The 2015 Colorado sports landscape will mostly be remembered in two words: Quarterback controversy.
From the restructuring of his contract in the offseason, to an alleged trade to Houston that never transpired, to a rocky start (statistically) to the season, to one of the worst on-field performances of his career (in a record-setting game), to an enigmatic foot injury, to speculation his days in Denver were done, to reported contention about serving a backup role, to alleged PED use, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning navigated a massive public relations minefield throughout 2015. But the nearly nonstop drama surrounding Denver’s most recognizable sports figure was just one of dozens of compelling sports stories across the Front Range.
The University of Denver and the University of Colorado both took home national titles. The Nuggets welcomed a new head coach, as did Colorado State University. The Rockies bid farewell to a legend and the Avalanche celebrated their 20th anniversary. And those stories were just what the teams as a whole did.
Countless individuals across the Front Range made 2015 a year to remember, not just a year for quarterback controversy. Mile High Sports proudly catalogs the top stories from the year in sports in the pages that follow…
All images courtesy of USA Today Sports Images unless otherwise noted
January 11, 2015 – Colts stun Broncos in divisional round
Just out of reach. That’s the best way to describe this pass (and several others) from Peyton Manning to Emmanuel Sanders (and other wide receivers) in the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs. Manning’s timing was just off all day long and the Colts pulled off a 24-13 upset at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The loss ended another season without a Super Bowl victory and spelled doom for a coaching staff that had all but checked out on the Broncos.
January 12-13, 2015 – John Elway parts ways with John Fox, wants his team to go out “kicking and screaming”
Not 24 hours after his team’s uninspired performance against the Colts, head coach John Fox and the Denver Broncos agreed to part ways. The announcement came as little surprise to anyone in Denver. Fox had failed to prepare his team in the Super Bowl the year prior, and John Elway had all but said aloud that Fox had to win the big one or find a new address. In his postseason press conference, Elway said, “For two years, it didn’t feel like we went out kicking and screaming,” a phrase that has defined the Broncos’ attitude ever since. Four days after they parted ways, Fox landed a head coaching job in Chicago, a sign to many that he had been looking for work even before Denver had closed the books on their season.
January 19, 2015 – Broncos hire Gary Kubiak as 15th head coach
John Fox may not have been the only one testing the waters before the 2014 season had come to a conclusion. Eight days after the Broncos had been eliminated from the playoffs again without a title, John Elway announced the hiring of his former backup quarterback and coach, Gary Kubiak. The former Broncos assistant, Texans head coach and Ravens offensive coordinator became the 15th head coach in franchise history, and he arrived with no shortage of expectations. “Gary knows what it will take to deliver another world championship to Broncos fans,” Elway said of his longtime friend and counterpart. Kubiak met the team and the media the next day.
January 23, 2015 – Nuggets play without Ty Lawson, after he is arrested for drunk driving
In the early hours of January 23, Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson was arrested for suspected driving drunk following a team function. Lawson posted bond, but did not play in that night’s game, a 100-99 loss to the Boston Celtics (above). He would later plead guilty to DWAI and failure to drive in a single lane. Earlier in the month, head coach Brian Shaw considered eliminating pregame shootaround workouts, because, as he told the Denver Post, “When you have a young team, you know, guys like to go out.”
January 25, 2015 – Eleven Broncos appear on final Pro Bowl roster
It wasn’t the ultimate “Bowl” they hoped to be playing in, as their Super Bowl aspirations fell short again, but the Broncos did ultimately land 11 players on the Pro Bowl roster. Nine of those players made the initial roster, with two added due to injury/withdrawal. C.J. Anderson (22), Ryan Clady (78), Chris Harris (25), Peyton Manning (Not Pictured), Von Miller (58), Emmanuel Sanders (10), Aqib Talib (21), Demaryius Thomas (NP), Julius Thomas (NP), T.J. Ward (NP) and DeMarcus Ware (94) all earned nominations.
February 18, 2015 – Ty Lawson a no-show after All-Star break
Following the longest All-Star break in NBA history, embattled point guard Ty Lawson was a no-show to the Nuggets’ first practice after the break. Lawson was in Las Vegas the night prior, according to a post he made on Facebook. In retribution for his actions, Brian Shaw (above) did not play Lawson in the team’s next game, an 89-81 loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee on Feb. 20.
