1967 Denver Broncos season | |
---|---|
Owner | Gerald Phipps |
General manager | Lou Saban |
Head coach | Lou Saban |
Home field | Bears Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 3–11 |
Division place | 4th AFL Western |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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 (sixth overall), was team captain in his rookie season. [1] After an opening win at home, the Broncos lost nine straight games, then split the last four.
Inter-league play between the AFL and NFL in the exhibition season began this year. In the first matchup on August 5, the Broncos defeated the Detroit Lions 13–7 and became the first AFL team to beat an NFL team. [2] [3] [4]
Before the season, the Broncos changed from orange helmets to blue helmets. [5]
Hired in December 1966, Saban left the University of Maryland after just one season; he had previously been an AFL head coach at Boston and Buffalo, where he won consecutive AFL titles. [6] [7] [8]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
| Reserve lists Practice squad
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 3 | Boston Patriots | W 26–21 | 1–0 | Bears Stadium | 35,488 | Recap |
2 | September 10 | at Oakland Raiders | L 0–51 | 1–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 25,423 | Recap |
3 | September 17 | at Miami Dolphins | L 21–35 | 1–2 | Orange Bowl | 29,381 | Recap |
4 | September 24 | New York Jets | L 24–38 | 1–3 | Bears Stadium | 35,365 | Recap |
5 | October 1 | at Houston Oilers | L 6–10 | 1–4 | Rice Stadium | 21,798 | Recap |
6 | October 8 | Buffalo Bills | L 16–17 | 1–5 | Bears Stadium | 35,188 | Recap |
7 | Bye | ||||||
8 | October 22 | San Diego Chargers | L 21–38 | 1–6 | Bears Stadium | 34,464 | Recap |
9 | October 29 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 9–52 | 1–7 | Municipal Stadium | 44,002 | Recap |
10 | November 5 | Oakland Raiders | L 17–21 | 1–8 | Bears Stadium | 29,043 | Recap |
11 | November 12 | Houston Oilers | L 18–20 | 1–9 | Bears Stadium | 30,392 | Recap |
12 | November 19 | at Buffalo Bills | W 21–20 | 2–9 | War Memorial Stadium | 30,891 | Recap |
13 | November 23 | at San Diego Chargers | L 20–24 | 2–10 | San Diego Stadium | 34,586 | Recap |
14 | December 3 | at New York Jets | W 33–24 | 3–10 | Shea Stadium | 61,615 | Recap |
15 | Bye | ||||||
16 | December 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–38 | 3–11 | Bears Stadium | 31,660 | Recap |
17 | Bye | ||||||
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
|
AFL Western Division | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
Oakland Raiders | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 6–0 | 468 | 233 | W10 | |
Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2–4 | 408 | 254 | W3 | |
San Diego Chargers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 4–2 | 360 | 352 | L4 | |
Denver Broncos | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0–6 | 256 | 409 | L1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Louis Henry Saban was an American football player and coach. He played for Indiana University in college and as a professional for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference between 1946 and 1949. Saban then began a long coaching career. After numerous jobs at the college level, he became the first coach of the Boston Patriots in the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. He joined the Buffalo Bills two years later, and led the team to consecutive AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. After serving briefly as head coach at the University of Maryland, he was hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos in 1967, where he remained for five years. Saban returned to the Bills—by then in the National Football League following the AFL–NFL merger—from 1972 to 1976, reaching the playoffs once but failing to bring Buffalo another championship.
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.
Ray Malavasi was an American football coach who served as head coach of two professional teams: the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams.
Tobin Cornelius Rote was an American football player who played quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL).
