Broncos set for 50th Anniversary celebration

The Broncos will be facing the Boston — yes, Boston — Patriots this weekend for the first of two Legacy Games, and the team is throwing a stadium-sized party to celebrate. There will be throwback t-shirts (60,000 in fact). There will be yellow. There will be brown. There will be old-school game programs. There will be socks… oh, yes, there will be socks.

The Broncos were kind enough to send us a press release with the details, which we pass along to you, after the jump!

BRONCOS TO HOST AFL LEGACY GAME AGAINST BOSTON PATRIOTS

DENVER — The Denver Broncos will host their American Football League legacy game against the Boston Patriots on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at INVESCO Field at Mile High to commemorate 50 seasons of Broncos football. Activities and programming associated with the team’s history will be present during all events surrounding the game.

The celebration begins with a special reception on Friday in the Broncos’ locker room to honor the fans who have been season ticket holders since the inaugural season in 1960. The event is by invitation only, and a special plaque will permanently hang at the stadium in recognition of these 50-year supporters.

During the game, Broncos players will wear throwback uniforms resembling the ones worn in 1960, which included brown helmets, mustard-yellow jerseys, seal-brown pants and yellow-and-black, vertically striped socks. Denver will wear an away version of the 1960s uniform during the team’s Monday Night Football game at San Diego on Oct. 19. The Broncos’ cheerleaders will wear yellow-and-brown uniforms with matching pom-poms against Boston.

Throughout the day, Broncos history will be remembered through a unique game ticket design adapted from an actual 1960 ticket; old staff uniforms; a classic car show on the east ring walkway outside the stadium featuring cars from the 1950s and 1960s (weather-permitting); black-and-white scoreboard effects; special end zone painting (occurring all season long); an appearance by the original Broncos Band at Gate 9 and on the south deck behind the south stands; and other features with traditional themes.

The first 60,000 fans attending the Broncos-Patriots game will receive a yellow throwback T-shirt (courtesy of gameday sponsor Comcast) and will be greeted at the by the Music Men of Estes Park. Coca-Cola is offering 25-cent Coca-Cola products with any purchase from a permanent concession starting at 11:15 a.m. for suite and United club level patrons and at 12:15 p.m. for reserved seat patrons. The offer ends at 2 p.m.

Pregame activities include the McPhly Quartet performing the National Anthem and a flyover by three C-130J Super Hercules planes. The aircrafts’ style has a 50-year history and is primarily used for transport of troops and humanitarian aid by the U.S. Air Force. The Broncos 50th Anniversary Team, which was selected through a fan vote, also will be recognized before the game. It includes 11 offensive players, 11 defensive players and three special teams players who are being honored as all-time greats in Broncos history. The squad’s first team has players from all five decades of the team’s existence, two Super Bowl MVPs and one member of the current roster. For a full list of the honorees, visit DenverBroncos.com/50th.

The coin toss features two honorary captains—Broncos alum Gene Mingo and former Patriot Gino Cappelletti—who played in the AFL’s inaugural game on Sept. 9, 1960. Mingo recorded the first punt return touchdown (76 yds.) in league history to lead the Broncos to a 13-10 victory while Cappelletti, who currently serves as a member of the Patriots’ radio broadcast crew, kicked a field goal and an extra point in the game.

Fans can purchase a Broncos Gameday magazine at the game with a cover that is modeled after the program distributed during the 1960 Broncos-Patriots game. The caricature shows a Bronco brushing off a Patriot, reversing the original design as historic covers always favored the home squad.

At halftime, the Colorado State University Marching Band will perform. The school’s band did more Broncos halftime shows than any other marching band in the 1960s.

For more information on tickets and promotions, visit DenverBroncos.com.

Fun Facts from Broncos history:

• The Denver Broncos were one of the original eight AFL teams and played in the Western Division.
• The Broncos are the first major league team to call Denver home.
• The name “Broncos” was selected through a fan contest held in 1960. Denver’s 1921 entry in the Midwest Baseball League was also called the Broncos.
• Denver has sold out every home game for 40 consecutive seasons dating back to 1969.
• The Broncos have played in six Super Bowls and won back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.
• The Broncos have had three stadiums in their 50-year history: Bears Stadium, University of Denver Stadium and INVESCO Field at Mile High. Bears Stadium was renovated and renamed Mile High Stadium in 1969.
• The first game at INVESCO Field at Mile High was held on Sept. 10, 2001, against the New York Giants. The Broncos won that Monday Night Football contest 31-20.
• Denver’s first winning season came in 1973, which also was the year of its first nationally televised game.