Denver Broncos Football Club, commonly referred to as Denver Broncos or simply Broncos, is one of the most iconic and successful football teams in the National Football League (NFL). Founded in 1959, the club is based in Denver, Colorado, USA, and plays its home matches at the famous Empower Field at Mile High, which has a seating capacity of over 76,000.
Denver Broncos has a rich history, boasting 3 Super Bowl titles, 8 AFC Championships, and numerous other division titles. The team enjoyed its most successful era under legendary quarterbacks John Elway and Peyton Manning, who led the Broncos to their Super Bowl victories.
Known for its dynamic style of play, the team has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe, Von Miller, and Champ Bailey. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, Denver Broncos remains one of the most valuable football teams in the NFL, with a dedicated fan base and a rich tradition that continues to impact American football.
Denver Broncos is one of the most popular football teams in the National Football League (NFL), with one of the highest average home attendances in the United States. The team states that its nationwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Denver Broncos Fan Club, in at least 24 states. The team takes advantage of this support through its nationwide summer training camps. Consulting firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Denver Broncos has millions of fans nationwide. The team ranks high in social media following among sports teams in the NFL, with over 4 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Denver Broncos had the loudest fans in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos was formed 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 were not successful in their early years in the AFL or in the NFL, where they did not have a winning season until 1973. However, four years later, they made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, but were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys.
In 1983, the Broncos drafted quarterback John Elway, who led the Broncos to six AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowls, winning two. Under Elway's leadership, the Broncos had a lot of success in the late 1980s and 1990s, including winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998.
After Elway's retirement in 1999, the Broncos struggled to find a consistent quarterback. Despite this, they had some success, including winning the Super Bowl in 2015 under quarterback Peyton Manning. However, since Manning's retirement in 2016, the Broncos have had a revolving door at quarterback and have struggled to find consistency. As of 2023, the Broncos are in the midst of a rebuilding phase, hoping to return to their former glory.
Originally funded by Bob Howsam, a minor league baseball owner, the Denver Broncos became part of the charter members of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. In 1965, a local ownership group which included Gerry Phipps bought the team and saved it from bankruptcy. Phipps and his brother Allen took full control of the team in 1971, investing significant financial resources into the team, and seeing it to its first Super Bowl appearance in 1977.
In 1981, the Phipps brothers sold the team to Pat Bowlen and his two brothers John Bowlen and Bill Bowlen for $78 million. Pat Bowlen became the majority owner with a 60% stake and took control of the team. Under Pat Bowlen's leadership, the Broncos enjoyed their most successful period, with numerous playoff appearances and three Super Bowl wins. Joe Ellis, a longtime executive of the Broncos, began taking over the day-to-day operations of the team when Pat Bowlen stepped down in 2014 due to Alzheimer's disease.
Following Pat Bowlen's death in 2019, ownership of the team passed to the Pat Bowlen Trust, which is overseen by three trustees, including Joe Ellis. The trust is tasked with passing down ownership to one of Pat Bowlen's seven children when the time is right. Eldest daughter, Brittany Bowlen, has expressed interest and is currently working as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for the team, positioning herself as the likely successor.
However, the future ownership of the Broncos remains uncertain with the team currently embroiled in a legal dispute involving some of Pat Bowlen's children challenging the validity of the trust. Meanwhile, the team continues to be one of the most valuable franchises in the NFL, contributing significantly to the economy of Denver and Colorado.
The Denver Broncos are one of the most successful clubs in the NFL in terms of trophies won. The club's first trophy was the AFL Championship, which they won in 1977. In 1986, the club won their first Conference Championship and won the Super Bowl for the first time the following year. Since then, they have gone on to win a total of 3 Super Bowl titles—and their total of 8 Conference Championships is impressive. Those titles have meant the club has appeared 3 times in the Super Bowl; of those 3 appearances, Denver Broncos have won 3 times.
Domestic
Denver Broncos: History https://www.denverbroncos.com/team/history/
Denver Broncos: Team Facts https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/den/
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