Denver Gold
Encyclopedia
The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League
, an attempt to establish a second major professional football
league in the United States
, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985. The Gold played their home games at Mile High Stadium
in Denver, Colorado
.
's Denver Broncos
by involving former Broncos players and coaches in the Gold organization. The Gold's original coach was Red Miller
, who led the Broncos to their first-ever Super Bowl
. He was fired in the middle of the season and replaced by popular ex-Broncos quarterback
Craig Morton
. Despite one of the toughest defenses in the league, a weak offense kept the Gold out of the playoffs in 1983. Blanding, however, was more satisfied with the fact that he actually turned a profit. Unwilling to join the other teams in reckless spending, however, Blanding sold the Gold to auto dealer Doug Spedding for $10 million.
into a consistent reliable player. Morton was widely seen as a players coach and it was widely reported that Spedding expected the Gold to make the playoffs in order for Morton to keep his job. This did not happen. The team finished one game out of the playoffs and Morton was fired.
offensive coordinator Mouse Davis
for the 1985 season. Davis was the chief advocate of the Run & Shoot offense in the USFL and had implemented the system in Houston that helped Make Jim Kelly a superstar.
Davis brought in former Chicago Blitz
QB Vince Evans
. Evans split time with Bob Gagliano
, a 4th string QB under Morton. Neither QB was great running the offense, but good schemeing by Davis and talent at the other spots shot the gold up to 4th in the league in offense.
As a result, despite finishing second in the Western Conference, they were forced to play on the road against the lower-seeded Memphis Showboats
under pressure from ABC
. The network, who had considerable influence over the USFL due to the structuring of the league's television contract, did not want the embarrassment of having a game played in a near-empty stadium.
Spedding also knew that the Gold could not hope to compete with the Broncos; shortly after the 1985 season, he cut a deal to merge the Gold with the Jacksonville Bulls
. Instead they, and the USFL as a whole, were doomed by the ill-advised attempt to move the playing season to the fall in direct competition with the more established league. The league's high-stakes anti-trust suit against the NFL, awarded only $3 to the USFL. The jury cited the league's abandonment of Denver and several other major markets as one reason why it awarded the USFL only nominal damages. With no new funds to cover their irresponsible spending, the league folded.
Receiving Yards: 1432 (1985), Leonard Harris
Passing Yards: 2695 (1985), Bob Gagliano
|1983 || 7 || 11 || 0 || 3rd Pacific || --
|-
|1984 || 9 || 9 || 0 || 3rd WC Pacific || --
|-
|1985 || 11 || 7 || 0 || 7th WC || Lost Quarterfinal (Memphis
)
|-
!Totals || 27 || 28 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
, an attempt to establish a second major professional football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985. The Gold played their home games at Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium
Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Holding fast to the USFL's original blueprint
The team's original owner, Denver real estate mogul Ron Blanding, held fast to the USFL's original blueprint, keeping tight controls on expenses (including player salaries) while heavily marketing the team in the Rockies. The strategy paid off, as the Gold led the league in attendance during its inaugural season.Denver Broncos alliance and 1983 season
The Gold attempted to utilize some of the goodwill established by the rival NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
's Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
by involving former Broncos players and coaches in the Gold organization. The Gold's original coach was Red Miller
Red Miller
Robert "Red" Miller is a former professional football coach with the Denver Broncos.- Early life and career :Miller was born and raised in Macomb, Illinois and attended Macomb Public Schools and Western Illinois University, where he was later a star player and coach for the Leathernecks football...
, who led the Broncos to their first-ever Super Bowl
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
. He was fired in the middle of the season and replaced by popular ex-Broncos quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Craig Morton
Craig Morton
Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...
. Despite one of the toughest defenses in the league, a weak offense kept the Gold out of the playoffs in 1983. Blanding, however, was more satisfied with the fact that he actually turned a profit. Unwilling to join the other teams in reckless spending, however, Blanding sold the Gold to auto dealer Doug Spedding for $10 million.
