In the case of Gene Mingo, the time before the Broncos joined the NFL means just about everything, because he was among the few who were there at the very beginning, at the start of the American Football League.
He also was one of very few players with no college experience at all, and beyond that — and most significantly — Mingo was the first African-American placekicker in pro football history.
He did not go to college but played on a service team while in the United States Navy.
“Playing in the service, when you go against the Marines, Army, or even another Navy team, it was almost like playing against the Raiders or the Chiefs,” Mingo says.