February 27, 2015 – Nuggets break huddle with “1-2-3 … six weeks” chant
In a 104-82 loss to the Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets reportedly broke a fourth-quater timeout huddle with the chant, “1-2-3 … six weeks.” A disappointing homage to Nick Van Exel, whose “1-2-3 … Cancun” chant in 1998 cost him his job with the Lakers (and got him traded to Denver). In Denver it was yet another sign Brian Shaw had lost his team.
March 3, 2015 – Brian Shaw fired as Nuggets head coach
After leading the Denver Nuggets to a cumulative 56-85 record over nearly two years, Brian Shaw joined John Fox in the recently departed Denver head coaches club. The 2014-15 Nuggets stumbled to a 20-39 record under Shaw, including a 2-19 record in his final 21 games. Between Ty Lawson and the “1-2-3 … six weeks” cheer, Shaw showed he had little control over his team. Shaw was fired just a few days later, with assistant coach Melvin Hunt named as his interim replacement.
March 4, 2015 – Peyton Manning returns, restructures contract
Peyton Manning had a look of frustration on his face after a divisional round loss to his old team (above). It seemed for some time that he might not even return, after struggling with injury in the second half of the the 2014 season, but Manning had unfinished business and it appeared he understood that his hefty contract might be limiting John Elway from surrounding him with the best possible talent. As a result, Manning and the Broncos agreed to a restructured deal that would put $4 million back in the bank for Denver in 2015. One curious aspect to the new deal was a no-trade clause, reportedly requested by Manning. It seemed unnecessary to most observers at the time, but it would prove to be an interesting footnote in future acts of the saga that would develop over the course of the next 10 months.
March 14, 2015 – Colorado wins 20th skiing national championship
It was a one-two finish for the Centennial State as the University of Colorado and the University of Denver battled for the 2015 NCAA Championship in skiing, but the Buffaloes emerged victorious despite just two top-ten finishes on the tournament’s final day. The title marked Colorado’s 20th in school history – 11 men’s, one women’s and eight since the sport went coed in 1983. Head coach Richard Rokos set a school record of eight national titles, passing former ski coach Bill Marolt and current cross country coach Mark Wetmore for the honor.
Image Credit, CU Athletics; Nancie Battaglia/NCAA Photos
April 6, 2015 – Kyle Kendrick throws shutout in Rockies debut
If only Kyle Kendrick’s Rockies debut had been a sign of things to come for the free-agent right-handed pitcher signed in the offseason. Instead, the win proved to be the highlight of what was otherwise an abysmal season for the man who was tabbed to be Colorado’s No. 1 starter. Kendrick threw seven scoreless innings, striking out six and walking none, while allowing seven hits in a 10-0 win in Milwaukee to open the season. The former Phillie would not be above .500 again for the season, ending the year with a 7-13 record and 6.32 ERA. Kendrick missed all of August with a shoulder injury, and collected four of those seven wins upon his return in September. Kendrick was a strong contributor off the field, though, earning Colorado’s nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award.
April 10, 2015 – Danilo Gallinari scores 47 points in double-overtime loss
Some people wanted to discount Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari’s 47-point effort in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks because the game went into double overtime. But the career-high for the Italian forward was his second 40-plus point effort in a 30-day span, a very good sign for Nuggets fans. After missing all of the 2013-14 season and half of 2014-15 with an ACL injury, Gallinari’s resurgence in the final months of a lost season gave Nuggets fans something to cheer about. His solid run to end the year was enough for Nuggets brass to reward him over the summer with a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Denver through the 2017-18 season.
April 14, 2015 – Nolan Arenado makes the catch of the year
The baseball season was just a few weeks old, but Nolan Arenado’s running, tumbling catch over the tarp at AT&T Park in San Francisco was already being called not just the catch of the year, but an all-time great. Not only did Arenado hang on to the ball after throwing a hip check into the tarp, he had the presence of mind to wheel and throw the ball back into the infield to keep a runner from advancing. The Rockies beat the defending world champs 4-1 that night and this catch was too good for simply a still photo.
Image Credit: MLB.com
April 30, 2015 – Broncos draft Shane Ray with No. 23 pick in NFL Draft
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway wasn’t content to have just the All-Pro pass rush duo of DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller on his roster in 2015; he wanted the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, too. And so, Elway navigated his way up from the No. 28 spot to grab Shane Ray with pick No. 23 of the 2015 NFL Draft. Ray was considered a steal because of a draft-week incident involving marijuana possession. Elway was undeterred though and grabbed the Missouri product, welcoming him to the state of legalized weed. Ray, it should be noted, has had no subsequent incidents and was tied for fifth among all NFL rookies with 4.0 sacks through Week 16.
