1966 Denver Broncos season
American football team season
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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]
Ray Malavasi (4–8)
| 1966 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Gerald Phipps |
| General manager | James Burris |
| Head coach | Mac Speedie (0–2) Ray Malavasi (4–8) |
| Home stadium | Bears Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–10 |
| Division place | 4th AFL Western |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
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]
This would be the final season that the "Bucking Bronco" logo would appear on the helmets.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1966 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jerry Shay | Defensive tackle | Purdue | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Allen McCune | Quarterback | West Virginia |
| Dave Robbins | Wide receiver | Catawba |
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| 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. | |||||||
- 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
| 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 | |
