What Is the Denver Broncos Logo?
The Denver Broncos logo is the head of a horse in profile, with a flowing orange mane and navy outlines. The team unveiled it on 4 February 1997, with new uniforms developed alongside Nike.
It belongs to the Denver Broncos, the NFL team from Denver, Colorado, which played its first game in 1960. The club was awarded a charter franchise in the American Football League on 14 August 1959.
The horse head above the DENVER BRONCOS name is available as the Denver Broncos logo SVG.
Denver Broncos Logo Facts
| Introduced | 4 February 1997 |
| Symbol | A bronco's head with an orange mane |
| Logo type | Combination mark: the horse's head above the team name |
| Earlier mark | A rearing horse inside a letter D, on helmets from 1968 to 1996 |
| Owner | Denver Broncos |
What the Denver Broncos Logo Means
The Broncos logo shows the team's namesake horse. Apart from the plain helmet of 1967, every Broncos helmet logo since 1962 has shown it.
The 1997 mark drops the bucking pose and the letter D. It keeps only the head in close-up profile.
The change was meant to signal a new attitude. Owner Pat Bowlen wanted a more dynamic, modern look that would appeal to younger fans. He explained that playing in uniforms that had stayed essentially the same for 30 years did not fit that aim.
In the new look:
- the helmet turned a darker blue
- orange dropped from primary to accent colour
Denver Broncos Logo History
When the Broncos started in 1960 they had no helmet logo at all, only players' numbers. The colours were brown and mustard until coach Jack Faulkner switched to orange and blue.
| Year | Logo |
|---|---|
| 1960 | no helmet logo, only players' numbers |
| 1962 | the bucking horse by Bob Bowie goes on the orange helmets |
| 1967 | blue helmets with no logo |
| 1968 | the D with a rearing horse, on a royal blue helmet |
| 1997 | the horse head, on a darker blue helmet |
The first horse was drawn by Bob Bowie, a sportswriter at The Denver Post, as a caricature. For the first five games it was blue, and on black-and-white television it looked like a splotch of mud.
The team made the horse white, and the white horse first appeared in week six at Oakland. It stayed on the helmet through 1966.
The 1967 season under coach Lou Saban was the only one in Broncos history without a helmet decoration. The D that Saban added in 1968 lasted three decades.
The 1997 helmet added orange stripes that taper to a point. The Broncos won the Super Bowl in each of the first two seasons in the new look. The old D logo returned only as a throwback, first at a 2001 Thanksgiving game in Dallas and later on the Color Rush helmets from 2016.
The Blue Horse That Vanished on TV
The 1962 horse was redesigned for television within weeks. On an orange helmet the blue animal lost its shape in black-and-white broadcasts.
Its first outing in white came against Oakland, the club behind the Las Vegas Raiders logo.
For more teams like the Broncos, browse our sports logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Broncos introduce the horse head logo?
On 4 February 1997, when the team unveiled new uniforms created with Nike.
What was the Broncos logo before 1997?
From 1968 to 1996 it was a rearing horse inside a letter D, worn on royal blue helmets.
Who drew the first Broncos horse?
Bob Bowie, a sportswriter at The Denver Post, drew the bucking horse that went on the helmet in 1962.
Why did the Broncos change their logo in 1997?
Owner Pat Bowlen wanted a more dynamic, modern look to attract younger fans after about 30 years in essentially the same uniforms.