How the Broncos are taking their fans back to 1977

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — So, Sunday’s Denver Broncos game won’t be at long-since-demolished Mile High Stadium. And you won’t be able to storm the field and rip down the goalposts if the Broncos win, unlike in the moments following the 1977 AFC Championship Game that took the Broncos to the Super Bowl.

But if you’re headed to Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday to absorb the atmosphere, you could be forgiven for thinking that you’d hopped in Doc Brown’s DeLorean and gone back 47 years in time — albeit with modern conveniences like a smartphone in your pocket and WiFi throughout the stadium.

Long before the 2:05 p.m. kickoff, the Broncos’ game-presentation operation has a goal: Create an atmosphere that blends the sensibility and style of the 1970s with the modern flair of today.

The field will be painted in a manner similar to how it looked for that AFC title game on Jan. 1, 1978 — albeit with “Broncos” painted in both end zones and no logo at midfield. For that 20-17 win that clinched the team’s first Super Bowl appearance, the north end zone had “RAIDERS” painted in white on a blue background.

But this is a Broncos occasion, a celebration of the team’s wondrous history. And the fact that the field won’t look exactly as it did on that frosty New Year’s Day underscores how the experience will be a commemoration, a celebration and an immersion — but not a precise re-creation.

“How do we need to make sure that we are inspired, but in a way where it feels still modern, it feels current, it feels relevant?” said Broncos chief marketing officer Hailey Sullivan, the point person for the entire week of salutes to the team’s history.

“Throwback in general is very resonant with fans across the board, but we need to do it in a way where it still feels fresh and applicable.”

A BRONCOS ATMOSPHERE ”INSPIRED BY” 1977

“And that’s why ‘inspired by’ really is a key [phrase],” Sullivan said. “It’s not replicating. We’re not trying to be historically accurate. That was for ’77.

“We’re asking people to throw it back to ’77. But in 2024.”

So, the day’s experience won’t be an exact replica of a game day from the disco era.

It’s a bit like the uniforms themselves, which are breathtaking to view for those with a sense of nostalgia, an appreciation of history or simply a preference for bold, bright colors — but boast a tweaked design compared with their 1970s forebears. The “TV numbers,” once on the sleeve, move on the shoulders, owing to the modern jersey cuts that feature shorter sleeves, leaving not enough room for both the stripe pattern and the numbers.

In that vein, music that plays throughout the stadium on Sunday will be “inspired by” the 1970s, Sullivan noted.

“The whole game will not be ’70s. It’s going to be a good balance,” Sullivan said. “There will be music from the 70s, inspired by the 70s All kind of appropriate for the game day experience.

“You will definitely feel kind of that throwback to the ’77 atmosphere when possible.”

To that end, there will be some pump-up clips on the scoreboard that use a dot-matrix-style format, evoking the scoreboards of the past, including the one that sat above the south stands at old Mile High Stadium. Highlights from the 1977 team that will be honored this weekend will play on the video boards.

LEANING INTO LEGACY BLUE

Orange remains a core tenet of the Broncos’ identity, of course. But they’ll wear orange uniforms in the new template next week against the Los Angeles Chargers, and for three subsequent home games this season. Orange has been the color of the team’s primary jersey since 2012.

The difference during a throwback week, of course, is the shade of blue. Midnight navy is replaced by legacy blue — a shade referred to in half-century-old editions of the Broncos media guide as “academy blue,” a nod to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

And that’s where you’ll see a big difference.

The Broncos have already leaned into this shade of blue during social-media programming throughout the week. Their avatar on the platform formerly known as Twitter is the “D” logo on a legacy-blue background.

The midnight-navy background on the scoreboard will be in legacy blue. On the field wrap — the banners covering the field-level walls that encircle the playing surface — the lighter shade blue will be incorporated into the design, along with the old logotype.

“The light blue goes crazy, so I’m a big fan of it,” wide receiver Devaughn Vele said.

Broncos WR Devaughn Vele, on the throwback uniform:

“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s the coolest uniform we have, so I’m hoping, we can wear it more often. …

“I like the color scheme. The light blue goes crazy, so, I’m a big fan of it. pic.twitter.com/AqHYHjxrAE

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 3, 2024

A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA …

… awaits the first 25,000 fans through the gates for the game: a Western-style belt buckle featuring the “D” logo, contained in a legacy-blue box.

Souvenir giveaways have become part and parcel of the Broncos gameday experience in recent years. Orange towels were dispersed to fans at the regular-season home opener against Pittsburgh on Sep. 15. So, with all the possibilities, how did the club settle on a belt buckle?

The nod to Colorado’s Western roots and culture was one reason. But another lies in the commemoration of the time in which the beloved 1977 edition of the Broncos operated.

“Fun fact, the belt buckle was a top wish list item for Christmas in 1977,” Sullivan said. So that actually, we led with that. We thought, ‘What a fun idea!’ Also, buckles do also feel very on-brand from a Broncos Country, kind of the vibe of the fandom.

“And so, we ran with that.”

Sullivan noted that the club went through a few design possibilities in the brainstorming process before settling on the silver buckle with the D in the middle.

“This is definitely our marquee item for the season and definitely the high-value collectible that we’re really excited about,” Sullivan said.

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(Photo by Andrew Mason / DenverSports.com)

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WHAT COMES NEXT?

It’s important to note that while Sunday marks the first appearance of the classic uniform template, it will not be the last. The Broncos will wear it again against Kansas City in the regular-season finale, to take place on Jan. 4 or 5.

And the uniform is a part of the Broncos’ uniform closet, which means it will remain an option for the coming years, although it is subject to the NFL’s limitations to three games each season in which a team can wear a third jersey or a throwback option. Denver will wear its third blue jersey on Dec. 2 when the Cleveland Browns visit the Mile High City.

How future contests with the 1977-inspired uniforms look in terms of game presentation is something that remains a work in progress. Sullivan noted that fan feedback would play an integral role in determining future plans regarding the throwback-inspired uniforms.

“We really care about providing an amazing fan experience where they can watch and support our team,” she said. “I want to really take a pulse on kind of how fans thought about it.

“We’re constantly thinking through fun ideas, fun ways to inspire, immerse, and excite and engage. But ultimately, fans will [have their] vote.”

Certainly, most fans appear to be on board with seeing these colors multiple times each season. The same can be said of some players, including tight end Adam Trautman.

The veteran tight end pads a point of noting this week that he loved the current jerseys.

But the throwbacks? Like many other players, a smile crossed his face when discussing them.

“Everyone’s excited,” he said. “Maybe it’ll become the primary at some point. Who knows? That’d be nice.”

Of course, if the Broncos did that, then the jersey of the past wouldn’t be about nostalgia and warm memories any more. Still, the needle these Broncos want to thread is in adding to the legacy established by the players who wore similar iterations of the uniform from 1968-96.

It’s their turn to add a new chapter to the novel of that classic “D” logo and the legacy-blue helmets.

And helping them along on Sunday will be a home crowd simultaneously immersed in the past while squarely rooted in the present.

Broncos TE Adam Trautman, on the throwback uniforms: “Everyone’s excited … Maybe it’ll become the primary at some point. Who knows? That’d be nice.”

He later adds that he loves the new jerseys, which look “really great, but, yeah, everyone loves their throwback jersey.” pic.twitter.com/JJIRlkjiP4

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 3, 2024