Sports in Denver
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Contents |
Major sports teams[edit]
Denver is home to many sports teams and is part of a select group of only 12 U.S. cities with teams from four major sports
- Denver Broncos
- The Denver Broncos of the National Football League have been able to draw crowds of over 70,000 since their AFL origins in the early 1960s at Mile High Stadium, and continue to draw fans today to their current home Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The team has advanced to the Super Bowl six times and have won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and '99.[dated info]
- Colorado Rockies
- In the 1980s and 1990s, one of the top priorities of former Mayor Federico Peña was bringing Major League Baseball to the city, an effort which culminated in the construction of Coors Field and the creation of the Colorado Rockies (National League) as an expansion franchise in 1993. They appeared in their first World Series in 2007.
- Colorado Avalanche
- Denver is also home to the Colorado Avalanche, a National Hockey League team that relocated from Quebec City in 1995. They have won two Stanley Cups (1996 and 2001) while in Denver and play at Pepsi Center.
- Denver Nuggets
- The Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association is hosted by the Pepsi Center.
- Furniture Row Racing
- Furniture Row Racing is a NASCAR team based in Denver and fields the #78 Chevrolet SS for Kurt Busch. The team is owned and sponsored by the U.S. furniture store chain Furniture Row and is the only NASCAR team headquartered in Colorado.
- Colorado Rapids
- The Colorado Rapids of the Major League Soccer team, played at Invesco Field at Mile High through 2006 until a new stadium, Dick's Sporting Goods Park was built in nearby Commerce City for 2007. Commerce City is a northern suburb of Denver.
Professional Sports Teams[edit]
- Denver Dynamite
- The Denver Dynamite of the Premier Arena Soccer League play at Apex Field House.
- Colorado Mammoth
- The Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League is hosted by the Pepsi Center. The Mammoth won NLL Championship in 2006.
- Denver Outlaws
- The Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
- Colorado Crush
- The Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League is hosted by the Pepsi Center. The Crush won Arena Bowl Championship in 2005.
- Denver Bulldogs
- The Denver Bulldogs are a United States Australian Football League team located in Denver that have won seven national championships.
- Denver Barbarians
- The Denver Barbarians are a Rugby Super League (US) team located in Denver founded in 1967. One of the original RSL teams they won the RSL Championship in 1999 in the RSL's third season.
D1 Collegiate Area sports Teams[edit]
- Colorado Buffaloes
- The CU Buffaloes are a member of the Pacific-12 Conference and are located in Boulder, CO.
- Colorado State Rams
- The CSU Rams are a member of the Mountain West Conference and are located in Fort Collins, CO.
- Air Force Falcons
- The USAFA Falcons are also a member of the Mountain West Conference and are located in Colorado Springs, CO.
- Wyoming Cowboys
- The UW Cowyboys are also a member of the Mountain West Conference and are located in Laramie, WY.
- Denver Pioneers
- The DU Pioneers are a member of the Western Athletic Conference and are located in Denver, CO.
- Northern Colorado Bears
- The UNC Bears are a member of the Big Sky Conference and are located in Greeley, CO.
