1982 Denver Broncos Season Highlights

[Music] good afternoon from mile high stadium i'm bob martin along with larry zimmer welcoming you to the opening of the 1982 national football league season for the denver broncos it was a very successful undefeated preseason a first in the club's history but that means nothing now as they host the san diego chargers in the first game of the regular season with a cast that included 22 players with less than three years experience the broncos traveled a rocky road in [Music] 1982 regular season was a year that proved to be more unusual than predictable as the broncos suffered through one of their worst seasons ever one that was filled with more misery than magic craig straight drop looking right left throwing it'll be a touchdown roger just a slant in from the left side and craig put it on the button and they have just driven 87 yards although the broncos season was disappointing they played with determination and character the same traits that brought denver eight winning seasons during the past decade and made the team a genuine playoff contender in seven of those years [Music] against the rams the determined broncos battled back from a 21-7 deficit to earn a 27-24 win and against the defending world champion san francisco 49ers the broncos once again came from behind and evoked memories of the glory of seasons passed beavers left and odom's is wide to the right watson's in motion berg looking throwing the pass for the end zone for rep church he's open touchdown tied at 21 with time running out the broncos put their best foot forward and finished the 49ers the barefooted kicker will try this one from the eight yard line left hash mark the berg will hold 18-yard attempt with three seconds to go tied at 21. this is it carlos is kicked yes time runs out the game is over it is denver 24. san francisco 21. the broncos will rebound from the frustrations of 1982 because of a tradition that comes from the heart a tradition that will recapture the [Music] [Applause] [Music] magic in their quest to recapture the magic the denver broncos have a wizard of their own head coach dan reeves whose spirit has generated new bronco enthusiasm with an eye toward the future owner edgar f kaiser jr appointed hind policy's denver's new vice president and general manager and while some things may change in denver one unit has remained constant in the high country the denver defense this team-oriented aggressive unit is prepared to perform some magic of its own in 1983. leading the way will be veteran nose tackle number 68 reuben carter who has a ton of ability with his quickness carter once again stands ready to beat devil running backs while his counterpart number 72 don latimer has been known to destroy an offense all by himself along with veteran bryson manor roland jones number 75 has haunted quarterbacks for three seasons accumulating 23 secs [Music] and against seattle in 1982 defensive end's greg boyd number 77 and barney chavis number 79 posted two safeties which tied the nfl record for most safeties in a game complementing the big men up front is the hard-hitting style of outside linebacker tom jackson number 57 with his big play ability this 10-year veteran galvanized a stout bronco defense and was once again named the broncos most inspirational player [Music] all pro linebacker bob swenson number 51 is back to sack a few quarterbacks [Music] while number 56 larry evans and number 50 jim ryan mix well with a secondary that can make some big plays of its own number 22 aaron kyle led the broncos in turnovers for the second straight year while steve trimble and steve wilson number 45 have the desire to be winners with steve foley out with a broken arm in 1982 the opportunistic mike harden number 31 filled in at free safety while jt thomas and dennis smith number 49 lowered the spirits of a few quarterbacks all pro lewis wright number 20 stabilized the broncos defensive secondary wright is always saddled up and ready to ride heard on any receiver in his territory wright ignites an explosive bronco defense and his enthusiasm earned him mvp honors in 1982 but the heart of the defense is all-pro linebacker randy gratischar number 53. he's a lights out hitter who led the broncos with 151 total tackles and his six pro bowl appearances are the most by any player in bronco history for nine seasons gratishar has inspired the broncos with his intensity tracker drop right right [Applause] slacked [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we'll call it [Applause] randy gratishaw's value is as much inspirational as physical and in 1983 this veteran denver defense will help lead the broncos in their quest to recapture the magic [Music] in 1983 the broncos will once again have a supporting cast difficult to ignore and impossible to forget the fans there is something very real very pure about the football in this city and as the broncos look to 1983 they are virtually assured of their 14th consecutive sellout season in mile high stadium one of the reasons for this success is the play of the special teams whose particular style reflects the very spirit of the town itself determined and fiercely proud this unit includes jim ryan keith bishop darren como ken woodard nathan poole and rick dennison while orlando mcdaniel roger jackson along with steve music number 58 wade manning number 83 and special team mvp rob lytle number 41 continue to make the big play the denver broncos special teams a special group with a special magic the star of the kicking game is number 11 luke prestridge prestridge's average of 45 yards per kick was the nfl's best in 1982 and his booming kicks earned him his first pro bowl appearance first year place kicker rich carlos connected on 11 of 13 field goal attempts the top percentage in the afc a poised dependable kicker carlos has proven himself in pressure situations and plans to provide some excitement of his own in 1983 but the real excitement of the special teams in 1982 was provided by kick returner rick upchurch [Music] with two punts returned for touchdowns in 1982 upchurch tied the nfl all-time record of eight touchdowns scored on punt returns by averaging over 16 yards per return he once again led the nfl and added to his laurels by being named to the pro bowl for the fourth time stuff shirt running to his right has it at the 22 25 30 sidelines 35 40. he's at the 50 runs by the punter he'll score breakup church has done it again [Music] up church prestridge and carlos the most prolific special team group in bronco history a force that will return to mesmerize opponents with their magic in 1983. [Music] the force behind the broncos running attack is their consistently strong offensive line led by offensive mvp center billy bryan guards classic stuttered howard and bishop and tackles miner euchre lanier and clark the offensive line will help shape the broncos future with their explosive charge they open the holes and then lead the way to bronco first downs [Music] on a screen they lead a coordinated charge that forms a wall that breaks up a defensive backfield and opens the way for the bronco running attack a promising young ball carrier is sami winder number 23 winder sidestepped his way through defenses with his elusive running style [Music] veteran