The NFL this season will shine a light on a piece of its history it tried for years to stomp out. The league will stage 16 games in 2009 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the long-lost American Football League, of which the Broncos were a charter member.
The AFL started in 1960 and lasted through 1969, when it merged with the more established NFL. The two leagues began playing championship games in the 1966 season in what became the Super Bowl.
But the Broncos' legacy in the AFL is a dubious one. Of the eight original AFL teams, only one never played for a championship in the 10-year history of the league - Denver. And only one wore uniforms roundly considered among the worst of all time - the Broncos' brown and yellow look, with vertically striped socks.
Still, the Broncos will try to remember that history fondly. They play two games this season in throwback unis against other AFL teams, against New England in Denver on Oct. 11 and at San Diego on Monday, Oct. 19.
And Denver fans can vote online for the all-time best Broncos team, by position. Frank Tripucka vs. John Elway. Let's get it on.
Nick Groke, The Denver Post
