Sports in Denver

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This is a list of sports in Denver, Colorado, United States. Denver is home to many professional sports teams who are based out of Denver and surrounding cities in the metropolitan area. It is also one of the twelve American cities to house a team from each of the U.S. cities with teams from four major league sports. All four of its teams play their home games near downtown with three active sports venues which includes Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos; Ball Arena, home of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets; and Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. There is also a Major League Soccer (MLS) team based in the Denver metro area (Colorado Rapids), but they do not play their home games in the city of Denver; the team is located in nearby Commerce City.

Contents

Denver, and the wider metropolitan area, is home to six college sports teams with two schools having NCAA Division I programs and four schools with NCAA Division II programs. The Division I Colorado Buffaloes are located in Boulder which is part of the metro area while the Denver Pioneers are located in Denver. Division II Metro State Roadrunners and Regis Rangers are also located in Denver, while Colorado Christian University and the Colorado School of Mines are located in the western Denver suburbs of Lakewood and Golden respectively.

Major league professional teams

Empower Field at Mile High Empower Field at Mile High 20241001.jpg
Empower Field at Mile High
Coors Field Coors field aerial 1.JPG
Coors Field
Ball Arena Pepsi Center, Denver.jpg
Ball Arena
Dick's Sporting Goods Park Dick's Sporting Goods Park wide angle.jpg
Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Denver is the least populous of the 13 U.S. cities with teams from four major sports.

The Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) have drawn crowds of over 70,000 since their AFL origins in the early 1960s at Mile High Stadium and continue to draw fans today to their current home Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos have sold out every home game (except for strike-replacement games) since 1970. The Broncos last championship was in 2016, defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. In total, the Broncos have advanced to the Super Bowl eight times and won back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999, and again in 2015.

In the 1980s and 90s, one of the top priorities of former Mayor Federico Peña was bringing Major League Baseball to the city. In 1993, the MLB awarded an expansion team to Denver and they were named the Colorado Rockies. Mile High Stadium was home to the Rockies from 1993 to 1995 while Coors Field was under construction. They appeared in their first World Series in 2007 after winning their first NL pennant, their only one to this day, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox of the American League in four games.

The Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) play at Ball Arena. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA) but changed its name to the Denver Rockets before their first season. They changed their name to the Denver Nuggets in 1974. The team joined the NBA in 1976 after the ABA-NBA merger. They made their first NBA finals appearance in May of 2023, after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. In the 2023 NBA Finals, the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games to win their first NBA title in franchise history.

Denver is also home to the Colorado Avalanche, a National Hockey League (NHL) team that relocated from Quebec City in 1995. They have won three Stanley Cups in 1996, 2001 and in 2022 while playing in Denver, and they also play at Ball Arena. The Avalanche played the Detroit Red Wings in the first ever outdoor professional hockey game in Denver on Saturday, February 27, 2016, at Coors Field and again against the Los Angeles Kings at the Air Force Academy on Saturday, February 15, 2020. [1]

The Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer (MLS) play at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a soccer-specific stadium in the Denver suburb of Commerce City. The Rapids were one of the ten founding teams of Major League Soccer that began play in 1996, and initially played at what was then known as Invesco Field at Mile High before moving into their current home in 2007. The Rapids won the MLS Cup in 2010. The Rapids' main rival is Real Salt Lake, and the two teams play every year for the Rocky Mountain Cup. Dick's Sporting Goods Park has also hosted several international soccer matches, including U.S. national team qualifying matches for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

