Here come the throwbacks
by Holden Caulfield on Feb 6, 2009 9:38 AM MST
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The Chargers' Web site is reporting that the original AFL teams will wear throwback uniforms for two games this season.
For the Broncos, this should -- nay, must -- mean only one thing.
Obviously, the Broncos will have their options:
The classic "D" on the blue helmet certainly evokes the most success. With various tweaks -- orange pants in the early and late 1970s, shifting stripes on the pants and socks, the movement of the three sleeve stripes to the end of the sleeve in the mid-1990s, the change from tackle-twill to screen-printed numbers and back again -- the uniform remained relatively stable for nearly three decades. It is, to many fans, the look most associated with the Broncos.
And we've seen the "crazy horse" helmet before in recent times -- for an unsuccessful two weeks in 1994 that included the disastrous 48-16 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders that basically made Wade Phillips a dead man walking for the season's final 13 games. With those memories still relatively fresh, let's leave that out of play.
But the mustard and brown hand-me-downs? They're so ugly, they're beautiful:
Whether the Broncos actually go this route is to some debate. When one visits the Broncos team store, it's easy to find hats and sometimes shirts that bear the "D" and "crazy horse" emblems. But it's almost impossible to to find anything that commemorates the two years of these togs.
Perhaps it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. The throwbacks weekend of '94 brought the mid-1960s uniform back into vogue; you still see plenty of those jerseys around Invesco Field today. The orange jersey John Elway wore for most of his career remains one of the franchise's biggest sellers. If you're 20 years of age or older, you remember actually seeing the Broncos in those uniforms -- and you probably only have to be 14 to remember the 1968-1996 outfits, because they made a cameo on Thanksgiving Day in 2001.
The mustard-and-brown with vertical stripes, however ... those exist almost solely in memory. The socks were famously burned in the 1962 preseason as the franchise looked toward a new direction; few survived. No fan under the age of 54 probably even remembers seeing these uniforms live.
Which is exactly why I want to see the Broncos run onto the field in mustard and brown. It commemorates the people who laid the groundwork for the franchise to grow. It might cause some young kid to hear the name "Frank Tripucka" on the broadcast and go to the computer or a library to learn about his and other original Broncos' exploits.
And frankly, it'd be pretty damn cool.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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I want to see the mustard and brown uni's just once....but I think the Broncos organization
has always tried to forget that uniform. They always consider the second one to be their original uniform. lol
Is there such a thing as a Playstation 3 Anonymous? I can't seem to stop thinking about or playing COD 4 and COD 5. I hear this is quite normal for a teenager, but I haven't been a teenager since Bill Clinton was frolicking with interns.
The funny thing is that when I first saw that picture a long time ago I thought the white and blue team was Denver. lol
Is there such a thing as a Playstation 3 Anonymous? I can't seem to stop thinking about or playing COD 4 and COD 5. I hear this is quite normal for a teenager, but I haven't been a teenager since Bill Clinton was frolicking with interns.
Looks like...
There are a ton of people in the stands… We’ve come a long way. Are there any other pictures of these unis? This is the only one I’ve ever seen.
Also, (unrelated but sorta kinda relavent) is there anywhere to see pre-renovation bears stadium/mile high? It seems like pictures from this era are few and far between.
J
I haven't seen many other pictures ...
… but I know on the History of the Broncos DVDs, there is footage of the Broncos in mustard and brown.
by Holden Caulfield on Feb 7, 2009 3:59 PM MST up reply actions
I vote for the all orange...
I don’t ever want to see the Broncos wear anything that doesn’t have orange – that’s their calling card. As for those jerseys from ‘94, I loved the look but after that Raider game they can never wear them again. They just can’t. Unless of course, they think they can exorcise those demons…in that case I’d vote for the blue sleeves. Those are sharp!
I want to see the orange.
I love the orange unis from the 80’s… Just the nostalgia that oozes out of them, the things John Elway did in them… I want to see the team in the same unis as The Drive, and the old Super Bowls. It would be, like, a blast from the past, man.
Do you think we’ll have a big bulky 50 Years patch like the Chargers? I’m not a fan of patches. I HATE the Captain patch. Just make it a C like in hockey and move on. Right now it looks like some stupid corporate logo. I hate it. And don’t even get me started on the green helmet sticker that the QB’s wear. That’s just retarded. Here’s an idea: hope that the ref knows that the quarterback is the guy that lines up behind the center. Not too hard to figure out.
I think a helmet sticker would be better than a 50 years patch, though. I say the less amount of clutter, the better.
