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11-09-2005, 10:25 AM
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#1 |
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armed
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,771
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Orange Crush:The History
When did all the excitement over the Denver Broncos really begin? What incited Denver's status as such a sports town? Here is a little history to provide you with some insight, brought to you in an excellent article in today's Denver Post. You will find it here.
http://63.147.65.205/Stories/0,1413,...831678,00.html to long to post the whole thing |
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11-09-2005, 10:30 AM
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#2 | |
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Armchair Poster
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Topeka, KS
Posts: 22,044
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11-09-2005, 10:32 AM
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#3 |
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armed
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,771
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Its a really interesting read,cant wait for part two
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11-09-2005, 10:34 AM
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#4 |
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RIP Darrent Williams
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Glendale, AZ
Posts: 17,915
Adopt-a-Bronco: Paul Ernster |
Good stuff, thanks.
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11-09-2005, 12:22 PM
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#5 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,312
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I deleted my duplicate thread...thanks ludo.
As I mentioned great article but I believe the Broncomania roots run much deeper. I wasn't born until 74 but I did watch the OrangeMonday game of 1973 recently. Broncos vs Raiders home game. We hadn't beaten those punks but 4 or 5 times until that day. B-love correct me if I'm wrong. You are the historian around here. Seems to me this city was already raging with Broncomania back then and 77 just put things over the top. |
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11-09-2005, 12:27 PM
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#6 | |
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RIP Darrent Williams
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Glendale, AZ
Posts: 17,915
Adopt-a-Bronco: Paul Ernster |
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no prob. This kind of article deserves multiple threads over the TO crap. I wish i could see those old games. I have watched a couple, but those were in opera music with many cut ins. i just want a whole game tape. |
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11-09-2005, 12:31 PM
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#7 |
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lets go partner
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lakewood,Colo
Posts: 41,221
Adopt-a-Bronco: Woodyard |
I just read it twice for nothing?...
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11-09-2005, 12:33 PM
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#8 | |
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RIP Darrent Williams
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Glendale, AZ
Posts: 17,915
Adopt-a-Bronco: Paul Ernster |
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11-09-2005, 12:37 PM
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#9 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 4,266
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Yeah the Orange Crush thing of '77 is a little over-romaticisized.
The fact is the moniker Orange Crush was first used in late 1975. I remember the nationally televised season finale at the Orange Bowl, against the Dolphins, and the announcers said Orange Crush a few times that day. I was 10, about to turn 11 and I remember it like it was yesterday. "Orange Crush" was also thrown around most of the 1976 season as well. So the miniker was there well before that game in Oakland in '77. And Meck is right, the idea that we could not compete with Oakland until that October '77 game is wrong too. Throughout the early '70's, we played Oakland tough for the most part, especially out in their park. Charlie Johnson had a monster game in his first ever start for the Broncos as we beat Oakland 30-23, after taking a 30-6 lead. That game was in 1972. We also discussed this recently with Bell and MA going over 100 yards in the same regular season game, as the last time it had been done was in 1976. That time involved Norris Weese, a QB,and Otis Armstrong. The last time it was truly done by two RB's was in 1974, in Oakland, when Otis Armstrong and Jon Keyworth both went over 100 yards and killed the Raiders to the tune of 300 yards rushing. Broncos won 20-17 that day. And most of the other games between Denver and Oakland in the early to mid 70's were very competitive football games. They were not the mercy killings that most would have you believe. |
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11-09-2005, 12:39 PM
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#10 | |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Western NC mountains
Posts: 15,062
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11-09-2005, 12:43 PM
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#11 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,312
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Thanks for the clarification B-love. Well atleast Jim Armstrong took the time to shed some light on the history of the team. Obviously this subject is not clear cut and can be interpreted many ways but from what little I've seen of the early games of the 70's Broncomania was alive and well before 77.
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11-09-2005, 12:44 PM
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#12 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 4,266
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The most underrated Broncos Raiders game occured in 1973 on the final Sunday of the NFL season. Most Broncos fanatics don't even remember that we played Oakland straight up for the AFC West crown on the final Sunday of the 1973 season.
