1982 Denver Broncos season

American football team season December 2013 February 2026 Denver Broncos 1982 2–7 12th AFC Dan Reeves Grady Alderman Edgar Kaiser Mile High Stadium Did not qualify Broncos seasons The 1982 Denver Broncos season was the team's 23rd year in professional football and its 13th with the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos played only nine games this season, owing to the strike imposed by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The Broncos were looking to improve on their 10–6 record from 1981. But due to many injuries plus the strike, the Broncos only won two games and lost seven. This was their worst record since 1971, their first losing season since 1975, and their first with fewer than three wins since 1964. Both of the Broncos’ wins came against interconference teams, and the team only won one home game the entire season, against the reigning Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. Their only other win was against the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos went winless against AFC foes in 1982, although all their non-division AFC gamesThe Broncos were scheduled to play the Steelers and Bills at home and the Jets and Oilers — who finished 1–8 — away.Urena Ivan Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Guide from 1933 to the Presen 2014 McFarland & Company Jefferson, North Carolina 9780786473519 98–103 were cancelled by the strike. NFL draft 1982 NFL draft 1982 Denver Broncos 1 21 Gerald Willhite RB San Jose State yes 2 50 Orlando McDaniel WR LSU yes 4 106 Dan Plater WR BYU 5 131 Sammy Winder RB Southern Mississippi yes yes 7 189 Alvin Ruben DE Houston 9 243 Keith Uecker OT Auburn yes 10 274 Ken Woodard LB Tuskegee yes 11 300 Stuart Yatsko G Oregon 12 327 Brian Clark G Clemson Undrafted free agents + 1982 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeTim KoegelQuarterbackNotre DameDanny RichLinebackerWeber State Personnel Staff 1982 Denver Broncos Owner – Edgar Kaiser General Manager – Grady Alderman Director of Player Personnel – John Beake Coordinator of College Scouting – Carroll Hardy Coordinator of Pro Scouting – Reed Johnson Head Coach – Dan Reeves Assistant Head Coach/Defense – Joe Collier Special Assistant – Marvin Bass Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers – Rod Dowhower Running Backs – Nick Nicolau Offensive Line – Jerry Frei Defensive Line – Stan Jones Linebackers – Bob Zeman Defensive Backs – Richie McCabe Special Teams/Tight Ends – Fran Polsfoot 2010 Denver Broncos Media Guide 363 http://media.denverbroncos.com/media+guide/ March 6, 2011 Roster 1982 Denver Broncos 17 Steve DeBerg 10 Mark Herrmann  7 Craig Morton 41 Rob Lytle 24 Rick Parros 34 Nathan Poole 46 Dave Preston American football 47 Gerald Willhite y 23 Sammy Winder y 83 Wade Manning 82 Orlando McDaniel y 80 Rick Upchurch 81 Steve Watson wide receiver 85 Ron Egloff 88 Riley Odoms 87 James Wright tight end 54 Keith Bishop American football C/G 64 Billy Bryan C 78 Brian Clark no y T 62 Tom Glassic G 60 Paul Howard American football G 76 Ken Lanier T 71 Claudie Minor T 70 Dave Studdard G 67 Keith Uecker y T 77 Greg Boyd American football DE 68 Rubin Carter American football NT 79 Barney Chavous DE 75 Rulon Jones DE 72 Don Latimer NT 66 Brison Manor DE 58 Steve Busick ILB 59 Darren Comeaux y ILB 55 Rick Dennison OLB 56 Larry Evans American football ILB 53 Randy Gradishar ILB 57 Tom Jackson American football, born 1951 OLB 50 Jim Ryan linebacker OLB 51 Bob Swenson OLB 52 Ken Woodard y OLB 28 Roger Jackson defensive back y CB 22 Aaron Kyle CB/FS 49 Dennis Smith American football SS 26 J. T. Thomas defensive back SS 37 Steve Trimble FS/CB 45 Steve Wilson defensive back CB 20 Louis Wright American football CB  3 Rich Karlis y K 11 Luke Prestridge P 43 Steve Foley defensive back S IR 31 Mike Harden S IR Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 14, 1982 at Los Angeles Rams W 33–20 1–0 Anaheim Stadium 57,482 2 August 21, 1982 Miami Dolphins W 17–14 2–0 Mile High Stadium 77,465 3 August 28, 1982 Minnesota Vikings W 27–17 3–0 Mile High Stadium 73,371 4 September 4, 1982 at New York Jets W 20–13 4–0 Giants Stadium 43,820 Regular season 1982 NFL season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 San Diego Chargers L 3–23 0–1 Mile High Stadium 73,564 2 September 19 San Francisco 49ers W 24–21 1–1 Mile High Stadium 73,899 September 26, 1982 at New Orleans Saints Cancelled due to the NFLPA Players' strike † October 3, 1982 Pittsburgh Steelers October 10, 1982 at New York Jets October 17, 1982 at Houston Oilers October 24, 1982 Los Angeles Raiders October 31, 1982 Buffalo Bills November 7, 1982 at Seattle Seahawks Postponed until January 2, 1983 due to the NFLPA Players' strike November 14, 1982 at Kansas City Chiefs Cancelled due to the NFLPA Players' strike † 10 November 21 Seattle Seahawks L 10–17 1–2 Mile High Stadium 73,996 11 November 28 at San Diego Chargers L 20–30 1–3 Jack Murphy Stadium 47,629 12 December 5, 1982 Atlanta Falcons