An era of John Elway’s career came to an end in 1992, when head coach Dan Reeves was fired. Elway and Reeves didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but they had reached Super Bowls together in 1986, 1987 and 1989. Wade Phillips was elevated from defensive coordinator to the head coaching job. Elway picked up where he […]
The Denver Broncos came into the 1988 season looking to take the final step. They had gone to the Super Bowl in 1986 and 1987 behind the strong right arm of John Elway. Blowout losses had left a bad taste in the mouth and the Broncos made a bold move to get over the top, […]
The Dan Reeves era of Denver Broncos history had been an unquestionable success. Reeves, backed by the powerful right arm of John Elway, had taken the team to the playoffs six times from 1983-91, including three trips to the Super Bowl. But tensions between the coach and quarterback were mounting and when a promising season […]
The 1991 Denver Broncos were coming off an uncharacteristically down year. They had gone 5-11 in 1990, a hard crash after reaching three Super Bowls from 1986-89. The ‘91 Broncos bounced back strong with a playoff run. Head coach Dan Reeves had a pair of coordinators who would play big roles on eventual championship teams […]
The 1987 Denver Broncos gave their fans a season much like the one they saw in 1986. For the most part, that was extremely good. There was a run to the playoffs, a great year from quarterback John Elway and a thrilling victory in the AFC Championship Game. Unfortunately the ending was also familiar with […]
The time had arrived for the 1986 Denver Broncos. It was John Elway’s fourth year and his first three had been an appropriate mix of success and disappointment for a growing young quarterback. They had reached the playoffs in 1983 and 1984 and gone 11-5 in 1985. In 1986, the Broncos took the next step […]
The 1983 Denver Broncos ushered in the greatest era in the history of the franchise—the John Elway era. It had a lot of rocky moments, especially at the beginning. But by the end, they had made the playoffs and Elway was starting to flash the potential that would eventually take him to the Hall of […]
The Denver Broncos made the Super Bowl in 1977. They won an AFC West title in 1978. The 1979 Denver Broncos again made the playoffs, but a late slump to a wild-card and a quick exit continued the progressive decline and pointed to tougher days on the horizon. GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTSStart reading today. Head coach […]
John Elway’s Broncos were coming off consecutive playoff seasons in 1983-84, and they were on the threshold of an AFC dynasty, one that would reach three Super Bowls between 1986-89. The 1985 Denver Broncos were sort of dropped in the middle. They missed the playoffs due to a couple heartbreaking losses, but also finished 11-5 and only the weird balance of power in the AFC cost them a postseason spot.
The success came quickly for the Denver Broncos after they drafted John Elway in the spring of 1983. With Elway playing part-time as a rookie, the Broncos made the playoffs. With Elway as starter, they won the AFC West in 1984. They reached the Super Bowl in 1986 and 1987. After a brief step back to .500 in 1988, the 1989 Denver Broncos quickly returned to form—they went to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, even if the Lombardi Trophy itself managed to elude them.
It wasn’t an easy path for the 1978 Denver Broncos to get back to the playoffs. They got inconsistent play at quarterback and no go-to running back ever emerged. But a defense that was rugged an opportunistic helped them survive a competitive four-way race and win the AFC West.
The Denver Broncos got a long-overdue Super Bowl win in 1997 by going the wild-card route and then winning the Super Bowl itself as a double-digit underdog. The 1998 Denver Broncos completed a back-to-back run and they did it with considerably more authority, as John Elway completed his illustrious career.