1984 season
The Gold remained competitive again in 1984. The defense was not as good but Morton was able to improve the offense developing QB Craig PenroseCraig Penrose
Craig R. Penrose is a former professional American football quarterback. He spent five seasons in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets and 2 seasons with the United States Football League's Denver Gold. His family origin is Cornish American.-External links:**...
into a consistent reliable player. Morton was widely seen as a players coach and it was widely reported that Spedding expected the Gold to make the playoffs in order for Morton to keep his job. This did not happen. The team finished one game out of the playoffs and Morton was fired.
1985 Season
In hopes of getting over the hump, Spedding hired Houston GamblersHouston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons...
offensive coordinator Mouse Davis
Mouse Davis
Darrel "Mouse" Davis is an American football coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he is currently the wide receivers coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Davis served as the head football coach at Portland State University from...
for the 1985 season. Davis was the chief advocate of the Run & Shoot offense in the USFL and had implemented the system in Houston that helped Make Jim Kelly a superstar.
Davis brought in former Chicago Blitz
Chicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid 1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.- Team history :...
QB Vince Evans
Vince Evans
Vincent Tobias Evans is a former professional American football quarterback who was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft...
. Evans split time with Bob Gagliano
Bob Gagliano
Robert Frank "Bob" "The Goose" Gagliano , is a former professional American football player. He began his career playing quarterback for Glendale Community College. He then played for United States International University in San Diego, and Utah State University...
, a 4th string QB under Morton. Neither QB was great running the offense, but good schemeing by Davis and talent at the other spots shot the gold up to 4th in the league in offense.
Diminishing local support
Unfortunately, just after Davis took over, the USFL announced that it would switch to a fall schedule for the 1986 season. The vote destroyed the Gold's viability. While the Gold had been one of the USFL's attendance leaders (drawing over 40,000 fans per game in 1983), fans in the Denver area were not about to abandon the Broncos. Despite finally getting into the playoffs with an 11-7 record, the Gold's attendance crashed by over 20,000 to 14,400 fans per game.As a result, despite finishing second in the Western Conference, they were forced to play on the road against the lower-seeded Memphis Showboats
Memphis Showboats
The Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
under pressure from ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The network, who had considerable influence over the USFL due to the structuring of the league's television contract, did not want the embarrassment of having a game played in a near-empty stadium.
Spedding also knew that the Gold could not hope to compete with the Broncos; shortly after the 1985 season, he cut a deal to merge the Gold with the Jacksonville Bulls
Jacksonville Bulls
The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...
. Instead they, and the USFL as a whole, were doomed by the ill-advised attempt to move the playing season to the fall in direct competition with the more established league. The league's high-stakes anti-trust suit against the NFL, awarded only $3 to the USFL. The jury cited the league's abandonment of Denver and several other major markets as one reason why it awarded the USFL only nominal damages. With no new funds to cover their irresponsible spending, the league folded.
Single season leaders
Rushing Yards: 1261 (1985), Bill JohnsonBill Johnson (running back)
William Thomas Johnson is a former professional American football player from 1984 to 1987 in both the USFL and the NFL....
Receiving Yards: 1432 (1985), Leonard Harris
Leonard Harris (American football)
Leonard Harris is a former National Football League wide receiver and kick returner who played for the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons . He also played for the Denver Gold of the United States Football League....
Passing Yards: 2695 (1985), Bob Gagliano
Bob Gagliano
Robert Frank "Bob" "The Goose" Gagliano , is a former professional American football player. He began his career playing quarterback for Glendale Community College. He then played for United States International University in San Diego, and Utah State University...
Season-by-season
|-|1983 || 7 || 11 || 0 || 3rd Pacific || --
|-
|1984 || 9 || 9 || 0 || 3rd WC Pacific || --
|-
|1985 || 11 || 7 || 0 || 7th WC || Lost Quarterfinal (Memphis
Memphis Showboats
The Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
)
|-
!Totals || 27 || 28 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
External links
- This is the USFL
- Remember the USFL
- oursportscentral.com - USFL - 1984 Denver Gold - team photo & roster