JANUARY 4 - Denver hosts its first playoff game since Jan.4, 1992, as the Jacksonville Jaguars come to Mile High Stadium for an AFC Divisional Playoff contest.
FEBRUARY 2 - Denver is represented in the annual AFC-NFc Pro Bowl in Honolulu by safety Tyrone Braxton, running back Terrell Davis, defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry, linebacker Bill Romanowski, tight end Shannon Sharpe and defensive end Alfred Williams. Safety Steve Atwater, quarterback John Elway and tackle Gary Zimmerman are also selected but do not play in the game because of injury.
FEBRUARY 4 - The Broncos unveil new uniforms featuring the traditional Bronco orange with a navy blue, and a new helmet logo that features a powerful, dynamic Bronco. The helmet is blue, with the horse done in white with orange highlights.
MARCH - The Broncos are selected to face Miami in an American Bowl '97 contest in Mexico City, Mexico. The appearance marks the Broncos' sixth in an American Bowl, tying the club with San Francisco for most in the NFL since American Bowl games began being played in 1985.
AUGUST 4 - Denver and Miami meet in Mexico City, Mexico, in an American Bowl '97 contest, won by the Dolphins, 38-19, at Estadio Guillermo Canedo.
SEPTEMBER 21 - Running back Terrell Davis sets a franchise record by rushing for 215 yards in a 38-20 win over Cincinnati at Mile High Stadium. He is named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, en route to an AFC Player of the Month award for September.
OCTOBER 6 - Denver defeats New England 34-13 in a Monday night battle of the league's two remaining unbeatens, representing the furthest in the season that two undefeated teams have met on Monday Night Football. Linebacker John Mobley is named AFC Defensive Player of the Week in recognition of his 15-tackle effort that included an interception return for a touchdown.
OCTOBER 26 - The Broncos defeat the Bills 23-20 in overtime at Buffalo's Rich Stadium, a mere 15 hours after arriving in Buffalo due to a severe snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow on the Denver area, with drifts piled several feet higher in some areas. The Broncos' chartered flight leaves Denver 10 hours late, at 8 p.m. (MT) Saturday, Oct. 25, after an ordeal that involves numerous players' vehicles being stranded in snow drifts trying to reach the team buses at Broncos headquarters. Several players made their way to headquarters by way of snowmobiles after being picked up by citizens.
NOVEMBER 2 - John Elway sets two milestones and earns AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors on this day as the Broncos defeat Seattle 30-27 at Mile High Stadium. With 252 passing yards, Elway moves past Fran Tarkenton into second-place all-time in NFL passing yardage, and his 276 total yards make him just the third player in NFL history to top the 50,000-yard plateau. He will later be named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November.
NOVEMBER 9 - Cornerback Darrien Gordon ties an NFL record by returning two punts for touchdowns in the same quarter, a feat previously accomplished just twice in NFL history. His scoring returns of 82 and 75 yards in the first quarter staked Denver to a 14-0 lead en route to a 34-0 defeat of Carolina. The two touchdown returns in a game also tie Rick Upchurch's franchise record, while his 168 punt return yards also set a new franchise standard, as Gordon wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
DECEMBER 21 - Denver closes its regular season with a 38-3 victory over San Diego to secure its second straight undefeated regular season at home, only the third NFL team to do so since the schedule expanded to 16 games in 1978. The Broncos set new franchise records by posting nine double-digit victories in one season and scoring more than 30 points in nine different games.
DECEMBER 27 - The Broncos defeat Jacksonville 42-17 in an AFC Wild Card game at Mile High Stadium to record their first playoff victory since Jan. 4, 1992. In the game, Denver sets club postseason records for rushing yards (310), total yards (511), rushing attempts (49), points in a quarter (21; 4th quarter), total points (42), first downs (28), rushing first downs (18) and third-down efficiency (75%). Terrell Davis rushes for a club postseason record 184 yards, and is complemented by Derek Loville's 103 yards rushing, making Denver just the third team in NFL postseason history to post two 100-yard rushers in the same game. Denver's 40:59 of possession time and 310 rushing yards both rank as the fifth-highest totals ever in an NFL playoff game. Instrumental in the performance is the offensive line, which, as a unit, is named NFL Offensive Player of the Week. I marks just the second time in NFL history -- and first in the postseason -- that an Offensive Line is named Player of the Week.
Denver Broncos Historical Highlights - 1998
JANUARY 4 Denver wins a road playoff game for only the second time in franchise history by defeating the Chiefs 14-10 in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.
JANUARY 11 The Broncos win their fifth AFC Championship and win on the road for the second straight week in the playoffs by topping the Steelers 24-21 at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. The win makes Denver just the fifth Wild Card team to advance to the Super Bowl since the Wild Card format was adopted in 1970.