May 25, 2015 – University of Denver becomes first school west of the Mississippi River to win NCAA lacrosse national championship
On the stick of Wes Berg, the University of Denver earned its first-ever NCAA men’s lacrosse national championship. In doing so, DU became not just the first school west of the Mississippi to earn the honor, they became the first school from a state not touching the Atlantic Ocean to make that claim. Berg scored five goals in the title match against Maryland to go with his hat trick in the semifinal against Notre Dame, which included the overtime game winner. For his play, Berg was awarded the tournament’s most outstanding player award. Head coach Bill Tierney would go on to win the USILA 2015 Division I Coach of the Year award.
May 28, 2015 – Ryan Clady tears ACL during OTAs
The Broncos would not learn for over four months just how hard it is to replace an All-Pro left tackle, which may be why they didn’t act with much urgency when Ryan Clady tore his left ACL during a team offseason team activities practice. Clady, the longest-tenured Broncos player, was placed on season-ending injured reserve the very next day. It was the second season-ending injury in three years for Clady, whose 2013 campaign was cut short because of a Lisfranc injury to his left foot. Denver replaced him, initially, with rookie tackle Ty Sambrailo of Colorado State, who would also suffer a season-ending injury later in the year.
June 7, 2015 – Martin Truex Jr. wins Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono
Denver-based NASCAR team Furniture Row Racing waited more than six years before notching their first Sprint Cup victory. The single-car team halved that time in earning their second when Martin Truex Jr. took the checkered flag at the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway. Truex led 97 of the 160 lap race, besting Kevin Harvick, the reigning Sprint Cup champion at the time, and Jimmie Johnson, the six-time NASCAR champion, who finished second and third, respectively.
June 15, 2015 – Michael Malone hired as Nuggets head coach
More than two months after the Denver Nuggets dropped their season finale to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors, Michael Malone was announced as the permanent replacement for Brian Shaw. Malone, the son of former NBA head coach Brendan Malone, was an assistant in New York, Cleveland, New Orleans and Golden State before landing a head coaching gig in Sacramento, one that went sour under new management. It was a curious twist of fate, as Malone was replaced in Sacramento by former Nuggets head coach George Karl. Malone was introduced to the media the following day (above).
June 23, 2015 – Reports circulate that Broncos tried to trade Peyton Manning
Roughly three and a half months after he agreed to a restructured deal, a report surfaced that perhaps there was a reason Peyton Manning wanted a no-trade clause added to his contract along with the $4 million he agreed to save the Denver Broncos. The team vehemently denied that they had tried to ship Manning to the Texans in the offseason, as did the quarterback and the Texans. Manning would play in (not for) Houston in 2015, in a preseason game (above) the Broncos won 14-10.
June 25, 2015 – Nuggets draft Emmanuel Mudiay seventh overall
There was much hand-wringing in Denver about who the Nuggets would select with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Point guard Ty Lawson appeared all but gone after numerous incidents – a DUI, late arrival from the All-Star break, spurning the team on social media – so the question was who would still be available for the Nuggets when their pick rolled around. The answer was the guy they wanted all along, a young Congolese point guard, Emmanuel Mudiay. The Prime Prep product spent one year playing professionally in China, forgoing a one-and-done at SMU, before entering the NBA Draft.
June 25, 2015 – Ty Lawson smokes himself further out of favor
As the NBA Draft was unfolding on national television, another chapter in the Ty Lawson saga was unfolding on a live-streaming video website. As the Nuggets were drafting Mudiay, Lawson was being streamed showing the point guard smoking a hookah and saying “I told you. I’m going to Sacramento, bro.” Screenshots of the video went viral and Lawson fell even more out of favor in Denver.
July 13-14, 2015 – Ty Lawson misses his own basketball camp, arrested for second DUI of the year
Already in hot water over his previous transgressions, reports surfaced on July 13 that embattled Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson would miss a Denver-based basketball camp bearing his name, reportedly because of a “travel schedule” issue. Less than 24 hours later, TMZ revealed the reason why. Lawson was in Los Angeles where he had been arrested on suspicion of DUI for the second time in six months. That proved to be the last straw for the Nuggets, who traded Lawson to Houston one week later. A 126-133 loss to the Warriors (above) would be Lawson’s last in a Nuggets uniform.
