5 Things Only Die-Hards Know About Denver Sports

It takes a special place to host teams from each of America’s four major professional sports leagues. Only 13 U.S. cities are home to teams from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, and only 10 of those can claim a Major League Soccer squad, too—and Denver is one of them.

Denver sports fans can be a passionate bunch. The roots of the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rockies, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Rapids run deep in the Mile High City, and thanks to a dedicated fan base of locals and visitors, they're not going anywhere any time soon.

Here are five things you may not know about the teams in one of America's greatest sports cities.

The Broncos have sold out every (non-strike) home game since 1970

Take in the scene at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, where more than 76,000 fans watch their football team play its home games. Photo credit: Visit Denver

These football fans are fiercely devoted to their team and the mood within the city changes based on the outcome of their games. The team is always a top news story, and locals will tell you that work productivity dips on days following a loss. The city has shown up in droves since 1970, the franchise's first season in the league, selling out every single non-strike home game since. And there are more than 73,000 people waiting anywhere from 10 to 15 years for season tickets.

Coors Field is already among the nation’s most classic ballparks

Cheering fans take in an evening of baseball at Coors Field. Photo credit: Visit Denver

The Rockies played their first game at Coors Field in 1995, two years after the team entered the major leagues. Now, the stadium is the third-oldest in the National League, behind Wrigley Field and Dodger Stadium. And its landmark status will only climb from here as the team's new lease keeps it at the corner of 20th and Blake streets through 2047. The stadium's presence spurred massive development in the area; that growth continues today and has turned downtown Denver into one of the top places to eat, play and live year-round.

Rocky is one of the oldest and richest mascots in professional sports

Strike a pose with Rocky, the popular mountain lion mascot of Denver’s pro basketball team.

Rocky, the mountain lion mascot of the Denver Nuggets, is widely considered one of the best in all of sports. He debuted in 1990, and the man in the costume has remained the same since. He's been strutting on stilts, dumping popcorn on opposing fans and sinking backward half-court shots for more than 25 years. He also reportedly earns one of the highest mascot salaries in pro sports.

The Colorado Avalanche were the first home team to win a title

This professional hockey team moved to Denver from Quebec, where they were the Nordiques, in 1995. In their first year, they captured Denver's first professional sports title, becoming the first pro hockey team to win the Stanley Cup immediately following relocation. Five years later, they won a second championship.

Old Mile High Stadium lives on

So much took place at the old stadium from 1948 to 2000, including record-setting baseball attendance during the baseball team’s first season, nail-biter football games and elite-level soccer matches. Few fans wanted to let it go, but to keep up with the popularity of Denver sports, fancier digs were needed.

The old stadium may be gone—it was torn down in 2002—but it’s not forgotten. Bucky the Bronco—the 27-foot tall horse statue on top of the south scoreboard—was moved to the new football stadium, Sports Authority Field at Mile High. There's also a home plate painted in a seemingly random parking spot of the new stadium, but it's precisely where home plate was when the previous venue hosted baseball games. And in 2016, a one-eighth replica of Mile High Stadium was erected not far from that plate. Housing about 300 seats (165 of which came from the original stadium) that surround a 1,250-square-foot turf field, it’s a place where old timers and newcomers alike can come to get a feel for what the old field was all about.

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