I thought it might be fun to have a series of blogs (and, since it’s my blog, whatever I think might be fun seems pretty likely to find its way into print) on Broncos by the numbers.
The team has just completed 50 years of play, a milestone in any franchise history, and over that time a lot of players have made contributions, large and small, to what the Broncos are. It’s like family members, some more accomplished than others but when you are in a family, you are in for keeps. So too for the Broncos. Once a Broncos, always a Bronco.
Those players have worn a lot of numbers over the years, and we are going to take a look, over time, at various uniform numbers.
This blog starts at the very beginning, with number “0” (zero).
You would think that no player has ever worn zero, but this actually happened, and today is the day you find out a little bit about the guy.
It was 1962, and a running back named Johnny Olszewski (OL-SHEV-SKI) was ending his pro career with the Denver Broncos. Interestingly, that was Denver’s only .500 season (7-7) in the franchise’s first 13 years of existence.
He was strictly a reserve player, but valuable for his versatility. Olszewski ran the ball 33 times for 114 yards, but had a nice 11.6 average on 13 pass receptions, with one touchdown. He played special teams as well, returning three kickoffs for 66 yards when he wasn’t trying to bust up a wedge, at the end of a 10-year career still doing the dirty work that has always been a part of special teams.
Of course, in sports everybody gets a nickname sooner or later, and when you are of Polish extraction and named Olszewski, you become “Johnny O.” That’s what he was almost from the very beginning, at St. Anthony’s High School in his native Long Beach, California. A sterling prep career led to Johnny O playing collegiate ball at the University of California, and he was the number one draft choice of the Chicago Cardinals in 1953.
Johnny O played five seasons for the Cardinals before getting traded to the Washington Redskins, where he played three more before moving on to the Detroit Lions in 1961 and then finishing up with the Broncos.
In the list of NFL running backs, Johnny O’s is not the name that people think of first, or perhaps at all, but he fashioned a fine 10-year career in which he accounted for 4,308 yards from scrimmage, also returning punts and kickoffs.
He scored 19 touchdowns in his pro career and in 1959 with Washington his 6.6 per carry average led the NFL.
But what he really led pro football in was one of the greatest nicknames ever, and one of the few that he was able to match up with his jersey. Johnny O led to “0” on the uniform, and back in the days before names were on the backs of the jerseys, his number was his calling card.
To top it off, Johnny O was not the only player in the American Football League wearing a “0”—in fact, he was topped by eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame center Jim Otto of the Oakland Raiders. Taking a page from Johnny’s book, Otto wore “00” for the entirety of his 15-year career with the Raiders.
Johnny O is the only player in Broncos history to have worn No. 0 — one of just three players in team history to have been the only man ever to wear their number — but that’s the topic of a future blog.
Today belongs to the only Bronco ever to wear zero, the now largely forgotten but in his day legendary Johnny O.
Tags: 0, By the Numbers, Jim Saccomano, Johnny Olszewski
Is the number “0″ still a number allowed by NFL teams? And when are we going to be breaking out the orange jerseys this year?
I think “0″ isdn’t allowed, but “00″ is and it must be a lineman. Jim Otto from the Raiders had it.
0 and 00 were removed from allowed numbers in 1973
No offense about not participating in the 0/00 discussion, but I want to talk Offense once again, LOL. Glad to see Woody is on page with some of us thinking Offense is really where our woes are and what will give me gray hair this year, here is some of what he says:
No offense, Josh McDaniels and the Broncos, but last season you had no offense.
And with training camp within sight — finally — the foremost, and four most, areas of concern are on offense.
Passing, receiving, running, blocking, and there’s no other area of importance, anyway.
The bottom line is the top line: points scored.
In 2009, the Broncos tied for 20th in the NFL in points per game — 20.4.