ClubSportLeagueVenueCapacitySinceNotes
Denver Broncos Football NFL Empower Field at Mile High 76,1251960The Denver Broncos started in the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 and didn't join the NFL until 1970 after the AFL–NFL Merger
Denver Nuggets Basketball NBA Ball Arena 19,5021967The Denver Nuggets began playing in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and didn't join the NBA until 1976 after the ABA–NBA merger
Colorado Rockies Baseball MLB Coors Field 46,8971993The Colorado Rockies are a 1993 MLB expansion team. They began playing at Mile High Stadium until 1995
Colorado Avalanche Ice hockey NHL Ball Arena 17,8091995The Colorado Avalanche began in Quebec City as the Quebec Nordiques in 1972. They began playing in the World Hockey Association (WHA) and didn't join the NHL until 1979
Colorado Rapids Soccer MLS Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,0611996The Colorado Rapids are one of the original MLS teams that began playing in 1996. They played at Mile High Stadium until 2001
Colorado Mammoth Box Lacrosse NLL Ball Arena 17,8092003The Colorado Mammoth began as the Baltimore Thunder in 1987 and then became the Pittsburgh CrosseFire in 2000, then moved to Washington D.C. in 2001 to become the Washington Power until relocating to Denver in 2003
Denver Outlaws Field Lacrosse PLL Cross Country Playing- No Specific Field-2024 Denver Outlaws, former Major League Lacrosse team (2006–2020), ceased operations after the MLL–PLL merger. Then in 2024 the Denver Outlaws took place of the former team Chrome as a part of the home city PLL expansion.

Top tier amateur teams

Denver and the wider metro area is also home to other professional sports teams.

TeamLeagueVenueNotes
Glendale Merlins Pacific Rugby Premiership Infinity Park The Glendale Merlins began as the Colorado Raptors and were the Glendale Raptors until 2017. They include a men's team in the Pacific Rugby Premiership and a women's team in the Women's Premier League. Its top side team played in Major League Rugby from 2018 to 2020.
Centennial Tigers U.S. Australian Football LeagueSweetwater ParkThe Centennial Tigers are a defunct women's amateur team that are based out of Lone Tree [2]
Denver Barbarians USA Rugby Infinity Park The Denver Barbarians were founded in 1967 and are currently competing in USA Rugby
Denver Highlanders RFC USA Rugby Jacob Park The Denver Highlanders were founded in 1968 and a perennially competitive Rugby Football men’s club
Denver Bulldogs U.S. Australian Football League Veterans ParkThe Denver Bulldogs consist of a men's team and a women's team

College sports teams

Former teams

Mile High Stadium was Empower Field's predecessor. Mile High Stadium on July 13, 1995.jpg
Mile High Stadium was Empower Field's predecessor.

Event hosting

Local events

"Big Four" events

International events

Other events

Detailed information by team

Current teams

ClubLeagueVenueChampionshipsSince
DivisionConferenceLeague
Centennial Tigers USAFL Sweetwater Park02020
Colorado Avalanche NHL McNichols Sports Arena (1995–1999)
Ball Arena (1999–present)
123Stanley Cups: 3

President's Trophies: 3

1995
Colorado Mammoth NLL Ball Arena (2003–present)32 [lower-alpha 1] 22003
Colorado Rapids MLS Mile High Stadium (1996–2001)
Invesco Field at Mile High (2002–2006)
Dick's Sporting Goods Park (2007–present)
2MLS Cups: 1

U.S. Open Cups: 0

1996
Colorado Rockies MLB (NL)Mile High Stadium (1993–1994)
Coors Field (1995–present)
0Pennants: 101993
Denver Barbarians Pacific Rugby Premiership
Rugby Super League (United States) (1997–2012)
Infinity ParkDivision DI: 1
RSL: 1
Division DII: 1
1967
Denver Broncos AFL (1960–1969)
NFL (1970–present)
Mile High Stadium (1960–2000)
Empower Field at Mile High (2001–present)
AFL: 0
NFL: 15
AFL: 0
NFL: 8
AFL: 0
NFL: 3
1960
Denver Bulldogs USAFLVeterans Park (1999–present)Men's Team: 8
Women's Team: 6
1999
Denver Nuggets ABA (1967–1976)
NBA (1976–present)
Denver Coliseum (1967–1975)
McNichols Sports Arena (1975–1999)
Ball Arena (1999–present)
ABA: 2
NBA: 10
ABA: 0
NBA: 1
ABA: 0
NBA: 1
1967
Glendale Merlins
(Glendale Raptors, 2007–2017)
Pacific Rugby Premiership Infinity Park (2007–2017)Men's Team: 3
Women's Team: 2
2007

College teams

SchoolTeamLeagueVenueChampionshipSince
DivisionConferenceNational
University of Denver Denver Pioneers NCAA Division I University of Denver Arena (1948–1998)
Magness Arena (1999–present)
Hockey tournaments: 18
Final Frozen Four: 19
NCAA total: 35

