The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
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There used to be high standards in the Mile High City. When it came to the local NFL team, it was “Super Bowl or bust” for a quarter century.
When John Elway arrived in 1983, making the playoffs became the expectation. It was that way throughout his 16-year Hall of Fame career. And it remained that way even after No. 7 retired.
If the Broncos weren’t a legitimate Super Bowl contender, things changed. Quickly.
That was never more evident than on Dec. 30, 2008. That’s the date the unthinkable happened.
In 1997, Mike Shanahan led the Broncos to someplace they’d never been. Losers of four previous Super Bowls, the Mastermind built a team that finally got over the hump. Denver beat Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII to bring the Lombardi Trophy to the Mile High City for the first time.
The next year, Shanahan built an even better team. The Broncos started 13-0, cruised to the No. 1 seed in the AFC and faced off against the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. Denver blew out Atlanta win back-to-back titles.
After reaching the pinnacle of success, it was believed that Shanahan would forever be the head coach of the Broncos. It was unfathomable to think he’d ever be relieved of those duties; he’d have the job until he no longer wanted to coach anymore.
When he signed a contract extension in 2003 that paid him $5 million per season, Pat Bowlen all but said it was a lifetime deal. The Broncos owner had no thought of ever parting ways with the greatest coach in franchise history.
Five years later, that all changed.
After losing their final three games, including a 52-21 shellacking at San Diego in the finale, the Broncos finished the season 8-8. They missed the playoffs for a third-straight season, a stretch that saw the team go a very pedestrian 24-24.
Bowlen felt a change was needed. He believed that Shanahan’s message had grown stale. He sensed that the architect of some of the NFL’s greatest offenses had perhaps lost his edge.
So the owner did the unthinkable. He fired Shanahan, parting ways with the winningest coach in franchise history.
The Mastermind compiled a 138-86 record during his 14 seasons at the helm. He led the Broncos to the playoffs seven times, winning two Super Bowls.
But going 9-7, 7-9 and 8-8 in consecutive seasons wasn’t good enough. In Denver, that didn’t live up to the standard that had been set.
Oh, how things have changed.
In the 16 seasons since Shanahan was fired, the Broncos have only been above .500 on six occasions. Take out the four Peyton Manning seasons and they’ve only surpassed that benchmark in two out of 12 years, going 9-7 in 2016 and 10-7 in ’24.
They’ve also suffered through the longest playoff drought (eight seasons) and sub-.500 campaigns (seven) in the franchise’s NFL history. They’ve posted two 12-loss seasons post-Shanahan, the most defeats the team has ever suffered, as well as two 5-11s.
It’s been ugly. And it’s provided a reminder of just how good the Broncos had it with Shanahan at the helm.
Back then, going 24-24 over the course of three seasons got a head coach fired. Nowadays, Sean Payton is heralded for posting an 18-17 record during his first two years with the Broncos.
Times have changed. For the worse. And it all started on that fateful December day in 2008.
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THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
25: The seemingly never-ending Broncos ownership saga
24: Hurricane Josh hits the Mile High City
23: The Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
22: The Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals in 2009
21: John Elway gets enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
20: The Avalanche hoist third Stanley Cup in franchise history
19: The Avalanche acquire Patrick Roy from the Canadiens
18: The Broncos produce the greatest offensive season in NFL history
17: John Elway joins the Broncos front office to right the ship
16: The Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 1996
15: The Broncos nearly decade-long quarterback carousel
14: The Avs-Red Wings rivalry turns into a bloodbath
13: The Broncos win back-to-back titles during historic season
12: The Broncos suffer one of the worst losses in franchise history
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Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.