dave preston number 46 played a prominent role in the broncos passing attack in 1982 [Music] fullback rick perros number 24 led the broncos in receptions and in only his second year is developing into one of the finest all-purpose backs in the nfl a classic team player paris would just as soon block for a big play as make one with number one draft pick gerald wilheit number 47 every play has the potential to be a big one will height averaged over six yards every time he touched the ball and led the team in total yards rushing and touchdowns tough and hard to stop will height would just as soon run over people as around them and in their drive to recapture the magic gerald wilhite and the bronco attack are something to flip over [Music] emerging from the shadows in 1982 was quarterback steve deberg an astute proficient passer the berg has acquired quarterbacking polish to complement his talent [Music] receiver steve watson number 81 also boasts abundant talent watson again led the broncos in receiving and his career average of over 20 yards per catch ranks him as one of denver's all-time leading receivers veteran tight end riley odom's number 88 has been a model of consistency for over a decade and ranks second on the list of denver's all-time leading receivers ron egloff number 85 plays an important role in the bronco two tight end offensive sets and with his clutch receiving tight end jim wright number 87 is headed toward a starting job in 1983. playing the role of backup in 1982 quarterback mark herman made an impressive showing in only his second season and with his cool unruffled manner he has the potential to be a team leader herman possesses a def touch maneuverability and intelligence and he is prepared to carry the load in 1983. [Music] in 1982 quarterback craig morton retired at age 39 he leaves pro football with an affection for the mile high city despite some rocky times people here in denver have been unbelievable to me we've had our moments i guess as every quarterback will with the town but they've been excited and they've been really fun moments and i appreciate the town of denver and what they've done for me and my family more than they'll probably ever know morton arrived in the nfl with a class of 65. he played 18 seasons and concludes his career as one of the most prolific pastors of all time in 1977 morton came to denver in a trade but his arrival was met with skepticism when i first came up here of course they didn't expect too much of me i came from the giants i played with the giants for two and a half years and i certainly didn't do very much with new york it's very important we take that adversity and turn it into something positive no matter what's happened to me on a negative point i've always figured that if i stayed with it long enough and been persistent enough that i could make it come out on a positive note [Applause] with a new number new inner peace and the determination to rebuild his life and career craig morton created enough memories to last a lifetime [Music] everything kind of just blended in perfectly for me and they just wanted somebody that would take charge and do the things necessary to win and when they did as morton took matters into his own hands and led the broncos through some of their most magic moments even when the courageous morton played in pain the results were still positive as he helped make the broncos contenders instead of pretenders in 1978 denver downed kansas city 24-3 as morton went 19-22 with 16 straight completions both second best all-time nfl marks morton's legacy can never be measured by one game but there was one which represented the essence of everything he could do on a football field against seattle in 1979 morton came off the bench and brought denver from a 34-10 deficit to a 37-34 victory morton throwing it quickly for moses touchdown david moses and the broncos have scored two quickly moses left up church right morton straight back pumping at once throwing the pass for up church he'll have to hurry he's got it pumped faked and then through as up church go here was all of morton's talent courage daring and execution and it was this type of leadership that former teammate and bronco head coach dan reeves wanted in a quarterback i always had a great deal of confidence that craig could do the job if somebody really you know put the confidence in him said hey here's the job it's yours and you know see what you can do but i don't think he ever had that and i knew that craig could do the job because he has a great experience that's one thing you can't replace you know in a quarterback you either have experience that you don't and i wanted a guy that had the experience and could still do the job and craig fit the bill for morton it was all business and no clowning around as he responded with his finest season ever older and wiser morton had fought adversity and won i'm a very persistent person that i refuse to be a failure no matter what the situation is and no matter what other people think i've never believed them there have been points in my life where they've written me completely offset i could never play quarterback again i was horrible and all that well it's fine if they believe that but i never believed it and i never would believe it and when people kept trying to write me off it made me more determined not to let that happen what did happen was that morton at age 38 climbed out of the valley to scale the pinnacle of his colorful career against the chargers he had the best single game effort by any nfl quarterback in 1981 and morton throwing it to the back of the end zone the chain right touchdown morton has thrown three touchdown passes and we're still in the first quarter and they say he's too old craig morton's courage dedication and determination made the broncos winners [Music] the winning began in 1977 as denver posted the best record in the nfl and morton's magic led the broncos past the steelers in the first round of the playoffs by now the broncos were coming on like gangbusters and not just because of their talent but because of their determination from the players and the fans flowed a current of emotion that boiled over and the broncos headed into the new year's day afc championship game against oakland on a sea of bronco mania a swelling orange tide had captured the city craig morton the afc's most valuable player climbed out of a hospital bed to leave the broncos to their first conference championship morton is back throwing the pass for moses at the 50 to 45 and on the far sideline he is still in bounds across the 10 to five into the end touchdowns [Music] fans respond listen to this crowd [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the spirit of denver's dream season will never be forgotten in 1983 the broncos plan a new rocky mountain high as they conjure up the thrills of an epic past blend them into the excitement of the present and open the way to their dreams of tomorrow a dream to recapture the magic [Applause] so the 1982 denver broncos highlights were brought to you by the adolf coors company golden colorado brewers of coors and coors light you

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Length: 30min 4sec (1804 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 24 2020