That’s a bit troublesome considering we originally brought in an offensive minded HC in McD to say the least. If a year and a half ago someone would of said the area of concern going into 2010 will be the O, anyone would of comitted the guy to the looney bin, this is not funny guys, this is the reality of it, our O simply stinks up the joint and McD, as the offensive genius he is considered to be, must step up to the plate this season and find the players and the plays that will turn this offense around. He seems to be thinking Orton is the one who can get it done, for his sake I hope he knows what he is doing, because so far it hasn’t really felt that way to be frank, just saying it like it is, the NFL is show me what you can do now, not a bunch of resume of what you’ve done in the past or promises, and so far the crop has been pretty meager specially in the O department. Here is to hoping the same as Shanny starting 8-8 in his first year as Bronco HC and winning the Superbowl twice a couple yaears later will happen to McD
Ooops, sorry hit wrong key before I could finish, here we go: …winning the superbowl twice a couple years later will happen to McD after his 8-8 start. Problem is Shanny had Elway while McD has so far put his hopes in Orton, not exactly a fair fight, but hey, McD does make all the choices, doesn’t he? No excuses this year, the O must perform or else…. I’ll be a full head of white hair by season end.
Im hoping for 10-6 and i think it would be awsome to make it to 11-5. Hope the rookies can pick up the recieving corps. Hope the new beef on the O-line can do the job also. If that happens, we will be a good team. Hope its enough.
Go Broncos
they only team and coach that i fear in the nfl is mikey shannahan remember what he did to the raiders for his tenure in denver thank god he didn’t go to the chiefs or the chargers.
speaking of mike if you would have told me the broncos would have been near the bottom in offense two years ago i would have laughed at you now i don’t know, as you can tell i’m not quite on the mcd bandwagon
Well, even most of the hardcore bloggers are taking the time off now, good for them. Anyhow I was looking at some numbers and I couldn’t believe how accurate a reflection of our season our 8-8 record was last year, just check this out:
We scored 326 points in 16 games for an average of 20.37 points per game.
We allowed 324 points in the same 16 games for an average of 20.25 points allowed per game.
A 2 point differential over a 16 game season and a 0.12 fraction of a point differential per game!!!!
Now that’s an 8-8 record if I ever saw one, amazing how last season’s numbers made sense.
Thats pretty impressive stuff baylin. Its crazy. Thats the definition of breaking even right there (.500) lol. Sad part is we went the first like 5 games or something only giving up 1 touchdown.
Pudd04, Its kind of hard to be completely sold on McD if you are like me and hate change or are like or just not 100%. but u can however come to terms with him being here and hope for the best. I hear numbers like 10-6 and 11-5 being thrown out. The best I see us ending with is a 9-7 which in itself will be an improvement over our .500 the past like 3 years. But I see our offense being like 18th in the league with our Run game being top 5 and defense being top 5. Might be just wishful thinking but that might be enough to get it done.
As far as Number “0″ goes, I always thought that would be cool and dont understand why the number was banned/discontinued or whatever.
I have an un-related question. I’m trying to get tickets to the Broncos/Vikings preaseason game. I don’t want to sit on the Vikings side of the field, but when I go to the Vikings website to order tickets it won’t let me choose where I want to sit, it just keeps putting me ont he Vikings side of the field. When I go to Ticketmaster it sends me right back to the Vikings ticket sales website. I know it is just preaseason game but I live in Brookings SD so Minneapolis is about 3.5 hours away so I might as well go. Does anyone else have this problem or know where I can get tickets so that I’m on the Bronocs side of the field? Thanks in advance for any help.
brian_schneider: try ebay – I did see some for sale there, although I didn’t verify the section. It might have been season ticket holders.
I am looking forward to the rest of this numbers series.
Brian… I would look at Ticketmaster or StubHub. They usually show you the sections available to buy.
Great post Jim, thank you very much!
Bay- I am not as worried about the O as you (course im an optimist). I think we should be pretty good. We have a good rotation at the line, so plenty of players to fill in if someone gets hurt or Clady isnt full speed at the start. Also without Marshall, the ball should get spread around more. Orton has had a year to learn the system so he should feel more comfortable pushing the ball down field. I think Knowshon has had time to adjust, making those third downs more viable. That alone will help us improve. I think we will have a good year on both sides of the ball. We just got to stay healthy.
