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It's easy to bag on the Broncos teams of the 1960s. After all, the best record between 1960 and 1969 was a 7-7-0 season in 1962. Yet . . . how easy it is to forget how the Broncos started out. Remember, the Broncos were created when Bob Howsam's plans for a major league baseball team in Denver fell through. From the start:
| They were cash-strapped |
| Their head coach was a man who had been -- in effect -- banned from professional football in the United States in 1947 and had had to relocated to Canada to continue his career |
| Their starting quarterback was supposed to have been an assistant coach instead of an active player |
| They went 4-2-0 to start the season |
It's easy to forget when one focuses only upon the final record of the 1960 season, that the Broncos spent the first four weeks of the season tied for best record in the league at 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-1. It is easy to forget that they spent Weeks 5-7 tied for second-best record in the league at 3-2, 4-2 and 4-3. It's easy to forget that in the first six weeks of the season, Denver outscored its opponents 149-120. It's easy to forget that quarterback Frank Tripucka completed 83 of 158 pass attempts (a 52.5% completion rate) for 1108 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during the first six games.
The 1960 season opened with Denver playing in the very first game of the newly formed American Football League. The Broncos won that game by defeating the Boston Patriots 13-10. They followed that win with a win over the Buffalo Bills 27-21. Denver's third game was a loss to the New York Titans 28-24. The Broncos bounced right back with a 31-14 pasting of the Oakland Raiders. This was followed by a 23-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Denver finished their remarkable 4-2-0 start with a second win over the Patriots, 31-24. Sadly, the remainder of the 1960 season did not go nearly as well.
Cool 60 Factoids
The 60th point scored by the Broncos came on a 32-yard Frank Tripucka to Lionel Taylor pass in Week 3 of the 1960 season in a game versus the New York Titans (that touchdown actually gave the Broncos 64 points on the season).
Denver's 60th win occurred on Week 13 of the 1973 season when the Broncos defeated the San Diego Chargers 42-28.
Frank Tripucka's 60th pass completion came on a 1st-and-10 play from the Denver 5-yard line in an October 15, 1960 game versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Notable Broncos to Wear #60
Paul Howard, G, 1973-75, 77-86
John Engleberger, DE, 2005-08
Current Bronco wearing #60
Quentin Saulsberry, C, 6-3, 305, 24 yrs old, 1 season, Mississippi State
Read More: Broncos Greats By the Numbers: #60 (Kaptain Kirk)
Go Broncos!!!