L 27–34 1–4 Mile High Stadium 73,984 13 December 12 at Los Angeles Rams W 27–24 2–4 Anaheim Stadium 48,112 14 December 19 Kansas City Chiefs L 16–37 2–5 Mile High Stadium 74,192 15 December 26 at Los Angeles Raiders L 10–27 2–6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 44,160 16 January 2, 1983 at Seattle Seahawks L 11–13 2–7 Kingdome 43,145 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 (Sunday, September 12, 1982): vs. San Diego Chargers Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary September 12, 1982 2:00 p.m. MDT Chargers 3 3 10 7 Broncos 0 3 0 0 Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado 73,564 Jim Tunney NBC Marv Albert (play–by–play) and Jim Turner (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – September 12, 1982The Football Database; San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – September 12, 1982 right San Diego Chargers SD Denver Broncos DEN SD DEN collapsed 1 Chargers FG 50 Benirschke 3 0 2 Broncos FG 40 Karlis 3 3 2 Chargers FG 24 Benirschke 6 3 3 Chargers FG 40 Benirschke 9 3 3 Chargers RecTD Fitzkee Fouts 18 good Benirschke 16 3 4 Chargers RushTD Muncie 10 good Benirschke 23 3 23 3 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: ChargersGame statisticsBroncos First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 2 (Sunday, September 19, 1982): vs. San Francisco 49ers Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos – Game summary September 19, 1982 2:00 p.m. MDT 49ers 14 7 0 0 Broncos 7 7 0 10 Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado 73,899 Chuck Heberling CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos – September 19, 1982The Football Database; San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos – September 19, 1982 right San Francisco 49ers SF Denver Broncos DEN SF DEN collapsed 1 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 46 good Wersching 7 0 1 Broncos — — — Other Upchurch 67-yard punt return for a touchdown, Karlis kick good 7 7 1 49ers RushTD Moore 1 good Wersching 14 7 2 Broncos RecTD Parros DeBerg 4 good Karlis 14 14 2 49ers RecTD Clark Montana 24 good Wersching 21 14 4 Broncos RecTD Upchurch DeBerg 37 good Karlis 21 21 4 Broncos FG 18 Karlis 21 24 21 24 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: 49ersGame statisticsBroncos First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 10 (Sunday, November 21, 1982): vs. Seattle Seahawks Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 10: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – Game summary November 21, 1982 2:00 p.m. MST Seahawks 0 0 7 10 Broncos 0 7 3 0 Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado 73,966 Jerry Seeman NBC Charlie Jones (play–by–play) and Len Dawson (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – November 21, 1982The Football Database; Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – November 21, 1982 right Seattle Seahawks SEA Denver Broncos DEN SEA DEN collapsed 2 Broncos RushTD Willhite 15 good Karlis 0 7 3 Seahawks — — — IntTD Scholtz 31 good Johnson 7 7 3 Broncos FG 21 Karlis 7 10 4 Seahawks FG 25 Johnson 10 10 4 Seahawks RecTD Largent Zorn 34 good Johnson 17 10 17 10 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: SeahawksGame statisticsBroncos First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 11 (Sunday, November 28, 1982): at San Diego Chargers Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary November 28, 1982 2:00 p.m. MST Broncos 3 7 7 3 Chargers 0 17 3 10 Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California 47,629 Jerry Markbreit NBC Don Criqui (play–by–play) and John Brodie (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – November 28, 1982The Football Database; Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – November 28, 1982 right Denver Broncos DEN San Diego Chargers SD DEN SD collapsed 1 Broncos FG 27 Karlis 3 0 2 Chargers RecTD Winslow Fouts 3 good Benirschke 3 7 2 Chargers FG 41 Benirschke 3 10 2 Chargers RecTD Winslow Fouts 28 good Benirschke 3 17 2 Broncos RecTD Upchurch DeBerg 16 good Karlis 10 17 3 Broncos RushTD DeBerg 6 good Karlis 17 17 3 Chargers FG 18 Benirschke 17 20 4 Broncos FG 38 Karlis 20 20 4 Chargers RecTD Winslow Fouts 2 good Benirschke 20 27 4 Chargers FG 42 Benirschke 20 30 20 30 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: BroncosGame statisticsChargers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 12 (Sunday, December 5, 1982): vs. Atlanta Falcons Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – Game summary December 5, 1982 2:00 p.m. MST Falcons (3–2) 7 7 10 10 Broncos (1–4) 14 3 3 7 Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado 73,984 Gene Barth CBS Jack Buck (play–by–play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – December 5, 1982The Football Database; Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – December 5, 1982 right Atlanta Falcons ATL Denver Broncos DEN ATL DEN collapsed 1 Falcons RushTD Andrews 8 good Luckhurst 7 0 1 Broncos