Oakland entered that game with an 8-4-1 record while Denver entered with a 7-4-2 record. One of Denver ties was the famous "Orange Monday" game that Meck references above. That was the first great game in Broncos history. Anyway, the Raiders beat the Broncos 21-17 on that final Sunday in '73 to steal the title from us. Most people like to hype the 77 team as the first good team in Broncos history, but there was another Division Champion caliber team, that lost the division title by merely 4 pts. The 1973 team. |
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11-09-2005, 12:44 PM
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#13 | |
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Old School Orange
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Anywhere, CO.
Posts: 8,642
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the consecutive sellout streak started a few years before '77, and '76 was a winning season. my father and plenty of others were die hard from year one. my dad went to a couple games the very first season. granted there wasnt "broncomania" back then, but that was the roots. as for true broncomania, i agree it started before 1977, though 1977 is when it was at its strongest and best. the m&m connection. the orange crush defense. the dominating 3-4. orange fever. bronco players on cans of orange crush. sea of orange in the stadium. people painting their houses orange. it started before 1977, but 1977 was something truly amazing. i wish i had more than just vague memories (i was only 6!!) of it. jake |
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11-09-2005, 12:45 PM
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#14 | |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Western NC mountains
Posts: 15,062
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11-09-2005, 12:46 PM
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#15 | |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Western NC mountains
Posts: 15,062
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11-09-2005, 12:49 PM
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#16 | |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Western NC mountains
Posts: 15,062
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one has to wonder what might have been had the Broncos capitalized on the early Cowboy mistakes.....not to mention had the more nimble Norris Weese played more than 1 1/2 qtrs. |
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11-09-2005, 12:50 PM
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Perennial Pro-bowler
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Football Town U.S.A. The Mile High City, where God created beauty right outside the front door.
Posts: 763
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11-09-2005, 12:50 PM
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#18 |
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RIP Darrent Williams
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Glendale, AZ
Posts: 17,915
Adopt-a-Bronco: Paul Ernster |
Wow, what great knowledge here on the board.
Thanks B-Love for that tid bit, im just an immature fan as only really started following the team at age 8 in '95. Good stuff, the only old games i have seen are the infamous tie on Monday night (with opera music, ughh), and another one from the '77 season. I dont like history, but football history is definitely AWESOME!! |
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11-09-2005, 12:57 PM
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#19 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Western NC mountains
Posts: 15,062
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That '81 Broncos team (Reeve's innaugural season as Broncos HC) was a scary foe for most of the league...morton once hit 17-18 for like 300 yards and 4 TD's vs San Diego. We ended up 10-6 (lost to the upstart Bears 35-24) and Morton appeared in the booth on MNF and placed the blame squarely on his shoulders for the previous day's loss as our playoff chances went pffffffffffft as the Raiders won.
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11-09-2005, 01:00 PM
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#20 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Western NC mountains
Posts: 15,062
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What about that MNF game vs the Packers where we scored two defensive TD's in the minute or so, and held on ina blizzard to win 17-14. Lynn Dickey and James Lofton (or was it John Jefferson?) lit our D up that night.....
