broncos' mascot, Thunder, has appeared in four Super Bowls, with three different purebred Arabian horses expertly trained by Sharon Magness-Blake taking the reins since 1993, dazzling fans before games, making appearances at public functions, and visiting hospitals and schools, all while exemplary handling the horsepower of a football stadium.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
8. Audi's Lunar Rover Connection: From Apollo to Quattro
Houston, we have an Audi: Audi's Super Bowl ad "The Commander" not only takes us on a nostalgic trip to NASA's Apollo program but showcases the carmaker's extraterrestrial ambitions. No mooning around, Audi has partnered with Google Lunar X Prize, developing the Audi Lunar Quattro rover, all set for a 2022 robotic mission to explore the Taurus-Littrow valley where Apollo 17 astronauts once roamed in their Lunar Roving Vehicle.
Source => news.yahoo.com
9. Fashion Stall: Broncos' 1997 Uniforms
Talk about a wardrobe unsnafu: The Denver Broncos' 1997 uniform redesign was considered a fashion forward leap, turning heads and dropping jaws, but has since remained an untamed stallion in the NFL aesthetic landscape. No horsing around: Despite expectations of their dapper duds to gallop and inspire new looks, the Broncos' unchanged uniforms of over 25 years may finally receive a makeover in 2024, bidding farewell to the iconic '97 threads that once broncobustered onto the scene.
Source => paullukas.substack.com
10. Triple Threat Against the Browns: Championships Galore
They say good things come in threes, and the Denver Broncos must have a horseshoe stuck somewhere with their hat trick of victories over the same rival: The Broncos have won eight AFC Championships in their history, and in a quirky twist of fate, three of those victories came against the Cleveland Browns in 1986, 1987, and 1989. The architect of these wins was none other than their legendary quarterback, John Elway, who masterfully led the Broncos to all eight championships and two Super Bowl titles before riding off into the sunset in 1998.
Source => denverbroncos.com