JANUARY 25 Denver claims it first World Championship with a 31-24 victory over defending champion Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The Broncos become the first team from the American Football Conference in 14 years to win the Super Bowl, and only the second Wild Card team ever to do so. Running back Terrell Davis sets a Super Bowl record with three rushing touchdowns to claim the Pete Rozelle Award as the game's Most Valuable Player. Davis finishes with 157 yards rushing and ties the Super Bowl record for total touchdowns (3) and points scored (18). The game marks the first time in Super Bowl history that each team scored a touchdown on its first possession, and the Broncos become just the fourth team in Super Bowl history to score on each of their first three possessions.
JANUARY 27 An estimated 650,000 fans gather in downtown Denver for a victory parade and rally to honor the World Champion Denver Broncos. The parade follows a route along 17th street, from Wynkoop to Broadway, and then along Broadway for several blocks before working its way to the steps of the Denver City and County Building, where a rally is held. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, head coach Mike Shanahan, quarterback John Elway, running back Terrell Davis, Colorado Governor Roy Romer and Denver Mayor Wellington Webb address the sea of Broncos fans who pack the grounds in front of the stage, and Elway and Davis are honored with street signs bearing their names.
FEBRUARY 1 The Broncos are represented in the annual AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in Honolulu by running back Terrell Davis, center Tom Nalen, tight end Shannon Sharpe and defensive end Neil Smith. Quarterback John Elway is also selected, but opts not to play in the game due to injury.
APRIL 22 Colorado Governor Roy Romer signs into law SB 171, a bill authorizing voters to decide upon a ballot issue that would appropriate tax money to partially fund a new football stadium in Denver.
JUNE 5 Broncos players and coaches receive their World Championship rings in a private ceremony at team headquarters.
JUNE 16 The Denver Broncos travel to Washington, D.C. for a special ceremony in which they are honored by President Bill Clinton at the White House for their victory in Super Bowl XXXII. Terrell Davis delivers to the President a Broncos jersey number "1" with "Clinton" on the back.
SEPTEMBER 21 The Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers are selected to play the first NFL game in Australia, an American Bowl '99 contest, Sun., Aug. 8, at Stadium Australia at Homebush Bay in Sydney.
OCTOBER 25 Broncos kicker Jason Elam ties a 28-year old NFL record by making a 63-yard field-goal attempt vs. Jacksonville at Mile High Stadium. The record-tying kick comes in the final seconds of the first half, in a game won by the Broncos, 37-24.
NOVEMBER 3 Denver-area voters approve a ballot issue to appropriate tax money to partially fund a new football stadium in Denver. The Broncos would begin play in the new stadium at the beginning of the 2001 season.
NOVEMBER 22 Broncos quarterback John Elway becomes just the second player in NFL history to compile 50,000 yards passing during a career, joining Miami's Dan Marino. Elway reaches the plateau on a 5-yard completion to wide receiver Willie Green in the first quarter of a 40-14 win over Oakland at Mile High Stadium.
NOVEMBER 29 The Broncos clinch the AFC West division title for the ninth time in franchise history with a 31-16 win at San Diego.
DECEMBER 6 The Broncos tie an NFL record by winning their 18th game in a row (regular and postseason combined), a 35-31 comeback defeat of Kansas City at Mile High Stadium. The only other teams to win 18 straight games are Chicago (1933-34 and 1941-42), Miami (1972-73) and San Francisco (1989-90). The win also gave the Broncos a 13-0 record to begin the season, tied for second-best in NFL history. The 1972 Miami Dolphins went undefeated through a 14-game schedule, while the 1934 Chicago Bears started 13-0.
DECEMBER 27 The Broncos close the regular season with a 14-2 record, best in franchise history, by virtue of a 28-21 win over Seattle. It marked the third consecutive season in which the club went undefeated at home, joining just three other teams in NFL history to accomplish the feat, and the first since the 16-game schedule was instituted in 1978. In the game, Terrell Davis rushes for 178 yards to finish with 2,008 for the season, and 6,413 for his career, overtaking Floyd Little (6,323) as the club's all-time leading rusher. He becomes just the fourth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, joining Eric Dickerson (2,105 in 1984), Barry Sanders (2,053 in 1997) and O.J. Simpson (2,003 in 1973), and also sets Broncos single-season records for rushing attempts (392), rushing touchdowns (21), touchdowns (23), points scored (138), total yards from scrimmage (2,225) and 100-yard games (11). Davis is named NFL Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press, and is a unanimous All-NFL selection, along with tight end Shannon Sharpe. The Broncos set franchise single-season records for rushing touchdowns (26), passing touchdowns (32), total touchdowns (62), points scored (501), first downs (347), rushing yards (2,468), total yards (6,092), highest avg. gain per play (5.9), PATs made (58) and attempted (59) and punting average (46.2).