Hockey 10
Men's lacrosse 1
Skiing 14

Co-ed
Skiing 10
1925

Former teams

ClubLeagueVenueChampionshipPlayed
DivisionConferenceLeague
Colorado Crush AFL Pepsi Center 2112003–2008
Colorado Raptors (2020)
Glendale Raptors (2018–2019)
MLR Infinity Park02018–2020 [lower-alpha 2]
Colorado Rockies NHLMcNichols Arena0001976–1982
Denver Bears (Western League) Western League Western League (1885-1899) Pennants: 2
Class titles: 5
1885–1954
Denver Cutthroats CHL Denver Coliseum02012–2014
Denver Dynamite AFLMcNichols Arena11987–1991
Denver Dynamite (soccer) PASL-Pro (2008–2010)
PASL-Premier
Denver Sports Center (2008)
Denver Bladium (2009)
Westridge Recreation Center (2010–2011)
Apex Field House (2012–2014)
Parker Fieldhouse (2009, 2014–2015)
002008–2015
Denver Grizzlies IHL McNichols Arena111994–1995
Denver Nuggets NBL (1948–1949)
NBA (1949–1950)
Also played in other leagues
Denver Auditorium Arena AAU tournament: 31932–1951
Denver Outlaws MLL Empower Field at Mile High (2006–2019)
Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium (2019)
232006–2020
Denver Spurs WHL (1968–1974)
CHL (1974–1975)
WHA (1975–1976)
Denver Coliseum (1968–1975)
McNichols Arena (1975–1976)
11968–1976
Denver Stampede PRO Rugby CIBER Field 12016
Denver Zephyrs
Denver Bears (1955–1983)
American Association (1955–1962, 1969–1992)
PCL (1963–1968)
Mile High StadiumClass titles: 2
League titles: 7
1955–1992

See also

Notes

  1. NLL began conference play in the 2021–22 season
  2. Team withdrew from league in 2020

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Rockies</span> Major League Baseball franchise in Denver, Colorado

The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Field, which is located in the Lower Downtown area of Denver. The club is owned by the Monfort brothers and managed by Bud Black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Avalanche</span> National Hockey League team in Denver, Colorado

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Ball Arena, which it shares with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Denver Nuggets and Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball Arena</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Denver

Ball Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Interstate 25. A light rail station is on the western side of the complex. Opened in 1999, it is the home arena of the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empower Field at Mile High</span> Home stadium of the Denver Broncos

Empower Field at Mile High is an American football stadium in Denver. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. The venue was previously home of the Denver Outlaws lacrosse team and the Colorado Rapids soccer team. It has also played host to countless concerts and served as the venue for Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coors Field</span> Baseball stadium in Denver, Colorado

Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The stadium has a capacity of 50,144 people for baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mile High Stadium</span> Former stadium in Denver, Colorado, US

Mile High Stadium was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McNichols Sports Arena</span> Demolished indoor arena in Denver, Colorado

McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTVD</span> TV station in Denver

KTVD is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate KUSA. The two stations share studios on East Speer Boulevard in Denver's Speer neighborhood; KTVD's transmitter is located atop Lookout Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Arena</span>

The Blue Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Loveland, Colorado, 55 mi (89 km) northeast of Denver. It has 24 luxury suites, 777 club seats and 6,800 general admission seats. The arena is located on The Ranch Events Complex and is owned by Larimer County, Colorado. The facility and ticket sales are managed by OVG360. It is home to the AHL Colorado Eagles ice hockey team and is the former home of the Colorado Lightning indoor soccer team, the Colorado Chill women's basketball team, and the Denver Dream women's football team. It was also home to the Colorado Ice/Crush indoor football team from 2007 until 2017 and will serve as home of the Colorado Spartans starting in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeltaPlex Arena</span> Former sports facility

The DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center was a 5,500-seat multipurpose arena in Walker, Michigan, United States. It was the home of the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League and the Grand Rapids Wanderers of the Major Arena Soccer League 3. Built in 1952 as The Stadium Arena, the facility was purchased and renovated in the 1990s and was renamed The DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center in 1998. The venue hosted many sporting events, political events, national touring concerts, and expos. The arena was a 23,000-square-foot (2,000 m2) space with a 52-foot (16 m) ceiling, and could accommodate up to 8,000 people for concerts. The DeltaPlex was purchased by Visser Brothers Inc. and officially closed on July 31, 2022 to be converted into warehouse space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altitude Sports and Entertainment</span> American regional sports network

