1968 Denver Broncos season

Last updated

1968 Denver Broncos season
Owner Gerald Phipps
General managerLou Saban
Head coach Lou Saban
Home field Mile High Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division place4th AFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1968 Denver Broncos season was the ninth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). Led by second-year head coach and general manager Lou Saban, the Broncos improved their record from the previous season by posting a record of five wins and nine losses. They finished fourth in the AFL's Western division for the sixth straight season; the expansion Cincinnati Bengals finished fifth, allowing Denver to escape the cellar.

Contents

There were threats of the Broncos relocating to Atlanta, Chicago, and Birmingham, Alabama. [1]

The 1968 season was the first in which Denver wore blue helmets with the trademark orange "D" logo; the helmets remained the same until the 1997 season. [2]

In 1968, Bears Stadium was sold to the city of Denver, which renamed it "Mile High Stadium" and built the upper deck along the west side, raising capacity to 50,657. [3]

Offseason

NFL/AFL Draft

1968 Denver Broncos draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
231 Curley Culp  *   Defensive tackle Arizona State
358 Garrett Ford   Running back West Virginia
375 Bob Vaughn   Tackle Ole Miss
491 Gordon Lambert   Linebacker Tennessee-Martins
4102 Drake Garrett   Defensive back Michigan State
4111 Gus Hollomon   Defensive back Houston
8196Steve Holloway  Defensive back Weber State
9222 Paul Smith  *  Defensive end New Mexico
10252Bob Langford  Tackle Middle Tennessee
12304Bobby Hendrix  Tackle Ole Miss
13330 Charlie Greer   Defensive back Colorado
14357 Marlin Briscoe  *  Quarterback Nebraska-Omaha
15386Jeff Kuhman  Linebacker Vermont
16412Adin Brown  Linebacker William & Mary
17438Steve Grady  Running back USC
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1968 Denver Broncos staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches



Roster

1968 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Source:

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1 Bye
2September 15at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–240–1 Nippert Stadium 25,049 Recap
3September 22at Kansas City Chiefs L 2–340–2 Municipal Stadium 45,821 Recap
4September 29 Boston Patriots L 17–200–3 Mile High Stadium 37,024 Recap
5October 6 Cincinnati Bengals W 10–71–3Mile High Stadium41,257 Recap
6October 13at New York Jets W 21–132–3 Shea Stadium 62,052 Recap
7October 20at San Diego Chargers L 24–552–4 San Diego Stadium 42,953 Recap
8October 27 Miami Dolphins W 21–143–4Mile High Stadium44,115 Recap
9November 3at Boston Patriots W 35–144–4 Fenway Park 18,304 Recap
10November 10 Oakland Raiders L 7–434–5Mile High Stadium50,002 Recap
11November 17at Houston Oilers L 17–384–6 Astrodome 36,075 Recap
12November 24 Buffalo Bills W 34–325–6Mile High Stadium35,201 Recap
13December 1 San Diego Chargers L 23–475–7Mile High Stadium35,212 Recap
14December 8at Oakland Raiders L 27–335–8 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 47,754 Recap
15December 14 Kansas City Chiefs L 7–305–9Mile High Stadium38,463 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

[4]

Standings

AFL Western Division
WLTPCTDIVPFPASTK
Oakland Raiders 1220.8576–2453233W8
Kansas City Chiefs 1220.8577–1371170W5
San Diego Chargers 950.6435–3382310L2
Denver Broncos 590.3571–7275404L3
Cincinnati Bengals 3110.2141–7215329L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Browns</span> National Football League franchise in Ohio

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The Browns play their home games at Cleveland Browns Stadium, which opened in 1999, with administrative offices and training facilities in Berea, Ohio. The Browns' official club colors are brown, orange, and white. They are unique among the 32 member franchises of the NFL in that they do not have a logo on their helmets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denver Broncos</span> National Football League franchise in Denver, Colorado

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England Patriots</span> National Football League franchise in Foxborough, Massachusetts

The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The Patriots play home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Boston. The franchise is owned by Robert Kraft, who purchased the team in 1994. As of 2023, the Patriots are tied for the third most valuable sports team in the world and have sold out every home game since 1994.