July 14, 2015 – Nolan Arenado and D.J. LeMahieu make All-Star debuts
Already owners of Gold Glove Awards, Colorado Rockies infielders Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu made their MLB All-Star Game debuts at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. They joined shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who made his fifth and final All-Star appearance in a Colorado uniform. LeMahieu earned the start at second base and the three Rockies went a combined 0-4 in a 6-3 loss to the American League.
July 15, 2015 – Demaryius Thomas ends holdout after signing five-year, $70 million contract
It nearly came down to the 2 p.m. MDT deadline, but the Denver Broncos and Demaryius Thomas came to terms on a long-term deal worth $70 million over five years. Denver had previously used the franchise tag on Thomas, but he had refused to sign the one-year contract while negotiating a longer deal. Thomas would go on to have another 100-reception, 1,000-yard season and pass Steve Watson and Ed McCaffrey to rank fourth on the franchise’s all-time receiving yards list. He would also join the top five in receptions and touchdowns in 2015.
July 27, 2015 – Carlos Gonzalez bombs his way to July player of the month
From July 22 – 29 there was no hotter player in baseball, as Carlos Gonzalez bombed his way to a NL Player of the Month award on the back of eight home runs over that stretch, including three multi-home run games. Against the Cubs on July 27, his second home run gave the Rockies the lead in the top of the ninth. He ended the month with 11 home runs, 24 RBI and an .841 slugging percentage.
July 27, 2015 – Rockies trade Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto
Rumors of a potential trade had been circling Troy Tulowitzki for years. Those rumors had been mostly squashed by the team and Tulowitzki himself in the months leading up the the July 31, 2015 trade deadline. But on July 27, the Rockies unexpectedly sent their longtime shortstop to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Jose Reyes and three pitching prospects. The shortstop told the Denver Post he was “shocked” to hear the news. Two days later Tulowitzki put on a show for his new team, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in his debut (above).
July 29, 2015 – Rapids host MLS All-Star Game, Moor makes first ASG appearance
For the second time in club history the Colorado Rapids hosted the Major League Soccer All-Star Game. The 2015 edition was a friendly between the MLS All-Stars and Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. MLS won the match 2-1 on goals from Kaka and David Villa. Making the match all the more special for Colorado fans was Rapids captain Drew Moor’s selection to the roster, his first ASG appearance in an 11-year MLS career. Moor’s 2016 option was declined by the club and the defender signed with Toronto in December.
August 4, 2015 – Jon Gray makes Rockies debut
In a season that saw disappointing results for Kyle Kendrick, the loss of Adam Ottavino to injury and struggles from the bullpen, the Colorado Rockies needed something to give the fan base hope for the future of their pitching staff. Enter 2013 No. 3 overall draft pick Jon Gray, who made his Major League debut against the Seattle Mariners on August 4. Gray would go a full month before picking up his first win, and even longer before picking up his first loss. Colorado limited his pitch count and he closed the season with just 40.2 major league innings pitched, a 1-2 record and a 5.53 ERA.
August 25, 2015 – Broncos sign All-Pro guard Evan Mathis
Hoping to shore up an offensive line that was starting two rookies, including Ty Sambrailo in place of the injured Ryan Clady at left tackle, John Elway used the $4 million he saved on Peyton Manning to sign All-Pro guard Evan Mathis.
September 5, 2015 – Mike Bobo wins in first game at CSU
The Mike Bobo era at Colorado State officially began in 2014, but the new head coach didn’t get to put any results on the board until September of 2015. The Rams opened with a 65-13 win over Savannah State. Bobo would go on to lead the Rams to seven wins on the season, tied for the most by a first-year head coach at CSU.
September 11, 2015 – Dikembe Mutombo enters Basketball Hall of Fame
Dikembe Mutombo may be the biggest Denver Nuggets player of all time, in both senses of the word. At 7-foot-2 and 260 pounds, few in the league rivaled “Mount Mutombo” during his playing days. And few have matched his contributions after. The Congolese American played 18 years in the NBA (five for Denver) before embarking on a humanitarian career that has in many ways eclipsed his basketball career. He officially joined the Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
September 13, 2015 – Darian Stewart, Broncos steal opener from Ravens
On what was effectively the final play of the game, new Broncos safety Darian Stewart made his presence felt in a big way with a game-clinching interception in the end zone that preserved a 19-13 win over the Ravens in the season opener. It was the first of many game-saving plays the defense would make over the next several weeks en route to a 7-0 start to the season.