Altitude Sports and Entertainment is an American regional sports cable and satellite television channel owned by Stan Kroenke's Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. The channel, which serves the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, features a mix of professional, collegiate, and high school sporting events as well as some entertainment-based programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Kroenke</span> American sports team owner (born 1947)

Enos Stanley Kroenke is an American billionaire businessman. He is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal F.C. of the Premier League and Arsenal W.F.C. of the Women's Super League, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of MLS, Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League, the Los Angeles Gladiators of the Overwatch League, and the Los Angeles Guerrillas of the Call of Duty League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kroenke Sports & Entertainment</span> American sports and entertainment company

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) is an American sports and entertainment holding company based in Denver, Colorado. Originally known as Kroenke Sports Enterprises, it was started in 1999 by businessman Stan Kroenke to be the parent company of his sports holdings. Today, the company has control of over five professional sport franchises, and one football club that has two teams: Arsenal F.C. and Arsenal W.F.C., four stadiums, two professional esports franchised teams, four television channels, an internet TV channel, & 19 magazines which operate under the badge Outdoor Sportsman Group, four radio stations which operate under the badge KSE Radio Ventures, LLC, Elitch Gardens an Amusement Park in downtown Denver, and websites

The following is a list of the professional sports teams that have played games and been based in the state of Colorado:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Roach</span> American sports announcer

Kelly James Burnham, known professionally as Alan Roach, is an American sports announcer and radio personality. He currently is the public address announcer for the Minnesota Vikings, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids. Roach is also the official public address announcer of the Super Bowl, the voice of NFL events worldwide, and a public address announcer at 5 Olympic Games. He is one of the current voices of the underground train system in Denver International Airport. His announcing credits include 13 Super Bowls, 5 Olympic gold medal hockey games, and multiple All-Star games for the National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. He also serves as the announcer in EA Sports' since Madden NFL 21, as well as the FIFA series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Colorado</span>

This list of sports in the U.S. State of Colorado includes professional teams, college sports, and individual sports from the Denver Metropolitan Area and other cities.

AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain was an American regional sports network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit as part of the AT&T SportsNet brand of networks. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the network broadcast regional coverage of sports events throughout the Rocky Mountain region, mainly focusing on professional sports teams based in the Denver metropolitan area, Utah and Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSU Denver Roadrunners</span> Athletic teams representing MSU of Denver

The MSU Denver Roadrunners are the athletic teams that represent Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Roadrunners participate in 15 intercollegiate sports and compete in the Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Atlanta</span>

Sports in Atlanta has a rich history, including the oldest on-campus NCAA Division I football stadium, Bobby Dodd Stadium, built in 1913 by the students of Georgia Tech. Atlanta also played host to the second intercollegiate football game in the South, played between the A&M College of Alabama and the University of Georgia in Piedmont Park in 1892; this game is now called the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. The city hosts college football's annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Peachtree Road Race, the world's largest 10 km race. Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics, and Downtown Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park was built for and commemorates the games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Phoenix</span>

Sports in Phoenix include several professional sports franchises, and until 2024, was one of only 13 U.S. cities to have representatives of all four major professional sports leagues, although only one of these teams actually carry the city name and play within the city limits. Phoenix was the last of the metropolitan areas with teams in all four leagues to gain its first major professional sports team, when the Suns were granted a franchise in 1968.

References

  1. "Avalanche to Host Outdoor Game in 2016". nhl.com. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  2. "Centennial Tigers Australian Rules Football Club". centennialtigers.com. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  3. Exploratory Committee Formed For Denver 2022 Bid
  4. GB Editor (January 14, 2010). "Reno-Tahoe 2022 Olympic Bid Gets "Shot In The Arm"". GamesBids.com. Retrieved 2009-01-20.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)

39°44′21″N104°59′06″W / 39.7392°N 104.9850°W / 39.7392; -104.9850 (Denver)