RushTD Winder 3 good Karlis 7 7 1 Broncos RecTD Watson DeBerg 6 good Karlis 7 14 2 Falcons RecTD Miller Bartkowski 9 good Luckhurst 14 14 2 Broncos FG 31 Karlis 14 17 3 Broncos FG 26 Karlis 14 20 3 Falcons RecTD Andrews Bartkowski 86 good Luckhurst 21 20 3 Falcons FG 51 Luckhurst 24 20 4 Falcons FG 51 Luckhurst 27 20 4 Falcons RushTD Andrews 2 good Luckhurst 34 20 4 Broncos RecTD Wright DeBerg 6 good Karlis 34 27 34 27 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: FalconsGame statisticsBroncos First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 13 (Sunday, December 12, 1982): at Los Angeles Rams Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary December 12, 1982 2:00 p.m. MST Broncos 0 14 3 10 Rams 7 14 0 3 Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, California 48,112 Bob McElwee NBC Phil Stone (play–by–play) and Gene Washington (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams – December 12, 1982The Football Database; Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams – December 12, 1982 right Denver Broncos DEN Los Angeles Rams RAM DEN RAM collapsed 1 Rams RushTD Guman 1 good Lansford 0 7 2 Rams RushTD Tyler 1 good Lansford 0 14 2 Rams RushTD Cromwell 17 good Lansford 0 21 2 Broncos RecTD Upchurch DeBerg 51 good Karlis 7 21 2 Broncos RecTD Parros DeBerg 7 good Karlis 14 21 3 Broncos FG 47 Karlis 17 21 4 Broncos FG 18 Karlis 20 21 4 Broncos RushTD Parros 2 good Karlis 27 21 4 Rams FG 39 Lansford 27 24 27 24 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: BroncosGame statisticsRams First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 14 (Sunday, December 19, 1982): vs. Kansas City Chiefs Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 14: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary December 19, 1982 2:00 p.m. MST Chiefs 3 7 10 17 Broncos 0 13 3 0 Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado 74,192 Jim Tunney NBC Marv Albert (play–by–play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – December 19, 1982The Football Database; Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – December 19, 1982 right Kansas City Chiefs KC Denver Broncos DEN KC DEN collapsed 1 Chiefs FG 47 Lowery 3 0 2 Chiefs — — — IntTD Harris 56 good Lowery 10 0 2 Broncos RushTD Willhite 2 no good Karlis 10 6 2 Broncos — — — Other Upchurch 78-yard punt return for a touchdown, Karlis kick good 10 13 3 Broncos FG 44 Karlis 17 16 3 Chiefs FG 19 Lowery 20 16 4 Chiefs FG 22 Lowery 23 16 4 Chiefs RecTD Carson Kenney 33 good Lowery 30 16 4 Chiefs — — — IntTD Barbaro 43 good Lowery 37 16 37 16 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: ChiefsGame statisticsBroncos First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 15 (Sunday, December 26, 1982): at Los Angeles Raiders Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 15: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary December 26, 1982 2:00 p.m. MST Broncos 0 0 0 10 Raiders 3 24 0 0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California 44,160 Red Cashion NBC Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Raiders – December 26, 1982The Football Database; Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Raiders – December 26, 1982 right Denver Broncos DEN Los Angeles Raiders RAI DEN RAI collapsed 1 Raiders FG 19 Bahr 0 3 2 Raiders RecTD Allen Plunkett 4 good Bahr 0 10 3 Raiders RushTD King 5 good Bahr 0 17 2 Raiders RecTD Allen Plunkett 51 good Bahr 0 24 2 Raiders FG 36 Bahr 0 27 4 Broncos FG 31 Karlis 3 27 4 Broncos RecTD Watson Herrmann 18 good Karlis 10 27 10 27 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: BroncosGame statisticsRaiders First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Week 16 (Sunday, January 2, 1983): at Seattle Seahawks Denver Broncos 1982 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 16: Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary January 2, 1983 2:00 p.m. MST Broncos 2 0 7 2 Seahawks 3 0 0 10 Kingdome • Seattle, Washington 43,415 indoors (dome) Fred Wyant NBC Phil Stone (play–by–play) and Gene Washington (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks – January 2, 1983The Football Database; Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks – January 2, 1983 right Denver Broncos DEN Seattle Seahawks SEA DEN SEA collapsed 1 Seahawks FG 22 Johnson 0 3 1 Broncos SafetyTackle Brown Boyd 2 3 3 Broncos RushTD Herrmann 6 good Karlis 9 3 4 Seahawks FG 34 Johnson 9 6 4 Broncos SafetyTackle Krieg Chavous 11 6 4 Seahawks RecTD Carr Krieg 19 good Johnson 11 13 11 13 Point spread: Over/under: Time of game: BroncosGame statisticsSeahawks First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Number–Average yardage Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession Individual stats Standings Notes References External links Denver Broncos – 1982 media guide 1982 Denver Broncos season at jt-sw.com 1982 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com Denver Broncos Category:Denver Broncos seasons Denver Bronco