Continuing with the theme of taking a look back at some of the guys who were Denver Broncos back in the day, Gene Mingo is a gentleman who occupies a unique position not just in Bronco history but in the annals of all professional football.
Mingo was unique and accomplished on several levels.
An Ohio native who did not play college football, Mingo was a high school star who continued to play in the United States Navy during a time when many military bases had excellent teams and service football was very competitive, often at the college level.
But in the late 1950′s just as now, players who did not go to college had virtually no future in pro football.
However, sometimes ability and time combine to create opportunity, and such was the case for Mingo when the American Football Legue was formed in 1959, with the first season of play slated for 1960.
The Broncos were among the cheapest and most hardscrabble of teams, looking at any and all players that they could get on a “cost effective basis,” and they took a look at the young Navy veteran.
Mingo was a halfback who could catch the ball, return kicks, pass a little, and to top it off, he was a placekicker.
The latter gave him his place in history, as Gene Mingo forever will be the first African American placekicker in pro football history, kicking for Denver from 1960 through 1966 and then continuing his career with Oakland, Miami, Washington and Pittsburgh. All tolled, Mingo had a fine 11-year pro football career in which he scored 629 points and as a Bronco led the AFL in scoring in the inaugural 1960 season as well as in the 1962 campaign.
As a Bronco he achieved other distinctions that will be tough to match.
Mingo scored by field goal, extra point, rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown, passing touchdown (two of those) and punt return touchdown. No other Bronco has scored that many ways and it seems unlikely anyone ever will.
The punt return score has its own unique place in pro football history.
The very first regular season game in AFL history was a Friday night matchup between the Broncos and the Boston Patriots on September 9, 1960. The game was played at Boston University Field before 21,597 curious fans who had no diea they were watching two teams that still would be playing 50 years later, and certainly the idea that these two two teams would combine for five world championships could not have seemed more foreign that Friday night.
Denver halfback and kick returner Al Carmichael got dinged up in the first half and Head Coach Frank Filchock decided at the break to insert Mingo into Carmichael’s role. This not only gave the job to a rookie with no college experience but also to a young black man, greatly adding to the significance of what was to come.
Carmichael had scored the Broncos’ first touchdown, but Boston had a 10-6 lead late in the game when the Patriots had to punt.
Mingo caught the ball at his own 24-yard line, got some early blocking and headed down the far sideline on a 76-yard touchdown run.
It was the first game-winning TD in AFL history, the first on a punt return and today still ranks ninth in team history among the longest punt return touchdowns ever by a Denver player.
He brought a lot of versatility to the table for Denver as an all around back.
One more quick historical note on Gene Mingo: despite all the well-documented success the Denver Broncos have gone on to achieve, the franchise has scored 50 points in a game just once — in a 1963 win over the San Diego Chargers. Mingo kicked five field goals in that October 6, 1963 contest to place his mark on that game as well.
Lots of players have suited up for the Broncos in our 50 years of play, but few have demonstrated the versatility of Gene Mingo.
Tags: 2009, Denver Broncos, Gene Mingo, Uncategorized
Awesome story Jim! Happy 50th Denver Broncos!
Go Broncos!!!
I was lucky to get Gene Mingo’s signature on my hat and jersey a couple of Fan Fares ago. A true gentleman with a gracious smile and warm personality. His exploits will be remembered by we “old time” Bronco fans with the knowledge that Mr. Mingo helped start an excellent professional organization. Thank you for the hard work and exciting plays. I will be a Bronco fan forever.
I hope my memory is correct. I remember a Bronco game when Mingo was playing for the Steelers. It was late in the game and ther Steelers had the ball on the Broncos 2 yard line. Mingo comes in to kick the winning field goal. Bob Martin is commenting on this and says, “And now Mingo will come in and miss a 9 yard field goal attempt.” He did, and the Broncos won. He certainly was one of the best early Broncos with extraordinary talent. Another Bronco who’ll never get his due.
Thanks Jim for another great post from the past. I love history of any kind, it tells us where we came and helps us understand who we are today!
Awesome. Nice job on this article! I look forward to more historical excerpts.
Mr. Saccomano,
thank you for refreshing some old memories.
can you do a page on WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW? You could start with the 77 team.
awesome story i love who the 50 point game was against, keep up the stories love reading them i have the complete history of the broncos so i have seen him, need to do one of these on rich tombstone jackson, the guy literally smashed peoples heads i love looking at the old games and looking at how scared them offensive lineman look opposite him its great
Are you CRAZY the only thing we need to talk about is how many fans your going to lose, how we are the best fans in the NFL, how to stop this deal that will set us back 10 years or more,why the tax payers of Denver helped yall build this stadium and for what, how fast you and P.B. can book a flight to Nashville to set this straight? DO NOT MAKE ME SELL MY SEASON TIX.
If you are a true Broncos Fan, then you’ll still be a fan no matter who’s passing the ball. And I’m sure there are fans out there just waiting to get your tickets. Goooooooooooooo Broncos. P>S> I love what McDaniels is doing.
OK i’m pissed. Yes its about cutler. Ive been a broncos fan as long as i can remember and if cutler goes so do I. Bowlen hasn’t taken into account his losses from this deal. Both in lost fans and revenues. you can call me a fair weather fan but its in Cutler i trust, not McDaniel. so i may be wearing a different jersey come the fall, just like my boy. and i’m proposing a boycott until the top brass has appeased cutler. and publicly stated that he is the future of the organization. Whos with me!!!!!!!!! Cutler fan for life.
Look I don’t care for all this nonsense! What I do know is that Josh and the broncos brass should appologize to their quarterback and publicly! This will be monumental and the greatest stupidity ever! This man just had a pro-bowl season what more do you want in a quarterback? He should be pissed for having even been mentioned in a trade especially for cassel, please!
With all the players and defense we are building around him that should be the last position to be tampered with. Come on now Josh, young does not mean naive or stupid. Appologize and let your quaterback know you messed up, and thats including the leadership! Thanks I’m with you ProQBbydaySuperHerobynight!!!
Simple. Big fan all my life. But whats happening in the Cutler saga is shameful to say the least. Jay staying is the only way i will continue to support the Broncos. Was already considering it anyway with the firing of Shanahan but losing cutler will be the deal breaker.
trade cutler and here is why. You have two suiters that you can get at least 2-3 in return. Detroit and Washington. Obviously Detroit would be the 1st choice because we will get #1 and #20 picks in return also ask for best LB which in this case is Julian Peterson. As for Washington, take the #13 pick, 2nd round pick and their best LB.
Oh and someone know one is talking about who is a better QB behind bars then anyone we have talked about so far from Quinn to Cassell. You all know who I am talking about make sure you lock your dogs up in your house. We need to bring “MICHAEL VICK” on as the starting QB when the league re-instates him.
If I were in charge I would take all that in a heart beat and never look back.
Ok game, your suggesting getting rid of on of the most upstanding young men in the nfl to bring in a felon? You odviously you dont know that the broncos are the the most upstanding and rightious teams in the nfl. we’re not the cowboys. this is a public realitions feasco. the only way to save face is to publicly appoligize to cutler. and if he goes to detroit or washington then so do a lot of your former fans. and their money.
yeah I would rather take my chances with chris simms then Mike vick, Sorry we lose cutler, and we might as well kiss the rest of the offense good bye, We have good young qb with a good young wr corp, and thats damn good start and if we have to start over at qb thats at least a 3 year set back. If thats what they wanted then why a coaching change. I thought we where suppose to be moving foward not stepping back by three years