George William Wilson, Sr. was a professional football end and later a coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Detroit Lions and the American Football League (AFL)'s Miami Dolphins. Wilson attended and played football at Northwestern University. He went undrafted in 1937, before being signed by the Chicago Bears. Wilson played for ten seasons with the Bears, compiling overall record of 111 pass receptions, 1,342 receiving yards, and fifteen touchdowns. He was a member of the Bears during their five appearances in the National Football League Championship Game from 1940–1943 and 1946. Additionally, he was selected for the NFL All-Star Game from 1940–1942. He also played one season of professional basketball for the Chicago Bruins in 1939–40. Wilson won seven championships combined as a player and coach.
Mac Curtis Speedie was an American football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) for seven years before joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada. He later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos. A tall and quick runner whose awkward gait helped him deceive defenders and get open, Speedie led his league in receptions four times during his career and was selected as a first-team All-Pro six times. His career average of 800 yards per season was not surpassed until two decades after his retirement, and his per-game average of 50 yards went unequalled for 20 years after he left the game.
Robert "Red" Miller was an American football coach. He served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1980. In his first year as Denver's head coach, he led the 1977 Broncos to Super Bowl XII, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Miller was also the head coach of the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL) for one season, in 1983.
Steven Packer Preece is a former professional football player, a defensive back in the NFL for nine seasons, from 1969 to 1977. He played his college football at Oregon State, where he was a successful option quarterback.
Richard Samuel Jackson is a former American football player. He played college football for Southern University. Jackson played for the American Football League's Oakland Raiders in 1966 and the AFL Denver Broncos from 1967 through 1969. He played for the NFL Broncos in 1970 through 1971, and the NFL Cleveland Browns in 1972. Jackson was All-Pro in 1969 and 1970.
Stephen Michael Tensi is a former professional American football quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Diego Chargers (1965–1966) and the Denver Broncos (1967–1970).
The 1969 Denver Broncos season was the team's tenth season as a franchise, and their final season in the American Football League (AFL) before the league merged with the National Football League (NFL). Led by third-year head coach and general manager Lou Saban, the Broncos were 5–8–1, fourth place in the AFL West for the seventh straight season.
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.
The 1971 Denver Broncos season was the team's 12th season in professional football and second in the National Football League (NFL). Led by fifth-year head coach and general manager Lou Saban, the Broncos finished the season with four wins, nine losses, and one tie, again fourth in the AFC West. Fifth-year running back Floyd Little became the thirteenth in professional football history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season; the future hall of famer ran for 1,133 yards, averaging four yards per carry.
The 1976 Denver Broncos season was the team's 17th year in professional football and its seventh with the National Football League (NFL). The team finished the season with a winning record for the third time in the last four seasons. It was John Ralston's fifth and final season as the Broncos' head coach and general manager.
The 1981 Denver Broncos season was the team's 22nd year in professional football and its 12th with the National Football League (NFL). Led by first-year head coach Dan Reeves, the Broncos were 10–6, tied for first in the AFC West, but failed to make the postseason again due to their loss to the Buffalo Bills, who gained the final berth.
The 1967 Detroit Lions season was the 38th season in franchise history. On August 5, the Lions met the Denver Broncos in the first inter-league exhibition game. The Broncos beat the Lions 13–7 to become the first AFL team to beat an NFL team.
Charles Alan Pastrana was an American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Maryland from 1965 to 1968. In 1966, he set the Atlantic Coast Conference record for single-season passing touchdowns with 17. At Maryland, Pastrana also played on the lacrosse team and was named a first-team All-American defenseman in 1966. The Denver Broncos of the National Football League selected Pastrana in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL Draft. He played for Denver for two seasons, including three games as the starting quarterback. After his playing career, Pastrana coached football, lacrosse and wrestling at Anne Arundel Community College, where he taught as an associate professor, and coached football at the Severn School.
The 1964 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Dee Andros and were an independent in the NCAA's University Division. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
The 1965 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1965 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by first-year head coach Steve Musseau and played in the Big Sky Conference for the first time; they played the previous six seasons as an independent in the NCAA University Division. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
The 1966 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by second-year head coach Steve Musseau and played a second season in the Big Sky Conference, but remained in the NCAA University Division. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.