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11-09-2005, 01:03 PM
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#21 |
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Ring of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 4,266
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1970
at Oakland - Lou Saban's boys hold a 23-21 lead over Oakland at the start of the 4th quarter before losing 35-23. at Denver - Pete Liske dives for a TD to give the Broncos a 19-17 lead, late in the game. Old Man George Blanda takes the Raiders on a 5 play game winning drive to steal the game 24-19 for the Raiders, at the buzzer. 1971 at Denver - Broncos dominate first half and lead 9-3 at halftime. Raiders turn to Stabler, and he dominates the 2nd half as Oakland wins 27-16 at Oakland - competitive 21-13 Oakland win 1972 at Oakland - Charlie Johnson's great game; Broncos win 30-23 at Denver - no excuses, total Raider domination 37-20 1973 at Denver - Famous Orange Monday tie at Oakland - season finale for the AFC West crown; Raiders win title 21-17 1974 at Denver - Broncos trail 21-17 mid 4th quarter, before falling 28-17 in a Denver blizzard. at Oakland - Broncos win 20-17 1975 at Denver - Broncos lead 17-7 at half, and only trail 21-17 at the start of the 4th. Steve Ramsey turnover fest in the 4th quarter makes it 42-17 Raider blowout. at Oakland - MNF game, as former Broncos QB and current Giant Offensive Coordinator John Hufnagel throws 4 Interceptions to give Oakland a 17-10 win. People talk about the 77 game at Oakland as the coming out party for Orange Crush. I do not know the stats for this one but I clearly remember Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Alex Karrass going nuts over our Defense that night. The Broncos did lose but we hit the **** out of Oakland that night. Our linebackers, particularly Joe Rizzo were animals that night. This was when Oakland was at their peak, and my guess is we held them to only 150 yards of Total Offense. If not for Hufnagel's and Ramsey's interceptions, Denver would have won. Haven Moses also got jobbed on a TD reception from Hufnagel early. The MNF game at Oakland late in the 1975 season was a watershed game for Orange Crush, even though we lost 17-10. 1976 at Denver - Ramsey hits Moses with a TD to give Denver a 10-0 halftime lead. But the Raiders rally to win 17-10 1976 at Oakland - the game enters the 4th tied 6-6, before the Raiders D line takes over. The Raiders sack Ramsey 11 times in the game to win 19-6. Short of the 1972 and 1975 home games, there were no other games, that I was embarrassed to be a Broncos fan against Oakland. In 10 out of the 12 games against them, before the 77 season, we either won or were very competitive. |
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11-09-2005, 01:09 PM
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#22 | |
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Cheeky Bastards
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: The Backside of the Internet
Posts: 29,940
Adopt-a-Bronco: Chris Harris |
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He was talking about when Denver became a national player. Locally there is no doubt that Broncomania was around before '77, but it wasn't until that game in '77 that the national media began to take notice. THAT was the defining year for Denver sports on the national scene |
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11-09-2005, 01:18 PM
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#23 | |
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Rock-N-Roll Historian
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: W.NY.B.C.
Posts: 21,300
Adopt-a-Bronco: Floyd Little |
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11-09-2005, 01:40 PM
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#24 | |
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Old School Orange
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Anywhere, CO.
Posts: 8,642
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in my opinion that was the best defense ever. their points allowed per game were lower than the '85 bears, '89 niners, and pretty much every other defense one could point to. their ability to create turnovers was only top five that year STATISTICALLY, but their ability to create a TIMELY turnover was legendary. their yards allowed per rush and yards allowed per pass were also amazing. the '00 ravens were more dominant on PAPER, but a quick look at their schedule compared with the BRUTAL schedule of the '77 broncos is all you need to see. that year we played both dallas and pittsburgh in the regular season and also had to play san diego and oakland (both with AMAZING offenses) twice each. ive watched that '77 superbowl game MANY times since it happened, and it gives me nightmares every time. i do NOT think dallas was the better team. butch johnson did NOT catch that pass in the endzone, and replay wouldve killed that score. morton was so banged up he could barely walk, and red kept him in their too long before getting norris weese in there (who promptly led us to our only td of the game) we turned the ball over SIX times in the first half and STILL were in the game. that was a dream season, and though we were all just happy to be in the superbowl, in hindsight we shouldve won the darn thing. jake  |
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11-09-2005, 01:47 PM
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#25 | |
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Old School Orange
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Anywhere, CO.
Posts: 8,642
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amazing game to watch. i was in california at the time and had no idea that it was snowing in denver. the mnf crew comes on and shows the stadium and we just collectively said "oh my God. look at that weather." we scored on both their first two possessions as they fumbled and we took it to the house. an amazing start to the game. fortunately we held on, because offensively we did nothing at all the entire game, and lynn dickey got in a rythm and started moving them down the field pretty well despite the weather. definately a game we'll all remember forever. jake |
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