1968 Denver Broncos season

The 1968 Denver Broncos season was the ninth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). Led by second-year head coach and general manager Lou Saban, the Broncos improved their record from the previous season by posting a record of five wins and nine losses. They finished fourth in the AFL's Western division for the sixth straight season; the expansion Cincinnati Bengals finished fifth, allowing Denver to escape the cellar.

1968 Denver Broncos season
OwnerGerald Phipps
Head coachLou Saban
General managerLou Saban
Home fieldMile High Stadium
Results
Record5–9
Division place4th AFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

There were threats of the Broncos relocating to Atlanta, Chicago, and Birmingham, Alabama.[1]

The 1968 season was the first in which Denver wore blue helmets with the trademark orange "D" logo.[2] They wore this uniform through the 1973 season, altering the shade of orange in their jerseys in 1974; helmets remained the same until the 1997 season.[3]

In 1968, Bears Stadium was sold to the city of Denver, which renamed it "Mile High Stadium" and built the upper deck along the west side, raising capacity to 50,657.[4]

Offseason

NFL/AFL Draft
Main article: 1968 NFL/AFL Draft
1968 Denver Broncos draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 31 Curley Culp * †  Defensive tackle Arizona State
3 58 Garrett Ford  Running Back West Virginia
3 75 Bob Vaughn  Tackle Ole Miss
4 91 Gordon Lambert  Linebacker Tennessee-Martins
4 102 Drake Garrett  Defensive Back Michigan State
4 111 Gus Hollomon  Defensive Back Houston
8 196 Steve Holloway  Defensive Back Weber State
9 222 Paul Smith *  Defensive End New Mexico
10 252 Bob Langford  Tackle Middle Tennessee
12 304 Bobby Hendrix  Tackle Ole Miss
13 330 Charlie Greer  Defensive Back Colorado
14 357 Marlin Briscoe *  Quarterback Nebraska-Omaha
15 386 Jeff Kuhman  Linebacker Vermont
16 412 Adin Brown  Linebacker William & Mary
17 438 Steve Grady  Running Back USC
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff
1968 Denver Broncos staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Roster
1968 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Source:

Regular season
Main article: 1968 American Football League season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 Bye
2 September 15 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–24 0–1 Nippert Stadium 25,049 Recap
3 September 22 at Kansas City Chiefs L 2–34 0–2 Municipal Stadium 45,821 Recap
4 September 29 Boston Patriots L 17–20 0–3 Mile High Stadium 37,024 Recap
5 October 6 Cincinnati Bengals W 10–7 1–3 Mile High Stadium 41,257 Recap
6 October 13 at New York Jets W 21–13 2–3 Shea Stadium 62,052 Recap
7 October 20 at San Diego Chargers L 24–55 2–4 San Diego Stadium 42,953 Recap
8 October 27 Miami Dolphins W 21–14 3–4 Mile High Stadium 44,115 Recap
9 November 3 at Boston Patriots W 35–14 4–4 Fenway Park 18,304 Recap
10 November 10 Oakland Raiders L 7–43 4–5 Mile High Stadium 50,002 Recap
11 November 17 at Houston Oilers L 17–38 4–6 Astrodome 36,075 Recap
12 November 24 Buffalo Bills W 34–32 5–6 Mile High Stadium 35,201 Recap
13 December 1 San Diego Chargers L 23–47 5–7 Mile High Stadium 35,212 Recap
14 December 8 at Oakland Raiders L 27–33 5–8 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 47,754 Recap
15 December 14 Kansas City Chiefs L 7–30 5–9 Mile High Stadium 38,463 Recap

Note:

  • Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
  • Saturday (December 14)[5]

Standings
AFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Oakland Raiders 1220.8576–2453233W8
Kansas City Chiefs 1220.8577–1371170W5
San Diego Chargers 950.6435–3382310L2
Denver Broncos 590.3571–7275404L3
Cincinnati Bengals 3110.2141–7215329L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References
  1. Sports Illustrated', July 26, 2010, The Unexpected Hero by Gary Smith, p.60, Published by Time Inc.
  2. Gridiron Uniform Database: Denver Broncos
  3. SportsLogos.net: Denver Broncos
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Chiefs top Denver, clinch Western tie". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 15, 1968. p. 2B.
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