During the years between the merger of the NFL and AFL in 1970 and the most recent years of the combined League’s history, no team has seen a bigger turnaround than the once-lackluster Denver Broncos. Their stadium at Mile-High sells out on a regular basis, and their presence in the NFL has led them from bottom of the basement American Football League results to the NFL Championship years. Fans who have studied the pathetic history of the team during its time in the AFL recognize just how dramatic the turnaround has been.

A New Team in Old Clothes

To get an idea of just how pathetic the old Broncos were, you only need to look at their early years. From their founding in 1959, the team’s owner never seemed to have the money on hand to provide even the barest of essentials for his players. They were forced to wear hand-me-down uniforms that were left over from college bowl games of past years, as well as hideous socks with vertical striped. Even Cindy Lauper’s garish sense of style at the peak of her career would have looked normal if seen next to a Broncos uniform. The only bright spot in the early years of the Broncos uniforms came in their third season when they quite publicly destroyed the socks in a fire – an event that was at least therapeutic for the players and fans.

The Early Years of the Team

It was not as though the team needed ridiculous clothing to elicit laughs in those days. Their play was often as hideous as the uniforms they wore. Perhaps the brightest spot in those early years came with the team’s 1967 AFL-first victory over an NFL opponent – though it was hardly a sign of great things to come. In fact, from the team’s founding until the merger of 1970, the Denver Broncos racked up the very worst record of any of the old AFL teams. They lost ninety-seven games, while winning only thirty-nine. It almost makes one wonder why the fans in Denver even bothered to purchase all of the season tickets in 1965 when the team was thinking about moving to another city.

From Famine to Feast

The Broncos first winning campaign would finally arrive in 1973.From that point onward it was a completely different franchise in Denver. With a total of seven championships in their division and four American Football Conference titles, the Broncos were at last a force with which to be reckoned. The 1997 season saw something no early fan of the team could have ever imagined. An aging John Elway led his Broncos team to a Super Bowl victory over a Packers team that had steamrolled through the League that year. The following years saw him repeat the feat and demonstrate that the Broncos could no longer be considered a laughingstock. As one of only six teams to have ever won consecutive Super Bowls, the Denver franchise now qualified as one of the elite in the NFL. The Broncos have indeed come a long way from the jeers and mocking laughter of yesteryear.

Author Bio: Ivan Jamison is a big sports fan. You can check out his Denver Broncos Watch or his Texas Rangers Watch or his Boston Red Sox Watch

Category: Sports
Keywords: Denver Broncos