This is the anniversary of 50 years of Denver Broncos football, as the American Football League began play in the 1960 season and will be celebrated in various ways throughout the year.
I thought one of the things that might be a little bit of fun and nostalgia on our web site would be to blog about some of the great memories and legendary characters who were a part of the Broncos and the AFL in those early years.
The AFL, by the way, lasted longer than any other “second” football league in history and was the only one to have all of its franchises absorbed into the National Football League.
You will find plenty of fans and officials who were a part of the AFL who consider it an indelible part of their lives.
One of the great characters in the AFL was Cookie Gilchrist. The name perhaps evokes a small kick returner or undersized cornerback, but don’t be fooled by the moniker “Cookie.”
There was nothing soft about Carlton Chester “Cookie” Gilchrist.
He was a young person who did his own thinking and developed a love for sweets as a child–this earned him the nickname “Cookie” but hard work earned him a body that very few Americans, athlete or not, had in the 1960’s.
He was a Pennsylvania native who grew up and grew large playing football, and he looked around and realized that carrying a ball was a more attractive way of making a living than coal mining.
Right after graduating from Brack Union High School in Brackenridge, PA, Gilchrist took his 6-3, 251 pound frame to the Canadian Football League, where he became a legend to rival Bigfoot.
He played and starred at fullback, linebacker, and was the placekicker as well. But again, he liked to do his own thinking, and a dispute with management in Toronto led him back home.
In 1962 he migrated back to the United States to play for the Buffalo Bills, where he led the AFL in rushing and touchdowns with 1,096 yards and 13 scores in his first year back. He led the league again with 981 yards in 1964, and the Bills were AFL champions in his time there. The bruising fullback was the first AFL rusher to gain 1,000 yards.
He was big, powerful, and fast–you had to see him to appreciate him, truly. Against the Jets in 1963 he virtually battered them silly in rushing for 243 yards in a single game. Again, he was a fullback, not a halfback, leading to the interesting thought that perhaps the most dominant running backs in each league in the 1960’s both played fullback, Gilchrist and the incomparable Jim Brown.
After a dispute with coach Lou Saban he was traded to Denver for fullback Billy Joe in 1965–Billy Joe had worn uniform number 3 for Denver, and Cookie said he wanted to be one better than Joe, so the Broncos’ fullback wore number 2 in 1965, leading the AFL in carries with 252 and rushing for 954 yards while earning a spot on the AFL All-Star team.
He had arrived at the Broncos’ training camp in Golden, Colorado driving a gold Cadillac — Cookie was hard to miss, by all accounts a charming personality and a physical specimen of the highest order.
Word has it from newspapers articles from the time that the Broncos indicated to him they were very happy that he could also be the placekicker, and Cookie said no problem, as long as he had two contracts–one to play fullback and one to kick. He had long ago figured out that the reason “professional” football had that label was because you got paid to play. And few business people were as shrewd as Gilchrist.
But the Broncos were a frugal team (to be very kind), and they politely declined his offer and kept him at fullback, wher he made defensive backs wince. I can remember seeing defensive backs actually backpedal when he headed toward them in the open field–and dodging tacklers was not his style. Although very fast, he was one of the most punishing runners in football history.
However, that salary dispute lingered on, and after the season Cookie announced his retirement. It was short lived, however.
He went to Miami for the 1966 season and then returned to Denver very briefly in 1967 to close out his great career–he was only 32, but had been playing professionally since 18 and thus had lugged a lot of carries and defensive backs. He had just 10 carries for the 1967 Broncos, who were coached by Lou Saban, who had Cookie for those championship years in Buffalo. But it was obvious that time had passed, and his career ended in Denver, where, by the way, he wore the more conventional number 30 in his second go-round in the Mile High City.
Overall, he scored 43 touchdowns in the AFL, and one could easily argue this was after his prime seasons had been spent in Canada.
Although not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is listed as one of the 300 greatest players ever by The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League.
Tags: Cookie Gilchrist, Denver Broncos, DenverBroncos.com, Uncategorized
[...] Jim Saccomano » Blog Archive » Lots of characters in 50 Years … [...]
Jim thanks for the great storie. I am excited about the 50 year anniversary of Denver Broncos football. I hope they do alot of throw back games , 50 greatest Broncos and stuff like that.Mabe it will get some great players some reconition they deserve and get more Broncos to the HOF.
Mr. Saccomano:
Do you know which Denver Broncos “throwback” uniforms the Broncos will be wearing when they go retro for one home and one away game this season?
Please don’t tell us that the Broncos will wear the team’s original uniform design consisting of the colors brown and yellow along with the vertical striped socks.
Thanks.
Great story!! If only we had something remotely like “Cookie” now!
RSH - lol @ “brown and yellow along with the vertical striped socks” sure cant be as bad as the Eagles uniforms last season? Or can they?
Samoanbronco-
Trust me, they are.