Detailed Summary by Team[edit]
| Club | League | Venue | Championship | Since | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Conference | League | ||||
| Denver Broncos | AFL (1960–1969)
NFL(1970–present) |
Mile High Stadium 1960-2000
Sports Authority Field at Mile High (2001–present) |
AFL 0
NFL 10 |
AFL 0
NFL 6 |
AFL 0
NFL 2 |
1960 |
| Denver Nuggets | ABA (1967–1976)
NBA (1976–present) |
Denver Coliseum (1964–1974)
McNichols Sports Arena (1975–1999) Pepsi Center (2000–present) |
ABA 3
NBA 5 |
ABA 1
NBA 0 |
ABA 0
NBA 0 |
1967 |
| Colorado Rockies | MLB | Mile High Stadium (1993–1994)
Coors Field (1995–present) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1993 |
| Colorado Avalanche | NHL | McNichols Sports Arena (1995–1999)
Pepsi Center (2000–present) |
8 | 2 | 2 | 1995 |
| Colorado Rapids | MLS | Mile High Stadium (1996–2001)
INVESCO Field at Mile High (2002–2006) Dick's Sporting Goods Park (2007–present) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 1996 |
| Denver Dynamite | PASL-Pro (2008-2010) | Denver Sports Center (2008–2010)
Westridge Recreation Center (2010-2011) Apex Field House (2012–present) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 2008 |
| Colorado Mammoth | NLL | Pepsi Center(2003–present) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2003 |
| Denver Outlaws | MLL | Sports Authority Field at Mile High (2006–present) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2006 |
| University of Denver Pioneers | NCAADivision I | University of Denver Arena (1948–1998)
Magness Arena (1999–present) |
Hockey 9 | Hockey Tournament Championship 13
Final Frozen Four 14 |
28 NCAA Championships total
Hockey 7 Skiing 21 |
|
| Denver Bulldogs | USAFL | Veterans Park (1999–present) | Men Team 7
Women's Team 1 |
1999 |
Past teams[edit]
- Denver Bears former minor league (AAA) baseball team (1948–1992)
- Denver Zephyrs originally, the Denver Bears (moved to New Orleans, 1992)
- Denver Nuggets former National Basketball League & National Basketball Association team (1948–1950)
- Denver Spurs former World Hockey Association team (1975–76)
- Colorado Rockies former National Hockey League team (1976–82); now known as the New Jersey Devils
- Denver Avalanche! former Major Indoor Soccer League team (1980–1982); suspended operations.
- Colorado Flames former Central Hockey League minor league team (1983–1984); associated to the Calgary Flames
- Denver Gold former United States Football League team (1983–1985)
- Denver Dynamite former Arena Football League team (1987, 1989–1991)
- Denver Grizzlies former International Hockey League team (1994–1995); now known as the Utah Grizzlies
- Colorado Crush former AFL (2003–2009) the AFL suspended operations indefinitely.
Event hosting[edit]
- Denver co-hosted the 1962 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships (together with Colorado Springs).
- Initially awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics. However, due to rising costs and worries about environmental impact, voters rejected a public-funding ballot measure. Without the bond, Denver could not support the games, and the IOC retracted the award.
- Denver hosted the ABA All-Star Game in 1976 and the 1984 NBA All-Star Game at McNichols Arena.
- Denver also hosted the 1990 NCAA Final Four at McNichols Arena.
- The Ultimate Fighting Championship, which eventually become the world's leading mixed martial arts organization, held its first two events in Denver—UFC 1 on November 12, 1993 and UFC 2 on March 11, 1994.
- The 1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Coors Field.
- The 2001 NHL All-Star Game and FanFest at Pepsi Center.
- 2005 NBA All-Star Game at Pepsi Center.
- The 2008 NCAA Frozen Four Tournament was hosted in Denver.
- Denver hosted a yearly auto race on the Champ Car World Series circuit, the Grand Prix of Denver, before that series' demise in 2008.
- The Colorado Colfax Marathon is run through the city annually.
- The Churchill Cup, an annual international competition in rugby union featuring the USA and Canada senior national teams, the England Saxons (that country's second-level national team), and three invited teams, was hosted by Denver in 2009, with matches held at the rugby-specific Infinity Park in Glendale and Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Denver has been suggested as a permanent home for the competition. The 2010 tournament will feature preliminary rounds in Denver. Also, Denver is reportedly in the running to host a Bledisloe Cup match between the Australia and New Zealand national teams, possibly in 2010.
- Denver is host city for the 2009 Women's Flat Track Derby Association Western Regionals Roller Derby Tournament.
- Denver was the host for Sportaccord 2009, the largest international sports convention in the world.
- The city is strongly considering a bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. In December 2011 a Denver 2022 exploratory committee was launched.[1] Reno-Tahoe is also interested in bidding for 2022.[2]
Rugby League[edit]
Denver's rugby league team the Denver Wolverines were formed in 2010 and are part of the AMNRL's Western Expansion.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ Exploratory Committee Formed For Denver 2022 Bid
- ^ GB Editor (January 14, 2010). "Reno-Tahoe 2022 Olympic Bid Gets "Shot In The Arm"". GamesBids.com. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/rugby_league/RL_Hopes_To_Move_West.shtml
Mile High Stadium was home to the Rockies 1993-1995 while Coors Field was being built.