Stephen Dennis Atwater is an American former professional football player who spent most of his career playing free safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a Broncos secondary that was known for their ferocious hits on opposing players. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion. Atwater was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2020.

The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee. The newly renamed Tennessee Oilers played their home games during this season at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee while construction of a new stadium in Nashville started. Houston would rejoin the NFL with the expansion Texans in 2002.

The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts played their final season in Baltimore before the team's relocation to Indianapolis the following season. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38–9 at Tampa Stadium in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 NFL season</span> 1981 National Football League season

The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 26–21 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan.

The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. The Dolphins not only led the NFL in points scored, while their defense led the league in fewest points allowed, the roster also featured two running backs who gained 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.

The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first after the consummation of the AFL–NFL merger. The merged league realigned into two conferences: all ten of the American Football League (AFL) teams joined the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers to form the American Football Conference (AFC); the other thirteen NFL clubs formed the National Football Conference (NFC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Denver Broncos season</span> NFL team season

The 1997 season was the Denver Broncos' 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 38th overall. The Broncos finished the season with a record of 12–4, finishing second in the AFC West, and winning Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos were the second wild card team since the 1970 merger to win a Super Bowl, joining the 1980 Oakland Raiders.

The history of the Denver Broncos American football club began when the team was chartered a member of the American Football League in 1960. The Broncos have played in the city of Denver, Colorado throughout their entire history. The Broncos did not win any titles as members of the AFL. Since the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the Broncos have won 15 division titles, and played in eight Super Bowls, following the 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013, and 2015 seasons. They won Super Bowl XXXII, Super Bowl XXXIII and Super Bowl 50. Their most famous player is former quarterback John Elway, starting quarterback in five Super Bowls and holder of many NFL records. The Broncos currently play in the National Football League's AFC West division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 American Football League season</span> American Football League season

The 1968 AFL season was the ninth regular season of the American Football League, and its penultimate season prior to the AFL–NFL merger.

The 1967 AFL season was the eighth regular season of the American Football League.

The 1966 AFL season was the seventh regular season of the American Football League. The league began its merger process with the National Football League (NFL) in June, which took effect fully in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Denver Broncos season</span> NFL team season

The 1996 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League, the 37th overall and their 2nd under head coach Mike Shanahan. The Broncos improved on their 8–8 record from 1995 and finished the season with a 13–3 record. They also clinched the AFC West for the first time since 1991, and earning the top seed in the AFC Playoffs.

The 1968 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's inaugural season. Their head coach was Paul Brown, who left the Cleveland Browns following the 1962 season with National Football League (NFL) record of 115–49–6, seven conference titles, and three NFL championships. His son Mike Brown did a study on pro football expansion and recommended Cincinnati as a potential site. In 1965, Brown met with Governor of Ohio James Rhodes and the two agreed the state could accommodate a second pro football team. The team recorded its first win in franchise history in week 2 with a 24–10 victory over the Denver Broncos.

The 1962 Denver Broncos season was the third season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). They finished with their best record of the decade with seven wins and seven losses, finishing second in the AFL's Western Division. The Broncos started the season strong with a record of 6–1, but went in reverse in the second half of the season with a 1–6 record. Despite this, head coach Jack Faulkner was named AFL Coach of the Year.

The 1963 Denver Broncos season was the fourth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). They finished with a record of two wins, eleven losses, and one tie, and finished fourth in the AFL's Western Division, and also the worst record in the league. The Broncos went winless in their final 10 games of the season.

The 1964 Denver Broncos season was the fifth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). For the second straight season, they finished with a record of two wins, eleven losses, and one tie, and finished last in the AFL's Western Division.

The 1967 Denver Broncos season was the eighth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). Led by first-year head coach and general manager Lou Saban, the Broncos posted a record of three wins and eleven losses, last in the AFL's Western division. Running back Floyd Little, a first round draft choice, was team captain in his rookie season. After an opening win at home, the Broncos lost nine straight games, then split the last four.

References

  1. Sports Illustrated, July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
  2. Saccomano, Jim (August 7, 2022). "Sacco Sez: How the orange and blue began". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Chiefs top Denver, clinch Western tie". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 15, 1968. p. 2B.