GO BRONCOS IN 2010
Yo Balin
No disrespect but I must ask who are the “Hard core bloggers” who taking time off?
Just asking!
Go Broncos
FTR
FTR, hardcore bloggers are pretty much everybody who post yearround, it has been incredibly quiet of late is all I was referring to, it feels as if I’m talking to myself sometimes, no big emphasis on anyone in particular, It thought I worded it in a positive way anyway, so don’t take it in any personal way aimed at you or anyone else for that matter, you are a hardcore blogger as much as anyone else, like the others you haven’t said much of late, usually you’d be on praising Saccomano’s articles and questioning others for not joining in, but like I said the harcore fans have been taking some time off, good for them, that’s all, nothing to look further into, simple stuff, no hidden agenda, just a man talking is all, peace out.
88, I am truly excited that you think our O will be alright and I as much as anyone hope you are dead on correct.
Baylin
Dont get me wrong I though everyone was posting somewhere else for some reason. I have only been poking in on time to time waiting for training camp to start. It has been very slow. New web page and all, thouth I was missing something. Just asking because I knew you would know.
Thanks
FTR, July is THE month were nothing Broncos happens, so I’ll say that would be the main reason for the blog’s silence, however I have given it the same king of thought as you, could it be the way the new site is designed that makes it harder for casual bloggers to get in, even hardcore blogger like OC mentioned how difficult it was to get into the blog part, I definitely think they could improve on that, like at least separating news and blogs like BA said earlier plus it seemed to be much better when you had the blog pictures right on the front page with the older format. On the positive side the video section is much improved like another blogger mentioned, you can now watch it full screen, it should be easier to read McD’s mind that way, LOL.
Some would say “since we don’t have much to to talk about, it must mean McD hasn’t screwed things up worse.”
BTW, I love that picture in the “Training Camp Primer: Linebackers”, looks like that’s one “Cowboy who can’t handle the Bronoco.”
Go Broncos!!!!
There some typos in my last comment sorry for those.
What’s up my bronco buddies?
Sorry I haven’t been around lately. I just bought a car and I started a new job, so that has been taking up alotta my time.
Im really excited for training camp, can’t wait to see how all those battles turn out.
Ps…. Did anyone see Inception? Craziness.
What’s up fellow Bonco bloggers. Sorry I’ve been gone for a while. Been busy moving from Athens to Atlanta. Cool story, last Friday I was packing up my house and UGA was having their annual Kick off to camp football weekend. My frind called me and said he was coming to pick me up becuase Champ and Boss Bailey were downtown signing autographs. So I grabed my Champ Jersey and headed downtown. So now my Champ jersey is out of commission. It was signed and will now be retired into a frame to sit along side Atwater and Elway!
Can’t wait for camp to start! It;s just around the corner, and should be a lot of fun. Hope we make the playoffs this year. I’m so sick of watching other teams in January!!!
Alright! I’m hardcore! Woohoo! Go Broncos! lol
I’ve been around but until TC gets started there’s just not a lot to say that I haven’t already said. Besides, last week I ranted here about my Bronco concerns and it promptly got deleted by the Blog Miester… So I went over and let it all hang out at the DP. Nobody cares what you say over there..haha
I kind of get the feeling that they want to put the blog on the back porch of the official website..?idk?
I am with Baylin—when you go to the blog page and select your subject it redirects you to a new page. I like the pictures but navagation needs work.
GO BRONCOs
I personally just have the broncosblog page as a fave/bookmark so i can get a straight b line to it. Altho it means I just randomly come in not knowing when theres a new article. Maybe this is their way of telling us bloggers to go to the forum lol. Dunno, something about the forum just doesn’t rub me the right way. feels more impersonal for some reason lol. Just me tho. Anyway, cant wait to see the final 53. TRB out.