September 17, 2015 – Von Miller free and clear and celebrating
On August 1, Von Miller was officially declared free and clear of the NFL’s substance program for violations that cost him six games in 2013. A reinvigorated Miller celebrated early in the season against Kansas City on Thursday Night Football with a sack and now infamous celebration (inspired by Key & Peele). A repeat performance of the “three pumps” celebration in Detroit earned him a $17,363 fine.
September 19, 2015 – Buffs win Rocky Mountain Showdown in overtime thriller
The wins were again too few for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2015, but their 27-24 victory over intrastate rival Colorado State was part of a three-game win streak for head coach Mike MacIntyre in the early part of the season. Colorado trailed 14-0 at one point and missed a field goal at the end of regulation, but held on to win with a Diego Gonzalez field goal in overtime.
October 4, 2015 – Morenau caps comeback in Rockies finale
It was a comeback in more ways than one for Justin Morneau, who hit the go-ahead single in the top of the ninth inning as part of a miraculous seven-run rally by the Colorado Rockies to beat the San Francisco Giants in the season finale. The pinch-hit game-winner by Morneau, who missed more than 100 days on injured reserve as he battled a series of head injuries, sent the veteran off on a high note in what was a very disappointing year for the club and the player alike. Colorado won 7-3 to finish the season 68-94, last in the NL West. Morneau was granted free agency by the team in November.
October 8, 2015 – Avalanche celebrate 20th Anniversary
Twenty years ago the Quebec Nordiques picked up their Zamboni and moved it to Colorado to become the Avalanche. That same season the won the Stanley Cup and spawned a generation of hockey fans in the Mile High City. A season-long celebration of 20 years of Avalanche hockey kicked off with a 5-4 loss to the Wild at Pepsi Center, but not before a full house saw the arena’s new 4K video projector in full display on the ice.
October 24, 2015 – Buffs snap Pac-12 losing streak with win at Oregon State
The Colorado Buffaloes had gone nearly two calendar years without winning a game in the Pac-12 Conference and more than three since they had won one on the road. In a defensive battle, the Buffs held the Beavers to just 13 points while junior quarterback Sefo Liufau ran and passed for a touchdown en route to a 17-13 win. It would be the Buffs’ last of the year, as they finished 4-9, their 10th consecutive losing season.
October 28, 2015 – Nuggets stun Rockets in season opener
Few experts had high hopes for the Denver Nuggets in 2015-16, with Las Vegas predicting them to win just 26.5 games all year. They ticked one off that list and surprised many in the basketball world by upending the defending Western Conference runner-up Houston Rockets 105-85 on opening night. Rookie Emmanuel Mudiay scored 17 points in his debut, getting the best of veteran Jason Terry (above) and bettering former Nuggets guard Ty Lawson, who scored 12 and was minus-16 during his time on the floor for Houston.
October 31, 2015 – Nelson Spruce sets Pac-12 all-time receptions mark
While team success was hard to come by during his time in Boulder, Colorado wide receiver Nelson Spruce had no shortage of individual success. In four seasons, Spruce set or tied 43 CU and Pac-12 receiving marks. His 294 career catches make him the conference’s all-time leader, a record he broke in this Halloween game against UCLA. Spruce led all players with 11 grabs on the day.
November 1, 2015 – Pat Bowlen enters the Broncos Ring of Fame
It was an emotional night for the Denver Broncos and the Bowlen family as owner and patriarch Pat Bowlen was added to the team’s Ring of Fame. Bowlen, suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, was unable to attend the ceremony held before a national audience on Sunday Night Football. Dozens of former players returned to honor Bowlen and the team delivered a convincing 29-10 victory over the previously undefeated Packers.
November 3, 2015 – ESPN airs The Gospel According to Mac
Twenty-five years after he led the Colorado Buffaloes to their only national championship, former head coach Bill McCartney was the subject of an ESPN “30-for-30” documentary, The Gospel According to Mac. The 102-minute feature centered on McCartney’s faith, his recruiting tactics, the tribulations of losing quarterback Sal Aunese and the Buffs’ controversial national title run.
October 8, 2015 – Peyton Manning, Broncos stumble in Indy
With a chance to set two all-time NFL records – wins and career passing yards – in the very city he called home for 14 seasons before joining the Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning stumbled down the stretch. Trailing 27-24, Manning had the chance to lead one of his signature fourth-quarter, game-winning drives; instead, he was intercepted on the first play of Denver’s final drive, his second pick of the day. The resulting loss was Denver’s first of the year, but a sign of trouble to come for Manning and the Broncos. Following the game, many people wondered if his long walk to the tunnel would be his last in Indy.
