In our last column, we looked at the Broncos' head coaches through 1971, when Lou Saban resigned and Jerry Smith handled the team as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Saban had established a foundation, with new team headquarters and record season ticket sales of over 43,000 in 1970, but this was just setting the stage for what was to come.
The next two head-coaching hires firmly established the winning tradition that continues to this day and ranks among the best in pro football.
Then-Broncos owners Gerry and Allan Phipps reached out to the college level in 1972, hiring John Ralston away from Stanford University.