Happy birthday, Colorado — and Colorado sports.
Leading into the state’s 150th birthday Aug. 1, The Denver Gazette has partnered with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame to publicize the definitive list of Colorado’s top 150 sports moments.
Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian Dave Plati and a committee of 10 compiled and will release the list every week until the No. 1 moment on July 31. Plati and Broncos icon Jim Saccomano will unveil the list weekly on a Colorado Sports Hall of Fame podcast at coloradosports.org/podcast/.
Today’s top moment in Colorado sports history:
No. 117
Feb. 14, 1965
Until Gerald H. and Allan R. Phipps purchased undisputed control of the Denver Broncos for $1.5 million on Feb. 14, 1965, to increase their ownership of the team to 94% by gaining 52% with the immediate cash payment, the voting trust headed by spokesman and team president Calvin Kunz was seriously flirting with selling the team to the Atlanta-based Cox Broadcasting Company. Kunz and the trust had an offer of slightly over $4 million from them to purchase all of the stock until the Phipps brothers and their firm, Empire Sports Inc., took full control of the franchise and saved pro football in Denver (they purchased the Denver Bears the same day).
—Dave Plati, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian