Broncos to honor old Mile High Stadium with a replica

There was nothing like Mile High Stadium.

It was the birthplace of Rocky Mountain Thunder. When it started to roar, it shook you to the core.

It was where Broncomania got its legs. If you wanted to witness Broncomania unlike anything that exists today, the South Stands was where to go. It wasn't for the faint of heart.

It was the best home-field advantage in the NFL.

Mile High was home to some unforgettable moments.

The celebration on Jan. 1, 1978, after the Denver Broncos defeated the hated Oakland Raiders to advance to Super Bowl XII.

The Fumble.

The Drive II.

Terrell Davis surpassing 2,000 yards.

Jason Elam's 63-yard field goal.

John Elway's final game in Denver.

The new Mile High is coming around, but it can't touch the original. The South Stands today is G-Rated compared to what it used to be.

That's why the Broncos will build a mini Mile High in parking lot J, according to a report from Denver7, the Denver Channel. It will be called "Mile High Monument" and be built on the stadium's original site. If you go to Lot J, there is a parking spot that has a painted home plate where the stadium used to stand. Construction is expected to start in April and be completed by the first preseason game in August.

According to the report, the mini Mile High will be one-eighth the size, include 176 original Mile High seats and fit 300 people. The replica will be about 3,000 square feet and about 11 feet tall. The replica will take over about 200 parking spaces.

It will have a working scoreboard to show video of the early games before the Broncos kickoff their afternoon home games, the report said. And, of course, the mini Mile High will have a replica Bucky the Bronco atop the south scoreboard.

The story said the Broncos plan to use this mini stadium to honor the history of Mile High Stadium while also giving fans a place to visit. Fans will even be able to watch Broncos' away games there, with food and beverages, according to the report. How they will go about selecting those 300 people has not been made public as of yet.

The stadium was built in 1948 and originally called Bears Stadium. The capacity was 18,000 for Denver's minor league baseball team.

The stadium became the home of the Broncos in 1960, and remained so until 2000.

In that first season, according to DenverBroncos.com, the capacity doubled.

From the team's website: "In 1967, the Denver Broncos faced a crisis when voters declined a bond issue to construct a new stadium. But local fans came to the rescue, forming a non-profit group called the ‘DOERS,' and raising $1.8 million to purchase Bears Stadium from its private owners and present the deed to the city.

"The following year, the addition of an upper deck increased capacity to 50,000, and the facility was re-named Denver Mile High Stadium. In 1971, voters approved a $25 million bond issue to expand the stadium to more than 75,00 seats."

The website added that the final capacity was 76,082.

After 15 years, the new stadium is starting to capture some of the Mile High magic.

But there is nothing like the original.

At least now, Broncos Country has a mini Mile High to travel back in time.