I hear you OC, it seems as if they have lessened the visibility of the blog, I hope it’s not a trend to minimize it, I think the blog is one of the most important part of this website and of the Denver Broncos as it represents the voice of the only thing that keeps the team in business, the fans. While I understand that at times some comments may be exarcebating to the Broncos administration, specially regarding the financial issues being faced now, I believe the blog offers a multitude of view points on all facets of the Broncos, so even if some comments might sting sometimes they often should be very beneficial to the organization as to finding out the pulse of their customers, us fans. So I am hoping the blog will keep it’s revelancy and carry on for years to come, and become bigger and better than ever rather than being seemingly put in a back corner of sort. I feel very lucky and I am very thankful that I have hardly ever been reprimanded for my comments and never had any of them censored, but for the ones who have, I hope it was only for foul language or nasty personal attacks (I don’t condone either), because anything else should be fair game and needs to be heard as the voice of the Broncos’ fan base. It can’t all be just cheerleading, specially in the off season, criticisms of the organization can be just as constructive, if often not more than just blind cheerleading. Keep it all coming OC, just reword it if it’s a problem, love to read your thoughts here as I don’t do the DP blog anymore, just the articles.
The “transactions” section on the front page is also very cool, best upgrade along with the video improvements in my opinion.
Interesting to hear the guys over at NFL network engage Phillip Rivers in discussing Tim Tebows release. Not that Rivers discussed anything we don’t already know.. just interesting to hear it from him.
Bolts start out the season with only one Team (Cardinals) over .500 from last year, in first 6 games. Hopefully they’ll finish weak at seasons end this time…(especially the last game!!). Bottom line is we gotta take it to them and hit ‘em in the mouth when we play them!
GO BRONCOS!!
royal1
I was surprised in watching the NFL network spot on mechanics of Tebow given by Rivers also. He was very polite in his comments and gave a genuine answer even when pushed repeatedly.
We will see how polite he will be when it’s after a game that TT goes all Wild horses on the chargers and the Broncos win in the final seconds.
GO BRONCOS
FTR
I was thinking while we all await training camp and the blog is slow. What other quarterbacks in the past have had maybe not exactly great mechanic problems in throwing but were awkward none the less. Some were successful. Like Bernie Kosar comes to mind—I mean he chucked, side armed, and slung the football anyway he could to win. And he was not labeled a franchise quarterback but we had to beat him with “The Drive” and the “The Fumble” in two AFC championships. What do you guys think?
GO BRONCOS
FTR
FTR, I was thinking the same thing, Bernie. He had six different release points. Totally Bazzare. Off note, one thing I learned years back when he was still playing, I found out that he was born one day before me. Hey Bernie, thanks for the memories. THE DRIVE, THE FUMBLE, AND THE THIRD ONES A CHARM. Hey some one had to lose. OH YA SIGN DOOM!!!!!!!!!!
brian_schneider
There is a web site called tickets finest that people can list there tickets for sale. I think it is like stub hub. It has tickets for all sorts of events. you go to ticketsfinest.com choose the sports tab, then NFL football then actually choose the Minnesota Vikings link. This will bring up alll the tickets available to Vikes games. then you find the broncos game and click on view tickets. This will bring up a picture of the stadium you click on which section you want to sit in and it shows available tickets. I just bought some tickets to the Broncos Chiefs game, front row endzone!! This is the first time I have used this site but it seems to be on the up and up. I looked at stub hub and the exact same tickets I was looking at here were on there, stub hub just had a bigger personal fee. I hope this helps. also cool to know you are in Brookings, I am in Sioux Falls.
Good point FTR – Bernie Kosar’s mechanics could always be questioned, but he had success in the NFL.
Billy Kilmer looked like he was releasing a lame duck and it sure looked like one…lol.
Some say Sid Luckman had a weird release, Jim Saccomano would know more about that than I do, I was too young then.
ok guys, Idk if this is true but I got a message from the broncos web-site saying Denver just agreed to terms with DOOM!!!!!
IT’s True Yovi!
Contract is for $58 mil through 2015 With $48 mil gauranteed
This is BRONCOS Country!!!