Timeline 25: Remembering the biggest Colorado sports stories of 2013
Jul 7, 2020, 6:00 AM
On March 6, 1995, The Fan was born. In the 25 years since, a lot has transpired on the fields, courts and ice in Colorado, giving the hosts and listeners who’ve been part of the station during that time plenty to talk about and debate.
During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll take a look back at that history, remembering the good times and the bad, the winners and the losers, the successes and the failures. It’s a series we’re calling “Timeline 25” and it continues today with a look back at one of the most-memorable years in Colorado sports history – 2013:
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A Record-Setting Season
In 2013, the Broncos certainly didn’t have a drama-free season. They were coming off of a devastating playoff loss the year before (see below), their best defensive player was suspended prior to the start of the season and their head coach missed four games after collapsing on the golf course during the bye week.
Nonetheless, Denver was able to turn in a season for the ages. On the year, they’d score an NFL-record 606 points, leading to a 13-3 finish and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. Getting to that point was quite the ride.
The season started with a bang, as the Broncos avenged their playoff loss to the Ravens by beating the defending Super Bowl champs 49-27 at Sports Authority Field. In that game, Peyton Manning tied an NFL record by throwing seven touchdown passes, the first quarterback to accomplish that feat since Joe Kapp in 1969.
It was the first of many accomplishments for Manning that season. During the year, the Broncos QB would throw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both NFL records. He also earned the league’s MVP award, capturing 49 of the 50 votes.
That performance allowed Denver to overcome the loss of Von Miller, who was suspended for six games to start the season when he tested positive for marijuana and amphetamines. The linebacker barely avoided a year-long suspension when it was discovered that he tried to cheat the NFL’s testing system. He was eventually lost for the season when he torn the ACL in his right knee on December 22.
The Broncos also were able to withstand the temporary loss of John Fox, who had to undergo heart surgery in early November. During his absence, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio filled in, going 3-1 as the interim head coach.
As eventful as those moment were, Denver was able to forge ahead. And it was all because Manning and the Broncos offense turned in the greatest offensive season in the history of the NFL.
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A Sudden Turn of Events
The 2012-13 Nuggets were good. In fact, they were the best regular-season team in the history of the franchise, finishing with a 57-25 record. On the strength of that finish, they entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the West, just three games behind the Thunder and one game behind the Spurs.
But Denver wasn’t at full strength when the postseason began. Danilo Gallinari, a key member of a team that thrived on balance rather than stars, suffered a season-ending knee injury on April 4, in the team’s 76th game of the season. That would be a big loss come playoff time.
Nonetheless, the Nuggets knocked off the Warriors in Game 1 of their first-round series. The 97-95 victory was too close for comfort, but Denver held home-court.
In the win, however, the course of the NBA would change forever. Golden State center David Lee was lost to injury, which forced head coach Mark Jackson to adjust his lineup for the rest of the series.
Going small, which the Nuggets had a hard time matching, the Warriors won Game 2 in Denver, running and gunning to a 131-117 victory. Denver would nearly steal Game 3 in Oakland, losing 110-108. It was the closest they’d come to regaining control of the series.
Eventually, Golden State would win in six. The lineup they discovered in the process, which focused on guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, would become the cornerstone of a roster that dominated the NBA in the late 2010s, appearing in five straight NBA Finals and winning three titles.
Meanwhile, the series also changed the future of the Nuggets. Despite winning NBA Coach of the Year honors, George Karl was fired on June 6. That shocking turn of events came less than a week after Masai Ujiri, Denver’s general manager, left for Toronto.
After that series, the Warriors would turn into a dynasty, while the Nuggets would miss the playoffs in each of the next five years. Had David Lee not gotten injured in Game 1, there’s no telling if either of those things happen.
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Heartbreak at Mile High
Peyton Manning’s first season in a Broncos uniform was magical. After a slow start, Denver reeled off 11 straight wins to finish the season with a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They entered the playoffs as the favorite to reach the Super Bowl. But on January 12, 2013, one of the most-memorable moments in NFL history derailed those plans.
On a frigid night at Sports Authority Field, the Broncos had built a 35-28 lead over the Ravens. With just 44 seconds to play in the game, it appeared as though Denver would escape Baltimore and the elements, advancing to a showdown with the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Then, disaster struck.
On third-and-three from his own 30-yard line, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco avoided the rush of Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, stepped up in the pocket and heaved a pass down the right sideline. Broncos safety Rahim Moore was in perfect position to deflect the throw, which would put Baltimore just one play from elimination.
Inexplicably, Moore misplayed the ball, allowing it to sail over his head. The pass fell into the hands of Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who scampered untouched into the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown.
Denver was stunned, both on the field and in the stands. They’d fail to answer in regulation or the first overtime, before eventually falling in double OT.
Some Broncos fans might cite the team’s Super Bowl losses as low points in franchise history. Others might reference Denver’s loss to Jacksonville in the 1996 playoffs. But none of those moments were as shocking as the “Miracle at Mile High,” when a sure victory turned into a season-ending loss in heartbreaking fashion.
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Changing of the Guard at Coors Field
On September 25, 2013, one of the greatest athletes in the history of Colorado sports said goodbye to the hometown faithful. That was the night Todd Helton played his final game at Coors Field.
After 17 years in a Rockies uniform, it was an emotion goodbye. But the first baseman made it memorable, hitting a home run and driving in three runs against the Red Sox.
While it was painful to see Helton bid the franchise adieu, the sadness was eased by the fact that Colorado’s next star made his debut that season. On April 28, Nolan Arenado made his big-league debut, kicking off a career that would turn him into one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
During that rookie campaign, the third baseman appeared in 133 games, hit .267, belted 10 home runs and drove in 52. Arenado also won a Gold Glove, the first of seven straight he would capture to start his career.
As hard as it was to see Helton go, Rockies fans got to say hello to an even better player. In 2013, the then-greatest player in franchise history retired, while the man who would eventually assume that title made his debut.
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A New Man in Charge
In the 2012-13 season, one that was shortened due to the lockout, the Colorado Avalanche weren’t very good. In fact, Joe Sacco’s team was downright pitiful, finishing the year with a 16-25-17 mark, good enough for dead last in the Western Conference.
As a result, the once-proud franchise was looking for a change. They’d missed the playoffs three-straight seasons, the longest drought since the organization moved to Denver in 1995.
In order to right the ship, the Avs looked to two of their all-time greats. On May 23, 2013, they hired Patrick Roy to become the team’s head coach. They also hired Joe Sakic to be the new executive vice president of hockey operations, putting the former teammates and Hall of Famers in charge of the team they led to two Stanley Cups on the ice.
The change paid immediate dividends. In that first season, it was largely due Roy bringing a competitive fire to the bench.
In the team’s home opener, the head coach nearly came to blows with Anaheim’s Bruce Boudreau. Roy nearly knocked over a glass partition in his attempt to reach the Ducks head coach during Colorado’s 6-1 win.
Colorado would win the first six games of Roy’s tenure, setting the stage for a tremendous bounce-back season.
