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1966 Denver Broncos season

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1966 Denver Broncos season
OwnerGerald Phipps
General managerJames Burris
Head coachMac Speedie (0–2)
Ray Malavasi (4–8)
Home fieldBears Stadium
Results
Record4–10
Division place4th AFL Western
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1966 Denver Broncos season was the seventh season for the team in the American Football League (AFL). For the second straight season the Broncos posted a record of four wins, and ten losses, ranking last again for the fourth time in the AFL's Western Division. Following the second game of the season, head coach Mac Speedie abruptly resigned,[1] and offensive line coach Ray Malavasi was the interim head coach for the remaining twelve games.[2]

Denver's offense set a dubious all-time AFL record in 1966 with the fewest total points scored in a season, with 196, or 14 per game.[3] The Broncos are the last team in major professional football (AFL or NFL) to go an entire game without picking up a first down,[4] which they did in Week One at Houston.[5]

Personnel

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Staff / Coaches

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1966 Denver Broncos staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches




Roster

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1966 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)
  • 70 Don Smith G

Defensive linemen (DL)

  • 66 Larry Cox
Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 3 at Houston Oilers L 7–45 0–1 Rice Stadium 30,156 Recap
2 Bye
3 September 18 Boston Patriots L 10–24 0–2 Bears Stadium 25,337 Recap
4 September 25 New York Jets L 7–16 0–3 Bears Stadium 29,878 Recap
5 October 2 Houston Oilers W 40–38 1–3 Bears Stadium 27,203 Recap
6 October 8 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–37 1–4 Municipal Stadium 33,929 Recap
7 October 16 at Miami Dolphins L 7–24 1–5 Miami Orange Bowl 23,393 Recap
8 October 23 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–56 1–6 Bears Stadium 26,196 Recap
9 October 30 at San Diego Chargers L 17–24 1–7 Balboa Stadium 25,819 Recap
10 November 6 at Boston Patriots W 17–10 2–7 Fenway Park 18,154 Recap
11 Bye
12 November 20 Oakland Raiders L 3–17 2–8 Bears Stadium 26,703 Recap
13 November 27 San Diego Chargers W 20–17 3–8 Bears Stadium 24,860 Recap
14 December 4 Miami Dolphins W 17–7 4–8 Bears Stadium 32,592 Recap
15 December 11 at Oakland Raiders L 10–28 4–9 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 31,765 Recap
16 December 18 at Buffalo Bills L 21–38 4–10 War Memorial Stadium 40,538 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

[5][6]

  • With the expansion Miami Dolphins joining the AFL in 1966, there were an odd-number (9)
    of teams for two seasons, resulting in multiple bye weeks for each team.

Standings

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AFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Kansas City Chiefs 11 2 1 .846 5–1 448 276 W3
Oakland Raiders 8 5 1 .615 4–2 315 288 W1
San Diego Chargers 7 6 1 .538 2–4 335 284 L1
Denver Broncos 4 10 0 .286 1–5 196 381 L2
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Speedie quits AFL's Denver". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. September 19, 1966. p. 4C.
  2. ^ "Denver: Malavasi gets job". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire reports. September 20, 1966. p. 3B.
  3. ^ Pro Football Reference; Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1960 to 1969, in the AFL, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points For
  4. ^ Pro Football Reference; In a single game, from 1961 to 2018, requiring 1st Downs ≤1, sorted by ascending Date
  5. ^ a b "Oilers bomb Denver, 45-7". Victoria Advocate. (Texas). Associated Press. September 4, 1966. p. 12A.
  6. ^ "Chiefs crush Broncs". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 9, 1966. p. 4B.
  7. ^ "Chargers' tie jolt to Raiders". Oakland Tribune. November 26, 1965. p. 51 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "AFL standings". Lompoc Records. December 19, 1966. p. 2-B – via newspapers.com.
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