| 1969 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Gerald Phipps |
| General manager | Lou Saban |
| Head coach | Lou Saban |
| Home stadium | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–8–1 |
| Division place | 4thAFL West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The1969Denver Broncosseason was the team's tenth season as a franchise, and their final season in theAmerican Football League (AFL) before the league merged with theNational Football League (NFL). Led by third-year head coach and general managerLou Saban, the Broncos were 5–8–1, fourth place in the AFL West for the seventh straight season.
Denver opened with two victories at home, but were winless in their previous five games entering the season finale; they avoided the division cellar with a home win overCincinnati in the final AFL game for both.[1]
Of theoriginal eight franchises, Denver was the only one to never play in theAFL postseason. Six of the teams wonleague titles; the other exception wasBoston, who won their sole division title via atiebreaker game in1963. The Broncos posted their first winning record in1973 and made their first postseason in1977, advancing toSuper Bowl XII.
| 1969 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 36 | Grady Cavness | DB | UTEP | |
| 3 | 61 | Bill Thompson * | DB | Maryland State | |
| 4 | 84 | Mike Schnitker | LB | Colorado | |
| 4 | 88 | Edward Hayes | DB | Morgan State | |
| 5 | 113 | Frank Quayle | RB | Virginia | |
| 6 | 131 | Wandy Williams | RB | Hofstra | |
| 6 | 140 | Mike Coleman | RB | Tampa | |
| 7 | 165 | Al Giffin | TE | Auburn | |
| 9 | 217 | Henry Jones | RB | Grambling State | |
| 10 | 244 | Jim Smith | DB | Utah State | |
| 11 | 270 | Alan Pastrana | QB | Maryland | |
| 12 | 296 | Wes Plummer | DB | Arizona State | |
| 13 | 321 | John Sias | LB | Georgia Tech | |
| 14 | 348 | Garry Crane | LB | Arkansas State | |
| 15 | 373 | Errol Kahoun | G | Miami (OH) | |
| 16 | 400 | Billy Woods | DB | North Texas State | |
| 17 | 425 | Buster O'Brien | QB | Richmond | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| George Burrell | Defensive back | Penn |
| Ken Criter | Linebacker | Wisconsin |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
|
| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB)
Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 14 | Boston Patriots | W 35–7 | 1–0 | Mile High Stadium | 43,482 | Recap |
| 2 | September 21 | New York Jets | W 21–19 | 2–0 | Mile High Stadium | 50,583 | Recap |
| 3 | September 28 | atBuffalo Bills | L 28–41 | 2–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 40,302 | Recap |
| 4 | October 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 13–26 | 2–2 | Mile High Stadium | 50,564 | Recap |
| 5 | October 12 | Oakland Raiders | L 14–24 | 2–3 | Mile High Stadium | 49,511 | Recap |
| 6 | October 19 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 30–23 | 3–3 | Nippert Stadium | 27,920 | Recap |
| 7 | October 26 | atHouston Oilers | L 21–24 | 3–4 | Astrodome | 45,348 | Recap |
| 8 | November 2 | San Diego Chargers | W 13–0 | 4–4 | Mile High Stadium | 45,511 | Recap |
| 9 | November 9 | atOakland Raiders | L 10–41 | 4–5 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,416 | Recap |
| 10 | November 16 | Houston Oilers | T 20–20 | 4–5–1 | Mile High Stadium | 45,002 | Recap |
| 11 | November 23 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 24–45 | 4–6–1 | San Diego Stadium | 34,664 | Recap |
| 12 | November 27 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 17–31 | 4–7–1 | Municipal Stadium | 48,773 | Recap |
| 13 | December 7 | atMiami Dolphins | L 24–27 | 4–8–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 25,332 | Recap |
| 14 | December 14 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–16 | 5–8–1 | Mile High Stadium | 42,198 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| AFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Oakland Raiders | 12 | 1 | 1 | .923 | 7–1 | 377 | 242 | W6 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 5–3 | 359 | 177 | L1 | |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 2–6 | 288 | 276 | W4 | |
| Denver Broncos | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 3–5 | 297 | 344 | W1 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 3–5 | 280 | 367 | L5 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings of the AFL.
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