1968 Denver Broncos season

1968 Denver Broncos season
Head coach	Lou Saban
General manager	Lou Saban
Home field	Mile High Stadium
Results
Record	5–9
Division place	4th AFL Western
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1968 Denver Broncos season was the ninth season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). 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.

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

The 1968 season was the first in which Denver wore their trademark "D" logo on their helmets.^[2] They would wear this uniform through the 1973 season, altering the shade of orange in their jerseys in 1974. Their helmets would remain the same until changing for 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, thus raising capacity to 50,657.^[4]

Personnel

Staff

1968 Denver Broncos staff
	Front office Chairman of the Board – Gerald Phipps President – Allan R. Phipps Director of Player Personnel – Fred Gehrke Head coaches General Manager/Head Coach – Lou Saban Offensive coaches Offensive Backfield – Hunter Enis Receivers – Sam Rutigliano Offensive Line – Whitey Dovell			Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Stan Jones Defensive Backfield – Dick MacPherson

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
2	September 15, 1968	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 10–24	Nippert Stadium	0–1	25,049
3	September 22, 1968	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 2–34	Municipal Stadium	0–2	45,821
4	September 29, 1968	Boston Patriots	L 17–20	Mile High Stadium	0–3	37,024
5	October 6, 1968	Cincinnati Bengals	W 10–7	Mile High Stadium	1–3	41,257
6	October 13, 1968	at New York Jets	W 21–13	Shea Stadium	2–3	62,052
7	October 20, 1968	at San Diego Chargers	L 44–55	San Diego Stadium	2–4	42,953
8	October 27, 1968	Miami Dolphins	W 21–14	Mile High Stadium	3–4	44,115
9	November 3, 1968	at Boston Patriots	W 35–14	Fenway Park	4–4	18,304
10	November 10, 1968	Oakland Raiders	L 7–43	Mile High Stadium	4–5	50,002
11	November 17, 1968	at Houston Oilers	L 17–38	Astrodome	4–6	36,075
12	November 24, 1968	Buffalo Bills	W 34–32	Mile High Stadium	5–6	35,201
13	December 1, 1968	San Diego Chargers	L 23–47	Mile High Stadium	5–7	35,212
14	December 8, 1968	at Oakland Raiders	L 27–33	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	5–8	47,754
15	December 14, 1968	Kansas City Chiefs	L 7–30	Mile High Stadium	5–9	38,463

Standings

AFL Western Division
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
Oakland Raiders	12	2	0	.857	6–2	453	233	W8
Kansas City Chiefs	12	2	0	.857	7–1	371	170	W5
San Diego Chargers	9	5	0	.643	5–3	382	310	L2
Denver Broncos	5	9	0	.357	1–7	255	404	L3
Cincinnati Bengals	3	11	0	.214	1–7	215	329	L3

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. http://www.ballparktour.com/Former_Denver.html

External links

• 1968 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com