A Basic History of the Denver Broncos Football Team

The Denver Broncos are a professional football team that plays in the National Football League. The Broncos play in the West Division of the American Football Conference.

The Denver Broncos were founded in 1960 as part of the Western Division of the American Football League. In 1970, the team became a part of the AFC West, as a result of the AFL-NFL merger.

The Denver Broncos have won a total of ten Division Championships in 1977, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1998, and 2005. The Broncos have won the AFC Championship six times in 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, and 1998. The Broncos have won the Super Bowl twice, doing it back-to-back in 1997 and 1998.

The Denver Broncos called their home Mile High Stadium from 1960-2000, and have called home INVESCO Field at Mile High since 2001.

John Elway and Willie Brown are the only two former Broncos players to currently be enshrined in the National Football Hall of Fame. Elway was the quarterback for Denver from 1983-1998 and was inducted in 2004. Willie Brown played cornerback for the Broncos from 1963-1996. He was inducted in 1984, but Brown entered the Hall of Fame as an Oakland Raider.

The Denver Broncos have three retired jersey numbers. The players whose numbers have been retired are John Elway - 7, Frank Tripucka - 18, and Floyd Little - 44.

The Denver Broncos have a Ring of Fame that circles around the fifth level of their stadium. Twenty players and former owner Gerald Phipps are a part of the Ring of Fame. The players included in the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame are Goose Gonsoulin, Floyd Little, Lionel Taylor, Rich Jackson, Charley Johnson, Frank Tripucka, Paul Smith, Harry Balzak, Billy Thompson, Craig Morton, Jim Turner, Haven Moses, Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson, Louis Wright, John Elway, Dennis Smith, Karl Mecklenburg, Gary Zimmerman, and Steve Atwater.

The Denver Broncos are currently owned by Pat Bowlen. The head coach is Mike Shanahan, and the general manager is Ted Sundquist.

The official colors of the Denver Broncos are orange, navy blue, and white. The mascot's name is Miles.

The year 2007 has been a year of tragedies for the Denver Broncos and their fans. On New Year's Day, 24-year-old cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed while in a limousine.

Less than two months later, on February 24, 2007, running back Damien Nash collapsed after playing in charity basketball game. Nash died shortly after collapsing.