Mile High Stadium
A Mile High Landmark
In 1948, the Denver city dump was transformed into Bears Stadium, a new home for the Denver Bears, a Minor League Baseball team that had played in small parks around the metro area since the turn of the century. Then in 1960, as a fledgling member of the American Football League, the Denver Broncos called Bears Stadium home. A city civic group purchased Bears Stadium in February of 1968 and donated it to the City of Denver. The capacity was increased from 34,657 to 50,657 and the name was changed to Mile High Stadium. In 1977, capacity was increased to 75,100 and finally in 1986, penthouse suites were added to bring the current capacity to 76,273. For the past fifty years Mile High Stadium has been a home to great players and teams, a second home to the great fans of the Rocky Mountain Region, and a house of pain for visiting opponents. The defending World Champion Denver Broncos have been playing to sold-out crowds for thirty years. While this remains a predominately orange football town, both Major and Minor League Baseball teams have enjoyed tremendous success at Mile High Stadium. Currently the other major tenant, the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer team, have seen an exponential growth in popularity in 1998. The anticipated attendance for 1998 is 1.5 million guests, with events ranging from football to soccer to world-class concerts. The stadium became a SMG-managed property in June 1998 and is making the final years of Mile High Stadium as historical as the first fifty.
After recent voter approval, a new publicly funded stadium is open for the 2001 Denver Bronco Football season. The site is located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and will boast state-of-the-art amenities.
The Mighty "Bucky" Bronco that sits on top of the main scoreboard is a landmark in the city of Denver and a symbol of commitment to the Mile High community. Who said that the city dump would never amount to much?