Greatest Bronco plays of all time: #12 Morton to Dolbin

[titan]

This offseason I'm reviewing my bronco video collection for a countdown of my 12 greatest bronco plays of all time. On my blog at:

http://sportsindenver.blogspot.com/2010/03/greatest-all-time-bronco-plays-12.html

copy below.

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I'm starting a series featuring my Greatest All Time Bronco Plays. Being a season ticket holder from 1968 to today I've had my ups and downs with the Broncos. The plays I've selected always bring a smile to my face.

#12 on my list:

Craig Morton throws the clinching touchdown to Jack Dolbin on December 24, 1977 to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Broncos first playoff game ever:

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I was a 21 year old sitting in the South Stands for this game. 33 years later this game still is pretty incredible when you think about it. The Broncos were playing perhaps the greatest team of all time that day. The Steelers were in the middle of their fantastic run of 4 Super Bowl championships in 6 years with Terry Bradshaw as their quarterback. Yet the upstart Broncos beat Pittsburgh on what will always be a memorable Christmas Eve in Denver.

This play showed Craig Morton's amazing arm - the best of any Bronco quarterback besides Elway in my book. I also loved the enthusiasm of Broncos owner Gerald Phipps on the sideline. Phipps saved the Broncos in the mid-60's when the franchise almost folded. I was glad to see Phipps finally experience a playoff win after many down years - without Gerald Phipps there would be no Denver Broncos today.

Here's a picture of the December 25th Denver Post sports section - the Broncos gave the city a wonderful Christmas present that year!

http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv291/titanphotos/IMG_0043.jpg

Stay tuned for #11 on my list - a highlight from the 80's featuring the great John Elway.

[East Coast Fan]

Hell yeah baby!!! What a GREAT THREAD and a GREAT MEMORY! I was a 16 year-old watching this in Allentown, Pennsylvania and couldn't wait to go to school after the Holiday vacation because week in and week out I'd hear about how Oakland was gonna beat us, Pittsburgh was gonna beat us, Baltimore was gonna beat us, etc. And we win the first playoff game in Broncos history against the Steelers when they had all of their BIG GUNS...I read somewhere that Bradshaw STILL has a bug up his ass for Denver because of this game because he thought they were gonna walk right back to the Super Bowl...And we beat them in Denver in the regular season that year 21-7, and only allowed them over midfield ONCE in the second half-that's unbelievable!!

Watch how Dolbin puts his hands out at the last second to make this catch...OUTSTANDING!! He's a chiropractor about 45 minutes North of me now...one day I gotta take a ride up there just to meet him and shake those hands that made this catch!!!

Awesome thread; can you tell that I get fired up for anything that has to do with that magical season?!:lol: :salute:

"77 was Heaven" :defense:

[titan]

So Dolbin is back on the east coast now? I remember before the AFC Championship game he worked some of his chiropractic magic on Craig Morton. He would be interesting to meet.

I'm going to post a new play every few days or so on my top 12 list (hint: there are more coming from that magical 77 season!)

[Ziggy]

Does Tom Jackson screaming over at John Madden , "It's over fat man, it's over!" count as a play? That's one of my favorite Bronco memories of all time.

[gobroncsnv]

Just guessing that there's a helicopter in the future of this thread, somewhere... (Elway, first down, at about the 7 yd line, SB32)

Agree, this is a cool thread...