November 15, 2015 – Manning is benched after setting career passing-yards mark
Peyton Manning needed just three yards to pass Brett Favre for the NFL’s all-time passing yards mark. But the first person to catch a pass from Manning on Nov. 15 was wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey. Manning would go on to be intercepted three more times on the day, eventually being benched by head coach Gary Kubiak, but not before he completed a four-yard pass to Ronnie Hillman to break Favre’s record. Manning left the game in the third quarter, going just 5-for-20 for 35 yards and four interceptions. Denver lost 29-13 and the career record for NFL wins remained a tie between Manning and Favre as 2015 came to a close.
November 22, 2015 – Brock Osweiler wins in Chicago in first NFL start
Brock Osweiler was named the Denver Broncos starting quarterback after it was revealed that Peyton Manning was suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot. In his first NFL start, Osweiler led the Broncos to a road victory against former head coach John Fox and former quarterback Jay Cutler. Osweiler threw for 250 yards, two touchdowns and, most importantly, no interceptions.
November 22, 2015 – Martin Truex Jr. races for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
In what was the most successful season in Furniture Row Racing history, Martin Truex Jr. was one of four drivers racing for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s top prize, in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Truex finished 11th (above) in qualifying and ultimately finished 12th in the race, good for fourth place in the final standings on the season. Furniture Row Racing had previously extended his contract for another year in September after the team qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
November 29, 2015 – Broncos knock off 10-0 New England in overtime
Brock Osweiler didn’t let the snow, the cold, the bright lights of Sunday Night Football or the big, bad New England Patriots scare him. The backup-turned-starter matched Tom Brady blow-for-blow, eventually getting the best of the then-unbeaten Patriots thanks to a 48-yard C.J. Anderson touchdown run in overtime.
December 1, 2015 – Matt Duchene named NHL’s third star for November
After a slow start to his season, Matt Duchene had one of the best goal-scoring months in Colorado Avalanche history. His 11 goals in November tied a franchise record for goals in that month and threatened the overall franchise record set back in 1981. With nine assists, he became the first Avs player since 2010 to earn 20 points in a single month. Perhaps most impressive was that Colorado played 10 of their 15 games on the road that month, including seven in a row. The effort earned him the NHL’s third star of the month for November.
December 14, 2015 – Christian McCaffrey is the Heisman Trophy runner-up
Yes, he now calls Palo Alto, Calif. home as a member of the Stanford Cardinal, but Christian McCaffrey will always have roots in Colorado. The son of former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey was a star at Valor Christian High School and as a sophomore at Stanford continued to add to his legacy. In 2015 he broke Barry Sanders‘ NCAA single-season all-purpose yards record en route to a runner-up finish for the Heisman Trophy. He was later named the AP College Football Player of the Year for his outstanding season.
December 27, 2015 – Al Jazeera America suggets Peyton Manning may have joined “The Dark Side”
The culmination of months of various rumors about Peyton Manning came to an ugly head the night of December 27. For over six weeks he had been subject to a range of trying reports – that he didn’t intend to play in Denver in 2016, that the Broncos had no intention of playing him ever again, that he would refuse to play a backup role to Brock Osweiler – but the most egregious came in the form of an Al Jazeera America investigative report, The Dark Side: Secrets Of The Sports Dopers, which suggested Manning may have used performance enhancing drugs in 2011 when he was recovering from multiple neck surgeries. In an interview with ESPN, Manning called the report “completely fabricated, complete trash, garbage.” The source in the report claiming knowledge of Manning’s use had recanted his statements even before the report aired.
December 28, 2015 – Broncos clinch playoffs with overtime win against Bengals
On a frigid Monday night in December, the Denver Broncos faced the Cincinnati Bengals and a crossroads for their season. The losers of two straight games and facing a possible, although improbable, drop all the way out of the playoffs, Denver needed a win to secure a fifth-consecutive playoff berth and leapfrog the Bengals into the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Denver trailed by 11 at the half before C.J. Anderson electrified the Sports Authority Field crowd with a 39-yard, go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The game would eventually go to overtime, where the Broncos won 20-17 and punched their ticket to the NFL playoffs for the 22nd time in franchise history.