1973 Denver Broncos season
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| 1973 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Gerald Phipps |
| General manager | John Ralston |
| Head coach | John Ralston |
| Home field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–5–2 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1973 Denver Broncos season was the team's 14th year in professional football and its fourth with the National Football League (NFL). Led by second-year head coach and general manager John Ralston, the Broncos posted a winning record for the first time in franchise history, with seven wins, five losses, and two ties, which tied for sixth-best in the conference. Denver tied for second in the AFC West (third with tiebreaker), 1½ games behind the Oakland Raiders.
One of the ties, in their first-ever game with the Cardinals,[1] was the nearest they came to losing to that franchise until 2010,[1] and also their only NFL appearance in St. Louis until 2000 against the relocated Rams at Edward Jones Dome.[2]
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1973 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Otis Armstrong * | Running back | Purdue | |
| 2 | 36 | Barney Chavous | DE | South Carolina State | |
| 3 | 54 | Paul Howard | G | BYU | |
| 3 | 70 | John Wood | DT | LSU | |
| 4 | 88 | Tom Jackson * | LB | Louisville | |
| 5 | 113 | Charles McTorry | DB | Tennessee State | |
| 7 | 165 | Mike Askea | OT | Stanford | |
| 7 | 166 | John Grant | DT | USC | |
| 9 | 217 | Lyle Blackwood | DB | Texas Christian | |
| 10 | 244 | Al Marshall | WR | Boise State | |
| 11 | 269 | Elton Brown | DE | Utah State | |
| 12 | 296 | Jim O'Malley | LB | Notre Dame | |
| 13 | 319 | Ed Smith | DE | Colorado College | |
| 13 | 321 | Ed White | RB | Tulsa | |
| 14 | 348 | John Hufnagel | QB | Penn State | |
| 15 | 373 | Calvin Jones | DB | Washington | |
| 16 | 398 | Oliver Ross | RB | Alabama A&M | |
| 16 | 400 | Ken Muhlbeier | C | Idaho | |
| 17 | 425 | Kenneth Morgan | TE | Elon | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
- Source:[3]
Roster
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB) {{{defensive_back}}}
|
|
- Source:
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 16 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 28–10 | 1–0 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 2 | September 23 | San Francisco 49ers | L 34–36 | 1–1 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 3 | September 30 | Chicago Bears | L 14–33 | 1–2 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 4 | October 7 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–16 | 1–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | |
| 5 | October 14 | at Houston Oilers | W 48–20 | 2–3 | Astrodome | |
| 6 | October 22 | Oakland Raiders | T 23–23 | 2–3–1 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 7 | October 28 | at New York Jets | W 40–28 | 3–3–1 | Shea Stadium | |
| 8 | November 4 | at St. Louis Cardinals | T 17–17 | 3–3–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | |
| 9 | November 11 | San Diego Chargers | W 30–19 | 4–3–2 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 10 | November 18 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 23–13 | 5–3–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | |
| 11 | November 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 14–10 | 6–3–2 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 12 | December 2 | Dallas Cowboys | L 10–22 | 6–4–2 | Mile High Stadium | |
| 13 | December 9 | at San Diego Chargers | W 42–28 | 7–4–2 | San Diego Stadium | |
| 14 | December 16 | Oakland Raiders | L 17–21 | 7–5–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
- Monday night (October 22)[4]
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Oakland Raiders | 9 | 4 | 1 | .679 | 4–1–1 | 7–3–1 | 292 | 175 | W4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 5 | 2 | .571 | 4–2 | 6–4–1 | 231 | 192 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 5 | 2 | .571 | 3–2–1 | 7–2–1 | 354 | 296 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 0–6 | 1–9–1 | 188 | 386 | L4 |
Awards and honors
- UPI AFC Coach of the Year: John Ralston
References
- ^ a b Arizona Cardinals versus Denver Broncos
- ^ St. Louis Rams at home to Denver Broncos
- ^ 1973 Denver Broncos Press Guide. p. 4. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ "Turner's kick ties Raiders". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 23, 1973. p. 4B.
External links
- Denver Broncos – 1973 media guide
- 1973 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com