This is going to be a fun weekend for the Broncos and their fans.
The Broncos will host the tremendous New England Patriots (this week going as the Boston Patriots because the two clubs are playing in an American Football League Legacy game), and the game itself is plenty.
But this week, that seems like just the beginning. Both teams are going all out in celebration of the AFL. Some fans might say, “so what” to the AFL, properly noting it was a long time ago.
Well, most of us were born a long time ago also, and if we hadn’t been we would not be reading this.
Same for the AFL. No AFL, no pro football in Denver and no Denver Broncos.
Just a few things that will mark the weekend at INVESCO Field at Mile High.
Besides the players being in the 1960 uniforms, so will the officials—in fact, they will be the only “team” sporting orange this Sunday, as the 1960 officials’ uniforms featured an orange and white striped shirt.
The cheerleaders will be in a 1960 outfit, complete with the big pom pons from that era, and there will be a lot of 1960 music played on the PA system.
The end zones will be marked with the crisscrossed diamond design, and a lot of the scoreboard images will be in black and white (but not the game action itself, that stays in color).
Cokes will sell for 25 cents each until the start of the game, and a lot of the concessions personnel will be wearing the paper hats that some of us will remember from an earlier era.
There is going to be a flyover, like many games have, but in this case the aircraft buzzing over the playing field will be vintage 1960—C130J Super Hercules planes, which definitely will cast a bigger shadow that the sleet jets we are used to seeing.
The CSU marching band, which made the most appearances at Bronco games of any marching band during the decade of the 1960s will make a halftime appearance, and there will also be an encore performance by the Bronco Band, once again performing under Jess Girardi and entertaining fans as they enter gate 9.
The program cover will be a throwback to the 1960 season, with caricatures of both teams featured and a 1960 Coca Cola ad on the back cover.
The team captains will be two of the individuals who played in that first ever AFL game, September 9, 1960 when the Broncos defeated the Patriots at Boston University Field—Gene Mingo will don his gold and brown number 21 while counterpart Gino Cappelletti of the Patriots will be in his throwback number 20 for the visiting Beantowners.
But once the Broncos are introduced, old style, and run through a banner to take the field, it still comes down to football, and it promises to be a great matchup, one to match the pageantry befitting this Legacy Game between two AFL originals.
Tags: Boston Patriots, Jim Saccomano, Legacy Game, Week 5
RoyalBlue86, no you’re right about the 2005 year led by Plummer. As you may of noticed, I didn’t include Plummer as a great QB in the list of great ones Shanahan coached, but I didn’t include him in the bad QB category either. He was good enough to get us to the AFC championship, but we took a got leveled there. Further proof to me that Shanahan only performed at a high level with good QB’s. Shanny might have a chance to get a team with a good QB that is currently poorly coached over the top, but I don’t see what team actually fits that criteria now. Dallas is poorly coach, but Romo is not good enough to bail anyone out, the guy wasn’t even drafted, and time is showing us why now. It seems all the teams with great QB’s have good coaches, it will be hard for Shanny to find the right team to be succesful with, that I’m sure of. He is not a shoe in to go in any situation and make a difference, like McD is doing now.
Royalblue86, actually the reference I made above about the bad QB category was made on this following post posted earlier on another blog:
The whole thing about that McD mike up video is that in a couple of minutes it tells you all you need to know about this coach. And the difference between his coaching ways and Shanny’s are miles apart. I mean, with McD it is practice in full pads til you fall and tell it like it is to the players on the sideline all game long. With Shanny, it was practice in shorts for awhile then enjoy the spa and give a steely stare to one of the players once in a great while on the sideline. I’m telling you, I’m a firm believer that Shanahan’s coaching was mainly a product of how great some of his quarterbacks were, Young and Elway. See how great his coaching was when his QB’s were Brister, Griese and Cutler. McD does it with his system and his system only and that will be why he probably will be regarded as one of the all time great when this is all said and done. Ok, I’m getting carried away here, but after watching THE MAN on the sidelines, who wouldn’t?
4:49PM post above correction: we took a beating there, or we got leveled there, not we took a got leveled there…..I don’t even understand myself. LOL.
as a lifelong(48yrs) season ticket holder and fan I have a ? about Pat Bowlen. It has always been a tradition (for as long as I can Remember) and one I thought was very important to the team and the fans. Mr. Bowlen especially at home games always game down to the sideline with about five minutes left in the game, I’ve noticed this year a lack of Mr. Bowlen anywhere, I couldn’t see him in the owners’ box the last two home games, they never showed him at any of the road games. My friends,seat mates and I were just wondering,is this a change only because he doesn’t want to over shadow Josh (which I think would be hard to do) or as a friend suggested, is Mr Bowlen just slowly trying to work his way out as the Owner of the Broncos? I know with all the changes and heartaches before the season started would be hard on anyone, especially the owner. I however, think he is by far the best owner in the league, he appreciates and takes care of his fans, cares for his staff and provides great leadership and Voice to the players and the City of Denver! Let us concerned fans know and we hope all is well at home or his other businesses so we can see and here more from him.
Don Holder, a lifelong and true orange and blue bleeding Fan(atic
donfrom c/s, very humbled to have a 48 year season ticket holder here. I’m 55 and have been a hard core Bronco fan since 75. Very valid point you’re bringing up, to know exactly why he doesn’t hang on the sidelines anymore, your guess is as good as mine. I have heard some very unsubstanciated reports that he might have the onset of some illness of some sort that might keep him off the sidelines. Whatever the reason is you are right that this off season had to take a toll on the man, and I’m sure he put on quite a few years in just a few months. I met him in Atlanta the season we won our first super bowl, he was very nice and went out of his way to autograph an old footbal of mine. Regardless of what happens to him, I will always hold him dear and I have always respected his business decisions, including Shanny’s firing and McD’s hiring. He deserves a break now, maybe that’s all it is, him taking a break from it and letting the young guns handle it for a while.
Should’ve had a bonfire.
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