As nasty as those uniforms were… I think it would be awesome to wear ‘em… and Honestly… I think they will. The jets wore their old nasty lookin’ uni’s, so did the eagles and steelers on their anniversary years… I think we should… and i think we will
Thanks Jim for bring back the “memories” I’m one of the original Bronco booster club members. I still remember those Tuesday luncheons! Keep up the great articles.
Wonderful story Jim about a Denver player from the old days, I enjoyed it thoroughly! Thank you!
I just saw NFL networks top 10 FA busts and the Raiders had 3 of them!! #2 on the list was Javon Walker.HA HA HA! I like the throwback jersey that Cookie is wearing on this blog. Denver wore them for the NFL 75 year anniversary back in 1995.
This is nice fodder for amateur historians such as myself. Thanks for the info on Cookie Gilchrist and as always, GO BRONCOS!!!
Awesome story Sacco. It’s always great to read you unfold a great chapter of Denver Broncos history. Keep up the stuff, I don’t know what else I would do at work.
Well FA is just hours away. Here is my wish list:
McCants DE
Vilma MLB
Brooks OLB
McCallister CB
Wilson S
I think Hansworth and Lewis are set too pricey or set on certain teams they want to play for.
Well Wison just got signed by the Dolphins. I hope we don’t miss out on Cants and others.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them change the uniforms altogether, to “follow suit” with the rest of our makeover.
Go Broncos!!!
I think it would be cool if they wore all of the past uniforms at each home game.Start w/ the yellow & brown verticle stipes socks and continue until they get to the present day uniforms.
WORRELL WILLIAMS couldnt think of a better way to spend a 5th round pick and get our captains little brother
Ha… that’d be cool to have the Bailey bros and the Williams bros… but I don’t want us to get him just for that…
Goodness… it’s only been 2 hours since free agency started, but i want something to happen…
Yo I just read that Renaldo Hill is going to meet with us Friday what do you think about him?
ESPN is saying the Broncos have interest in J.J. Arrington and expect him to visit and also a possibility in Correll Buckhalter.
Renaldo Hill isnt a bad choice to take a look at….. But we should pursue CB Ron Bartell. He is the best available and would pair up well with Champ. I really wish we could get either Bart Scott or Ray Lewis, but i just dont see that happening.
I agree bronc fan in WA,
Ron Bartell would be an excellent pick up..hope we could nab this guy in FA, the guy is 6′1 210..those are solid numbers for a CB….
Bartell and McFadden are both on my wish list….along with Bart Scott and Shaun Rogers (if both become FAs)….
this seems like forever, waiting to see who the Broncos bring in….gosh!!
So Far we are hearing these names in free Agency:
1. Corey Buckhalter RB
2. JJ Arrington RB
3. Renaldo Hill Safety
4. Gaffney WR
5. Fields DT
Sorry to be negative Bronco fans but this is a Joke. Tell me how much different Buchalter and Arrington are from S Young and A Hall.
Why would you go go get or look at a WR When they have 4 good ones.
Safety Hill from Miami is a third tier safety like a McCree and Manual.
Not one player listed above is a top 100 hundred free agent on the market today.
I agree !!!. We have alot, the 3rd or 4th most below the cap and we are looking at back ups or average starters.Our RB are better. I don’t think Gaffney is a need.While we look at these below average players the real good ones are being signed up by other teams.
It looks like some good teams that were tetering on the playoffs just got alot better.
I think the Bronx need to make a move for Ray Lewis. The defense has lacked that Heart and love for contact ever since Al Wilson was released.
Adam Shefter reported that we pursued Derrick Ward. This makes more sense than Arrington and Buckhalter. Now that Scott is a Jet and Haynesworth is a Skin, we need to start looking deep into defense FA’s. Dominique Foxworth (shouldve never let him go) is seriously being considered to be sign by the Ravens.
So what we have left to get are….
DE Criss Canty
LB Ray Lewis
CB Ron Bartell
S Brian Dawkins
CB Phillip Buchanon
S Jermaine Phillips
CB Bryant McFadden
LB Michael Boley
LB Keith Brooking
DT Rocky Bernard
DE Demetric Evans
AND WHO IS FIELDS?
I wonder who they are really looking at?
Donald Fields DT Niners
Thanks Bones1965, Hey by the way, Nic Harris didn’t look very good at The Combine, He ran a 4.78 40 and just looked out classed around all the other DB’s but He can play and really wants to be a SS. THNX
By the way AND WHO IS FIELDS? was a retorical question, just adding some satire to a weak signing.
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Ronald Fields
probably the greatest thought of the Broncos in history has to come from Cleveland in the AFC title game with the Drive. I was in a stroller but Mom put me in a swing to watch the game. That was the year I was born and a Bronco fan since. Elway to tie the game, Broncos go to the Super Bowl for the second time. I think that Elway’s defining moment of being the comeback kid started there. Go Broncos.