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I agree, I love the 80’s uniforms as well. But those weren’t AFL uniforms, so I don’t really think they would make sense. The whole idea is to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the AFL’s formation.
by Douglas A. Lee on Feb 6, 2009 10:59 AM MST up reply actions
Sorry the mustard and brown need to remain buried
I really have no urge to see them, my dad saw them and he is of the same opinion, no need to bring back bad uniforms. I am all for the 70’s early 80’s uniforms, oranger the better. Especailly with HD TV’s now. The anemic horse in convulsions needs to stay away also, that thing looked like it was in the throws of death, not majestic or grand.
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
HEAR HEAR!
Orange Krush Forever!!!!!
"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." -- Vince Lombardi
(No, I'm not a Packers fan)
The K should be a C.
I’m getting my Favorite Teams That Wear Orange mixed up. Orange Crush = Denver . . . Orange Krush = U of Illinois. Ack.
"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." -- Vince Lombardi
(No, I'm not a Packers fan)
The AFL History lover in me...
Would love to see the mustard and copper. However, the supersticious side of me wants to respect the burning of the unis lest we bring back a dark dark era of Broncos history….
Heck, I’d be happy with any of the unis… Cutler in the orange and powder blue would be freakin awesome!
J
I want to see it just once....I probably will hate it, but at least I can say I saw it!!!
Is there such a thing as a Playstation 3 Anonymous? I can't seem to stop thinking about or playing COD 4 and COD 5. I hear this is quite normal for a teenager, but I haven't been a teenager since Bill Clinton was frolicking with interns.
Any of the orange jersey, please not the brown.
No offense because I know it was the Broncos original colors, however I really don’t want to watch them in those colors. It would be like watching that Eagles game a couple of years ago when they wore those ugly jerseys.
"It doesn't dissipate" ~ Mike Shanahan
Cutler's 4th qtr/OT game winning drives: 9
That's a good point
We burned them, so maybe they should stay that way. The last thing I want to do is curse a new head coach in his first season…
Actually the late 70's uniform
was not the shade of orange you see. The original Orange Crush had uniforms that were a much darker, almost red color. That’s the uniform I vote for.
YES!
people think i’m nuts when i talk about that! the shade of orange itself, in fact, has changed several times, not to mention the stripes, pant/helmet color,… i have the jerseys to prove it. i forget the name of the color for the reddish-orange, it was a really long technical name. beautiful color. if this is to celebrate the afl, then you have to go with the crazy horse, and the coolest jerseys we ever had. i love the blue sleeves, both home and away. i have throwback jerseys of atwater and elway, respectively, and they are the best. my dream uniform: the throwback-style jerseys in red-orange, the darker-shade old blue horse helmet, white pants with orange-trimmed blue stripe. don’t care about the socks, really. yeah, that’s it
taste my blintzkrieg!
2009-year of the defense.
No preference, but I will say this:
I LOVED the Steelers uniform (alternate) worn once this past year with the yellow and black reversed. For instance, the helments were yellow, and the stripes black.
Ok, I’m trying not to be a nerd here, but it reminded me of when “The Flash” superhero met his arch nemesis who was wearing the same outfit, but with reversed colors (predominantly yellow, with a red lightning bolt). Well… I tried not to sound like a nerd, but did. Oh well.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
LOL!
Got me.
: )
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Feb 7, 2009 1:40 PM MST up reply actions
And the striped socks would scream, IN YOUR FACE, HOF VOTERS!!
What better way to tell the world that we are proud of our history and don’t give a rats tuchus what we think of them!!!
The only thing better would be to win a SUPER BOWL in those colors!
Mustard and Brown ALL THE FREAKIN WAY!
Win or lose, do it fairly. -- Knute Rockne
a rats tuchus what *they* think of them
When we getting a thread edit feature? LOL
Win or lose, do it fairly. -- Knute Rockne
by broncosmontana on Feb 6, 2009 3:07 PM MST up reply actions
About the picture
Maybe Firstfan or Trinidad can help me out here. I’m pretty sure the receiver he’s looking at is Goose Gonsoulin, but is the QB Marlin Briscoe?
aka MN Bronco
It's Frank Tripucka ...
… whose No. 18 is one of three retired jerseys. The team pulled it out of retirement a few years ago for an offseason wide receiver named Grant Mattos; evidently the Broncos said they couldn’t find evidence that 18 had been retired. But Mattos was soon released and after some deliberation, it was deemed 18 was indeed retired.
by Holden Caulfield on Feb 7, 2009 3:53 PM MST up reply actions
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